On Monday, SMU introduced former Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris as the new head coach of the Mustangs. The move comes as no surprise as rumors of Morris possibly accepting the position have been swirling since the resignation of June Jones earlier this season.
The new wrangler for the Ponies made a name for himself in Texas, coaching in the high school ranks for 16 years; he led Lake Travis High School to back-to-back 16-0 seasons, culminating both with division 4A Texas State titles. After being lured to Tulsa to serve as offensive coordinator in 2010 before making journey East on I-40 to Clemson, South Carolina, Morris has established himself as one of the best offensive minds in college football today.
SMU has been used to the pass-friendly Air Raid offense for several years now, but Morris’ smashmouth spread offensive system will bring new excitement—and plenty of challenges—to a unit that has lacked so much in 2013. But with quarterback Matt Davis on the roster, the transition could be much smoother than anticipated.
Given Morris’ reputation for instantly coming in and vastly improving a program’s offensive fortunes, SMU’s offense will upgrade the second he intervenes.
After winning his third Texas high school state championship 2009, Morris was hired as the offensive coordinator at Tulsa. His impact was felt immediately. In his one season, the Golden Hurricane went from being ranked No. 54 in total offense in ’09 to No. 8 in 2010. This was key to the 2010 Golden Hurricane finishing 10-3, as opposed to 5-7 the previous season.
In his first year at Clemson in 2011—along with first year starter quarterback Tajh Boyd—Morris contributed to the Tigers bringing the ACC Championship back to Death Valley. Clemson finished the season ranked No. 16 in total offense, including No. 12 in passing yards. During his time in the Palmetto State, Clemson was the only other school besides Baylor to produce a 3,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard rusher, and 1,000-yard receiver in every season from 2011-2013.
Despite what has been an overall disappointing season for the Tigers, SMU fans need not to have any doubts about Morris’ offensive play calling. When first considered to be the potential hire hire for the offensive coordinator position at Clemson, current Minnesota Vikings defensive line coach and then-UTEP defensive coordinator Andre Patterson described Morris’ offense as a “high pace,” and “very quarterback friendly” offense that is predicated on the run.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0AEAjnwJfY]This is good to hear as quarterback Matt Davis has established himself as a dual-threat quarterback coming out of Klien Forest High School, where in 2012 he amassed 1,483 yards and 13 touchdowns passing, while rushing for 931 yards and 12 scores his senior year. This season, despite not gaining any substantial playing time until only a few weeks ago against Tulsa, Davis leads the team in completion percentage (56.5 percent), passer efficiency rating (103.5), and rushing yards (422).
Morris’ habit of immediate success will greatly benefit Davis if he continues to be the starter in 2015. In Tajh Boyd’s first season he finished the year 298-of-499 (59.7 percent) for 3,828 yards and 33 passing touchdowns, while also rushing for 218 yards and five touchdowns. Overall for his career, Boyd broke almost all of Clemson’s quarterback records, breaking the ACC record for passing touchdowns in a game with five against North Carolina State, and eventually setting the ACC career passing touchdown record at 107.
Davis may not be the next Tajh Boyd, but his play this season despite the abysmal performance of the Mustangs offense—along with Morris’ track record of immediate and unrivaled success—can mean great things are sure to come for the future of SMU football.
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