Morgan Claims Starting Job To Fulfill A Dream
DeAndre Morgan wasn’t sure what to expect when he came to practice on the Sunday following the Clemson game on September 22.
After seeing his first extensive action against the Tigers, a couple of Wolfpack assistants pulled him aside, told him that he had done a good job and to keep working hard, because good things could be coming.
When he walked into the meeting room and saw his name listed as the starter at cornerback, he wasn’t quite ready to believe it. But when practice began and he was placed as the first-stringer, Morgan knew that his time had finally come.
“I was just like, ‘Wow, my dream is really coming true now,’” Morgan said. “So that’s really good for me as a redshirt freshman to come in and start like the fifth or sixth game of the season. I was just looking to contribute to the team wherever I’m needed, and I’m fortunate I was just able to get in real early. So I’m just looking to hold my spot, keep competing hard and playing wherever they need me on the field.”
Fooling someone into thinking they’re a starter when they really weren’t might be something a brother would do. But Morgan knew that older brother DaJuan, the Pack’s starting safety, wouldn’t pull such a prank – and wouldn’t let anyone else do it, either. After all, it was DaJuan who had kept his younger brother’s spirits up through all of 2006, when DeAndre had to sit out the entire campaign as a redshirt.
DaJuan made little bro stay after practice, working on technique against NC State wideouts. DeAndre had played his career at Suncoast High School in Riviera Beach, Fla., as a safety, only playing cornerback during scouting combines. As a result, he had a lot to learn, and that process continued when he returned home to Florida, where he practiced against brother Darren Haliburton, a former wide receiver at South Florida.
“So I just had to do a lot of stuff on my own,” said Morgan, “and then use the coaching and everything as well to get to where I’m at right now.”
Where he is right now is entrenched as one of State’s starting cornerbacks – making his older brother proud.
“He said, ‘I know you can do it little brother, you have the potential and the heart, the desire to get better,’” Morgan said. “So he told me, ‘Don’t change [anything] that you do. Just go out there and play. Don’t worry about the crowd … just use your technique and let the game come to you.' And that’s what I did, and I think that I did a pretty good job [against Louisville].”
According to NC State defensive coordinator Mike Archer, Morgan did better than “pretty good” against the high-powered Cardinals offense and Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback Brian Brohm. Morgan is listed at only 5-10, 166 pounds, but despite going against bigger Louisville receivers, he more than held his own. Archer said Morgan only gave up two plays – a crossing route where he was slightly picked and another play – and was a standout performer on Saturday.
“I told him after the game [that] without looking at the film, I thought he played as good as anybody,” said Archer. “And after looking at the film, I think he played better than anybody on our defense.”
However, based on Morgan’s work ethic and effort in practices, Archer was less than surprised at the youngster’s strong play.
“I kind of anticipated it, because at the beginning of the week, I never had to really comment on him when I watched the film,” said Archer. “On Thursday night, we were watching the tape after all week’s practice, and I said, ‘You know, this kid is going to play good, because we really haven’t had to correct anything.' And he played the same way he practiced. We’ve got to get the rest of our guys to do that.”
So the Morgan Brothers now make up one-half of the Wolfpack secondary. That’s a fact that even Archer finds hard to believe – or notice.
“Well, you know, it’s funny, I didn’t even think about that until I went in and talked to the people from ESPNU [prior to the Louisville game],” Archer said. “They asked me who was going to start, and I said, ‘DeAndre Morgan is going to start his first game at corner,’ and I go to DaJuan and they said, ‘Are they brothers?’ And I went, ‘Oh yeah, they are.’ I hadn’t even thought of it.
“I’m sure it’s special for them, and they both played very well. DaJuan has played well for us all year and DeAndre has really stepped up his game, and I’m really excited about him because he’s young and he’s only going to get better.”
But no matter how well they play or whether State wins or loses, DaJuan and DeAndre have made at least one fan for life.
“It means a whole lot [to start alongside DaJuan],” said Morgan, smiling. “We kept it away from my mom, because we didn’t let her know I was starting, but we told everybody else. So when she got to the game and [saw] our names up on the screen, she said she just broke down in tears and started crying, because me and my brother, we’ve been through a lot.
“We always played on the same team, but we were never on the field at the same time. And to come in in college, a Division I big-time program, that was just a real honor. It was nice … I can’t explain the feeling.”
Kudos to DaJuan and DeAndre -- and even Mama Morgan -- for shedding a little sunshine in these dark Pack football days.
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