GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Miami senior QB Stephen Morris impressed -- and surprised -- numerous observers with his performance at the recent Manning Passing Academy.
"I feel like I did a lot better than people thought I was going to do," Morris said Sunday at the 2013 ACC Football Kickoff media event.
The same could be said about his performance last season, when he was the Hurricanes' unquestioned starter for the first time. He threw for 3,345 yards -- the fifth-best single-season mark at a school that has produced big-time quarterbacks -- and 21 TDs.
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Morris won the skills competition at the Manning camp, which was loaded with top quarterbacks. The skills competition included throwing at a target on a moving golf cart 30, 40 and 50 yards away. In the "golf cart test," Morris went 6-of-6.
Morris (6-2, 214) started five games in his first two seasons at Miami, sharing time with Jacory Harris. Quarterback was a position of concern for UM entering last season, but no more. Morris had four 300-yard games, including two games with 400 yards and one with 566. While he struggled with his decision-making early (seven interceptions in the first eight games), he threw zero interceptions in the final four games.
Arm strength never has been a concern for Morris, but accuracy has been; Morris has completed 57.7 percent of his career passes, about 6 or 7 percentage points below what is expected. But Morris said he has worked hard on improving that facet of his game.
The biggest thing he worked on during the offseason was his footwork. "I missed throws [in the past] because of" poor footwork, he said. Morris said he has rushed throws and made awkward passes because he wasn't set up correctly, but he is confident that is behind him.
Morris said his time at the Manning camp helped reiterate how important footwork can be. He said Eli and Peyton Manning also talked about the importance of not overstepping into your throws and about rotating your hips correctly.
Morris' revamped skill set will get an early-season test: The Hurricanes play host to Florida and its deep secondary on Sept. 7. Two Florida cornerbacks were on NFL.com draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah's list of the nation's top 50 players.
