Morris, Rose Each Toss TD Passes In Hula Bowl

Is there a new “slash” coming to the NFL? Is his name Carl Morris?

In his final collegiate game, the Harvard senior wide receiver threw for a 39-yard touchdown and caught two passes for 27 yards while representing the North in Saturday’s Hula Bowl in Wailuku, Hawaii.

Morris’ partner in crime for the past three seasons, senior quarterback and native Hawaiian Neil Rose, also threw for a touchdown as the North built a 24-3 lead before losing 27-24 to the South squad, which was coached by Larry Coker of the University of Miami.

The Hula Bowl features college football’s best from both Division 1-A and 1-AA, and NFL scouts scrutinize the participants as possible draft selections.

Many insiders feel that Morris could be as high as a fourth-round pick when the NFL Draft is conducted in late April. Seattle Seahawks’ middle linebacker Isaiah Kacyvenski ’00 was selected in the fourth round of the 2000 NFL Draft (119th overall). No Harvard player has ever been taken in the first three rounds of the draft.

Morris has only increased his NFL stock in his two “postseason” exhibition games. On Jan. 11, Morris caught two passes for 42 yards in the East-West Shrine Game, including a highlight-reel, one-handed grab of a pass from University of Miami quarterback Ken Dorsey that led Indianapolis Colts general manager Bill Polian to call Morris “the surprise of the game.”

On Saturday, the North jumped out to a 7-0 lead and soon after recovered Heisman runner-up Brad Banks’ fumble in South territory. On the next play, Texas Tech quarterback Kliff Kingsbury, who led the NCAA in passing yards this season, pitched the ball to Morris behind the line of scrimmage. Morris found fellow Division 1-AA wide receiver David Kircus of Grand Valley State for the touchdown.

The play was reminiscent of a similar wide-receiver pass that Harvard coach Tim Murphy has often utilized in regular season games. In his junior campaign, Morris completed two of three passes for 78 yards and a touchdown.

Rose capped the scoring for the North in the first half, engineering a drive that included a 20-yard pass to Morris and concluded on a 21-yard scoring connection with Brigham Young tight end Gabriel Reid. Playing in front of friends and family who usually do not have the opportunity to see him play live, Rose finished the day 8-for-11 for 99 yards, a much better outing than Kingsbury’s 9-for-24 for 87 yards.

Despite Rose’s impressive performance, the quarterback is unlikely to pursue a professional career. However, his former teammate, senior tailback Nick Palazzo, was more than impressed with what he saw out of both players.

“I think they both proved that they belong and deserve mention with the best players in the nation,” Palazzo said. “They are big time players even if they didn’t attend a ‘big time’ football school. They have silenced a lot of critics of Harvard football.”

Senior offensive tackle and potential future-NFL draft pick Jamil Soriano agreed with Palazzo. “It’s not that surprising because they are both excellent players,” Soriano said. “They’ve shown that Ivy League players don’t just excel in the classroom, but also on the football field. It was a proud moment for Harvard football players, both former and current.”

Though Morris must still go through intense NFL scouting combines, he has demonstrated his vast potential by performing with the best in college football.

“After seeing his performances in the Hula Bowl and the Shrine Game, he’s upped his draft status and dismissed any doubts about his ability,” Soriano said.

—Staff writer Alex M. Sherman can be reached at sherman@fas.harvard.edu.