Offensive lineman Robert Norris knew almost immediately he had too steep of a learning curve to play for Virginia Tech.
“I barely played football in high school — I just played my last two years,” he said. “I went from being new to something, to going to such a large program where they already know [the fundamentals] they needed to know. I needed more direction and time for development.”
And that’s exactly what the Cheltenham native and DeMatha graduate has received at Morgan State when he transferred to the school on Cold Spring Lane in 2006.
Norris, working closely with offensive line coach Chennis Berry and senior and All-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference right guard Dwyane Delaney, has matured into one of the top players at his position in the conference. The redshirt senior was a second-team All-MEAC preseason selection and is counted on to be a cornerstone at left tackle.
“We work out together, live together, eat together do everything together, that’s what makes it an offensive line,” Norris said. “Guys who sacrifice together, acting as one. We aren’t a right tackle, a guard or a center. We are one.”
And 6-foot-4, 315-pounder is ready for the challenge, even if he hardly looks like a veteran team leader.
With a fuzzy haircut, braces and a babyface, it’s clear Norris still is growing into his immense frame and he continues to develop his even larger potential. Morgan State coach Donald Hill-Eley praised Norris’ work in the weight room as quickly as his dedication in the classroom, singling him out as the type of player the program is trying to recruit.
“It’s been great for him to come in from a program as prestigious as Virginia Tech and realize we are not Tech, but have our own unique resources and can afford you a quality opportunity on both a personal and academic level,” Hill-Eley said. “Because of how well he’s done, he’s a model for others that come into our program.”
Norris and Delaney, along with returning starting senior center Nathan Soto and senior right tackle Dakarai Grimsley, figure to build on last year’s dominant performance. The unit paved the way for a rushing attack led by graduated senior and current Indianapolis Colt Chad Simpson. Simpson ran for 127.4 yards per game and 14 touchdowns en route to being named the MEAC Offensive Player of the Year.
Morgan State finished the season ranked 18th in the Football Championship Subdivision in rushing offense, averaging 211.64 points per game, and yielded a meager 19 sacks. But the unit will have to be even better this season to improve on last year’s 5-6 record.
The Bears were in the MEAC race until the final week of the season, but came up two wins shy of their first trip to the 16-team FCS playoffs by winning their league. If the Bears earn a postseason berth this fall, it will be because of their ability to win close games.
All of Morgan State’s six losses came by eight points or fewer, including two in overtime. Their first chance to reverse that trend comes on Sept. 6 at Towson at 6 p.m. The Tigers have won the past three meetings, including a 28-21 win at Hughes Stadium last season.
“We still lost the games, even though they were close,” Delaney said. “If you aren’t winning, it doesn’t mean anything.”
Morgan State Bears, in depth
- Coach: Donald Hill-Eley
- Last year: 5-6, 4-4 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
- Returning offensive/defensive starters: 7/8
- We’d pay to watch: LB Jarrell Guyton, Sr. The 6-foot, 225-pounder was a preseason All-MEAC First Team selection and was one of the top blitzing linebackers in the Football Championship Subdivision last year. In nine games, he recorded 62 tackles — 31 solo — to go with 3.5 sacks and was ranked fourth in the conference with 15.5 tackles for loss.
- A playoff berth if: The offense can back up the defense. Morgan State ranked second in the nation last year in total defense, yielding just 264.8 points per game and forcing 29 turnovers. But the offense turned the ball over 20 times and averaged a meager 144.6 passing yards per game.
- Home for the holidays if: They can’t find a replacement for All-American running back Chad Simpson. The MEAC Offensive Player of the Year scored 15 touchdowns last season. Junior running back Devan James is the team’s returning leading rusher with 366 yards and two touchdowns on 85 carries.
BY THE NUMBERS:
22 — Bears were 4-0 when scoring that many points last season, 1-6 when they did not.
99 — Morgan State’s FCS ranking in passing efficiency out of 116 schools. Bear quarterbacks combined to complete just 129-of-256 passes for 1,591 yards with eight touchdowns against 12 interceptions.
19.31 — Yards per kickoff return for the Bears — eight best in the conference and 81st in the FCS. This statistic must improve to help a offense that graduated several key players from last year’s team.
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