Expectations are a funny thing.
When one hears of a certain junior college All-American running back, you expect a whole lot in terms of this player helping a Division I college football team win a number of games.
And when you hear of his astounding numbers and by whom he was recruited, you immediately expect something else.
Cockiness.
The Keyshawn Johnson “Give-me-the-damn-ball-and-get-the-hell-out-of-my-way” cockiness.
The Deion Sanders “I’m-God-and-you-should-pray-with-me-as-I-side-step-my-way-into-the-end-zone” cockiness.
So when you finally get the chance to meet this hyped-up recruiting gem, you’re taken aback by his “I’m-so-humbled-to-even-be-here-with-all-these-great-players-and-coaches” attitude.
And as it turns out, you aren’t the only person pleasantly surprised by Maurice Morris, the 6-foot, 205-pound junior college tailback that had Oregon Duck boosters already smelling roses back in August.
“He’s such a nice, quiet guy,” senior linebacker Matt Smith said. “I mean, with all of this press and publicity coming in, it’s nice to see someone with that much exposure come in and still be a level-headed guy who is really nice to talk to.”
It seems the only problem in talking with Morris is that his words are sometimes spoken with the softness of a whisper that can leave people leaning forward just to catch a complete sentence.
“Everybody has welcomed me along with all of the other JC transfers and freshmen, and that’s been very nice,” said Morris, who arrived in Eugene early in the summer after completing classes at Fresno City College in the spring. “The coaches and the teammates are a big reason why I’m here today.”
But when you think about it, it shouldn’t come as that much of a surprise that Morris is the subdued hard-worker who is looking to earn respect before acting like he already has it.
After all, Morris comes from a family of six brothers and eight sisters. One can only imagine the struggle of trying to get a word in edge-wise around that dinner table.
With all of those siblings, the natural thinking may be that you would want to get out on your own and be free. But with Morris, it’s just the opposite. In California, he missed his family greatly, so when he made the decision to come to Oregon, he also made the decision to bring his family with him.
Not an easy move considering that the distance between Chester, S.C., and Eugene is just a mere 2,888-and-a-half miles. According to Yahoo!Maps, to drive the distance, it would take 54 hours and four minutes.
Yet, living in Eugene right now are Morris’ parents, grandma, five of his sisters and two of his brothers.
“It’s been a perfect support group for me,” Morris said. “I’m more settled now with them around and am spending time with them that I didn’t have when I was in California.”
It’s no shocker that one of the major reasons that Morris chose Oregon over was the family feeling that the Ducks possessed.
“The coaches and the players all bond together like a big close-knit family and that’s the kind of thing that had a big impact on me and my decision to play here,” Morris said.
Morris’ impact on the Ducks has been immediate. Morris has rushed for 473 yards in four games, including last week’s 139-yard performance in the win over the Bruins. He’s now the Pac-10’s third-leading rusher at 118.3 yards per game, and quickly gaining attention.
“He is an exceptional tailback,” said Washington head coach Rick Neuheisal, who brings his No. 6 Huskies into Eugene on Saturday. “I am not sure we can stop Morris. He has the full compliment of weapons. We just try to make sure he doesn’t go crazy on us.”

Morris isn’t one to talk about the other programs that contacted him, but he was involved in a much-publicized recruiting battle that seemed to be headlined by Southern California. The Ducks’ sales pitch proved successful, however, and helped Morris steer away from going to USC or perhaps a team in the Southeastern Conference.
“I didn’t really follow the Pac-10 at all last year because I was on the verge of going back to South Carolina and onto a team in the SEC,” said Morris, who hails from Chester, S.C. “But to me, Oregon had a better program, so here I am.”
His presence is certainly letting Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti breathe a little easier. This past spring, the depth at the tailback slot was so weak that he tried to move Jermaine Hanspard, a true cornerback, into the position.
The shoes that Morris will have to fill are big, as Rueben Droughns — now with the Detroit Lions — rushed for 1,234 yards on the year, even after missing some early games due to a rib injury.
But Morris is more than capable of replacing Droughns, who likewise was a JC transfer. In Morris’ two years at Fresno, he set junior college career records with 3,708 yards rushing, 593 carries and 4,487 all-purpose yards. He was held below 100 yards rushing just once in 20 regular season games for Fresno.
With such numbers to his credit and with what Bellotti has seen so far, the coach is convinced that Morris is up to the challenge of filling Droughns’ shoes.
“I’m very, very pleased with Maurice,” Bellotti said. “He can make a normal run become a 50-or 60-yard run. He has that mindset that every time he touches the ball, he’s going to go. And that’s exciting.”
What makes Morris so effective is his ability to cut through defenses and change directions while keeping the same speed.
For example, during the season-opener against Nevada on Sept. 2:
Hand-off to Morris. Sprint. Cut right. Sprint. Cut right. Gone. 66-yard touchdown.
The type of run that gets everybody excited — everybody, of course, except Morris himself.
“I’m just out here working hard every day,” Morris said after the that game. “I’ve seen some improvement, but I still have to work harder and get all the plays down. It’s like catch-up for me because everyone else has been in Division I for a few years and I haven’t.”
It is surprising that he had to go to a JC program after rushing for over 1,600 yards and 25 touchdowns as a senior at Chester High School.
But Morris says it wasn’t what he did on the field, but rather what he did off of it that led him to Fresno City College.
“It’s just that in high school I got into a whole lot of knick-knack ins-and-outs that I should have avoided,” Morris said. “But oh yes, I learned a lot. I’d rather be a young fool than an old fool any day.”
Some questioned his desire to choose a school in a city where it rains year-round and in a conference that was dubbed as the “Pathetic-10.” But there were no doubts in Morris’ mind.
“Oh definitely not,” said Morris, rather matter-of-factly as his voice raised in volume. “Oregon is a premier program. They have proven themselves over the years. It’s just that it might not get the recognition that it deserves, but I mean, I expect that to change.”
There’s that word again: “Expect.” This time it was spoken by a man whose own expectations of himself seem to exceed everyone else’s.
And while it may not always be evident, there is a certain internal fire burning deep inside of him that will never be seen in interviews, but will continue to be on full display every Saturday this fall.
“I never give success much thought,” Morris said. “I just want to come out here and be a part of the team.”
“Cockiness” is certainly not in Morris’ dictionary, but you better believe that “confidence” is.