Richard Morrison Q&A

Catching Up with Richard Morrison

By Sean Collins

Has it been difficult to continuously switch positions?

"I wanted to do it. It was more of a case where it taught me more about the game. I guess you could say I'm a quarterback at heart but being a dual-threat athlete, I feel like I can play all positions. I felt that in the long run it would help me learn the game more. I can see it from both sides of the ball, the things to look for and the reads to make. I feel like I had an advantage."

How was the experience of playing quarterback for head coach Rich Rodriguez?

"It was a great experience, learning from Coach (Rod) Smith who played for Coach Rodriguez and then having Coach Rodriguez there to teach us the steps. It was pretty cool because he's a great coach and he's a player's coach. He's really down to earth and it was fun being able to work with him."

How has your role changed this year since you are a senior?

"Being an older player, I’m trying to help these young guys. I had Juron Criner and Nick Foles when I was a young guy doing what I'm doing now. So basically I just had to keep playing and maturing and now I'm one of the oldest on the team and I have to play my part."

Do you embrace your leadership role?

"Even though I've been hurt these past few weeks, I'm not the type of guy to just sit back and let somebody mess up. If I see something, I'm going to help that person, even if I am competing with that person. The way I look at the younger guys, I feel like if I help somebody, somebody will help me."

How happy are you with the team's improvement over the course of the season?

"It's been a big improvement. We lost some good people that were a big part of this team. I feel like we grew and matured. The team was young last year but we brought a lot of guys back so it's a big improvement and I feel like we have a good chance to go far."

How much have you enjoyed being in the Lowell-Stevens Football Facility this season?

"Now that we are in our own domain, it's easier to focus. Being in McKale, you have every sports team in there. Sometimes you have to share equipment in the weight room and it could be a distraction. Being over here, we're isolated and you can really concentrate, which is good. We can just stay over here, focus on watching film and working out. It's good, we just love it."