Jaheim Morris is doing his part to help the Millersville University offense
MILLERSVILLE, Pa. — Jaheim Morris wanted to find the resolve to practice the mentality he thought he conquered.
The Millersville redshirt freshman running back dropped his first pass as a collegiate player during the second quarter of a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Division matchup with Lock Haven Oct. 2 at home.
Morris, who was born in Harrisburg and is a Camp Hill High School graduate, was fuming as he went to the back to the sideline.
A few injuries to teammates during camp elevated Morris, who leads the team with 222 rushing yards on 63 carries, into a bigger role faster than he thought.
Teammates encourage him to not dwell on his mistakes.
鈥淭he most valuable thing is to keep your head up and have a short-term memory,鈥� Morris said. 鈥淲hen I went to the sidelines, my teammates came up to me and told me not to worry about it. It鈥檚 just a drop.鈥�
Morris鈥� misfortune didn鈥檛 last long in what turned out to be a 31-29 win over Lock Haven.
After dropping the pass, Morris bounced back with a 34-yard run and finished with a game-high 95 rushing yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. He also caught three passes for 18 yards.
鈥淚 always stay prepared to go in at any time,鈥� Morris said. 鈥淚 knew what we were up against and went hard in practice.鈥�
Millersville entered the season with three true freshman running backs along with Morris and KJ Cartwright. The Marauders, who returned three starting offensive linemen, have been working out their groove on offense.
The Marauders, who are 2-5 overall and 1-3 in the PSAC East, haven鈥檛 had a winning season since 2005.
Millersville鈥檚 offense has had a tough time with injuries. Having a group learning how to play together has limited the Marauders to being the league鈥檚 12th best offense in terms of total yards with 1,390 (1,033 passing, 415 rushing).
Freshman starting right tackle Claude Vangelus says they want to play with pace.
鈥淭he tempo is they want us to fire off the ball,鈥� Vangelus said. 鈥淐oach wants us to run 15 or 20 plays in 10 minutes.鈥�
Developing chemistry and familiarity will be something the Marauders work on as they try to finish the final four weeks of the season strong. With a win, Millersville would exceed its win total from the 2019 season.
The PSAC didn鈥檛 have a season last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Morris is excited to be part of the solution.
鈥淜nowing this team hasn鈥檛 been good is something my teammates and I want to figure out together,鈥� Morris said. 鈥淲ith how we have played this year, I think you鈥檒l see a huge change next year.鈥�
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