Spring practice begins, Morris leaves players without time for a cup of water |
CLEMSON – The first team offense ran to the sideline following their first practice series under new offensive coordinator Chad Morris, and most of what was said as they tried to catch their breath can’t be printed in this space. Welcome to life in the fast lane. Morris’ impact on the offense was immediately evident as he walked the quarterbacks through their paces – taking time to work on the footwork of starter Tajh Boyd and redshirt freshmen Tony McNeal and Cole Stoudt – and especially when the offense started running plays as a group. Right tackle Landon Walker said he loved the enthusiasm shown by Morris and the players. “It was a first day to remember for sure,” Walker said. “I can't really find the words for it. It felt like we ran 100 plays. Everything was so much faster, and I loved the enthusiasm that was there. It is definitely going to be a couple of weeks of teaching, but everybody is buying into the system and everybody is trying to find their place in it.” Walker said that he doesn’t think the offense will be too hard to pick up because it’s simpler than what was ran last season. “There was so much [lasts season], and this is so much more simplified,” he said. “There was just so much more stuff that we did. As far as the pace – we have had some fast-paced practices, but we have never gone that fast. Coach Morris is just really, really positive, and he was explaining things after each play.” Morris said he was pleased with the first day’s effort. "It was a great first day," Morris said. "Anytime you come off the field and get as many reps as we did today, and for those guys to be excited about it, I was really impressed with the shape these guys were in. They've definitely done their homework. They were a little gassed early on, but I think they caught their second wind pretty early." Morris laughed when it was brought to his attention that the players were running to the sidelines out of breath. "They didn’t have time to get over there and get a drink, did they,” Morris said. "They didn’t have time to fill the cup. Just about a half a cup is all you could get." Morris said he sees a program that needed a “change.” "They were just wanting a change and needing a change," Morris said. "The system they've been in has been really good to them. They've won a lot of games. But this was a change. And I think you saw that. You felt it. The kids felt it. The defensive guys felt it. There was a lot of team chemistry out there.” Quarterback Tajh Boyd was impressive in the first practice, and Morris said he was pleased with Boyd’s effort. "I thought he did a good job as a leader and controlling the tempo of what I was expecting of him,” he said. “He threw the ball well at times. You could definitely tell his footwork is not where I want it to be and where he wants it to be. But it's a start. It's a day one start, and it's only going to get better. I think he's going to know what my expectations are, and we've got a starting point. But I'm very pleased with where Tajh is." Boyd was characteristically all smiles following the practice, and he said he liked what he saw out of Morris. “He was psycho, but in a good way,” Boyd said. "He's a high-energy guy. He's an enthusiastic guy. He's like hurry, hurry, hurry, then he slows you down, though I don't think he really means for us to slow down. Coach Morris is definitely a fun guy to work with. He critiques you, but he loves you as well." The rising redshirt sophomore was seen imploring his teammates to not ride the carts from the practice field back to the WestZone – asking them to walk or jog back over – and he said he wants to improve his leadership qualities. "I've just tried to establish myself as a leader," he said. "I definitely think some of those things came about today. You can see it. We're putting this offense together." He also said he can't wait for the offense to finally click. "The way this offense is, it’s fast tempo, it's going to be hard for the defense to catch up," he said. "You're taking shots down the field. You're giving guys opportunities to make open-field moves. It's also a little bit more simple. It's just got to get to a point where everything should click. Once that gets rolling, we should score more. It's going to be a fun year." Receiver DeAndre “Nuk” Hopkins said Friday’s practice was different than anything he experienced last season. “It was a good day for us, I would say,” Hopkins said. “I definitely ran more today than any time last year in practice or a game. Today, I probably made six more catches than I did in any practice last year. This offense gives guys a chance to make plays.” 
AUDIO: OC Chad Morris
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