Morris, Ward Lead Way in Win at South Alabama

Jonnyeagle · September 1

MOBILE, Ala. – Even though Chandler Morris was making his first start for the Mean Green on Saturday at Hancock Whitney Stadium, he's been a known commodity in major college football for a while.

Second-year UNT head coach Eric Morris knew what he had under center, and if there was any outside doubt, the junior from Dallas emphatically erased it by torching the South Alabama defense for 415 yards and three touchdowns in a 52-38 season-opening road win.

"We knew it. We'd seen it in practice," Eric Morris said. "His poise and savvy is something else, and he got into his fourth and fifth reads a lot of times, which is really impressive. They were really scared of our vertical passing game so they were putting a lot back there. He did a good job of taking what the defense gave us."

There were no big chunk plays, but Morris was surgical in his dissection of the Jaguar defense, completing 78% of his passes (32-for-41) on the night. The main beneficiary of Morris' night was senior wide receiver Damon Ward Jr., who put his name in the UNT record books with 12 catches for 230 yards and two touchdowns.

Ward's night marked the fifth-most receiving yards in a game in program history and was one yard shy of matching the most in a season opener.

"He's just a playmaker," Chandler Morris said of Ward. "I knew that in camp. I knew he was a guy who we were definitely going to get the ball in his hands early and often, and I knew he could make plays for me. He made some great catches and he bailed me out a few times. Getting the ball to 10 different dudes, that's what I'm maybe most proud of after that win is just that we have 10 dudes in that room who can do it."

The second-year head coach said he immediately gave Ward a big hug amid the locker room celebration and told him, "That's why you came back."

"I'm super proud of that kid," Morris said. "He could have left (after last season). I'm so proud when a guy comes back for the right reasons and goes out and shines like that. That was great to see."

Now, Morris has the first season-opening win in his tenure and just the third road win to open a season since 2009. The Mean Green are now 1-0 heading into their home opener next Saturday at DATCU Stadium against SFA, set for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff on ESPN+.

"We talked about doing things the hard way and about being scrappy and being gritty and believing in one another," Morris said of the difficulty of opening a season on the road. "We knew adversity would strike at some point today, but we have to trust one another and fight for four quarters. I thought we did a remarkable job doing that and went out and finished a football game."

QUICK HITS

The Mean Green win puts the all-time series at 2-0 in UNT's favor, with the last meeting coming in 2012 in Denton, when the Mean Green won 24-14. The win puts the Mean Green at 45-59-3 all-time in season openers.
UNT is now 5-0 under Eric Morris when leading after three quarters and improved to 2-6 in the Morris era when trailing at half.
UNT's captains for the game were Roderick Brown, Ridge Texada, Chandler Morris and Damon Ward.
The Mean Green entered the season with 77 newcomers, which is the most in all of FBS. Thirty-six of the 77 newcomers are transfers.
There were 11 players who made their first starts for the Mean Green.
- There were seven first-time starters for UNT on offense: Chandler Morris, DT Sheffield, Larry Moore III, Oscar Hammond, Landon Peterson, Ma'Kyi Lee and Blair Conwright.
- There were four first-time starters for UNT on defense: Terrell Dawkins, Jayden Hill, Brian Nelson II and Alphie Guillory.
UNT was outscored in the first half in seven of its last eight games of 2023, while outscoring its opponents in the second half in six out of the final eight games. That trend continued in the 2024 opener.
- The 38 second-half points scored by UNT ranks second in program history behind 40 second-half points vs. WKU on Oct. 31, 2009.
UNT scored a touchdown on the game's opening possession, something the Mean Green accomplished only twice last year (at FIU, vs. Temple).
UNT's 52 points is the most in a season opener for the Mean Green since scoring 57 against Houston Christian in 2020.
The 52 points is the most in a season opener against an FBS opponent, besting a 49-0 win over UTEP to open the 1978 season.
UNT's 28 third-quarter points ties for the fifth-best in any quarter in program history and the second-highest total in the third quarter, when they last scored 28 points at UTEP on Sept. 10, 1977.
The 446 passing yards for UNT is the seventh-most in a single game in program history.
The game's opening touchdown was a 2-yard run from QB Chandler Morris to cap a 5:18scoring drive. The Mean Green had just three scoring drives in 2023 of more than five minutes, with the last coming vs. Temple on Oct. 14, 2023 (5:52).
Junior QB Chandler Morris (Dallas, Texas) finished 32 for 41 for 415 yards, no interceptions and three touchdown passes.
- Morris made the first start of his UNT career and the 10th of his collegiate career.
- Morris eclipsed 400 passing yards for the second time in his career and first time at UNT, becoming the 10th player in program history to pass for 400 or more yards and it marked the 14th time in program history a player has thrown for at least 400 yards.
- Morris is the fourth UNT quarterback since 2000 to throw for 300 yards or more in his starting debut, joining Giovanni Vizza, Austin Aune and Chandler Rogers.
  - His 415 yards is the third-most passing yards by a UNT QB in a season opener and the most since Mason Fine's 444 against SMU in 2018.
- Morris is the sixth UNT quarterback since 2000 to throw for three or more touchdown passes in his first start for the Mean Green.
- Morris' 2-yard touchdown run with 9:37 left in the first quarter capped the Mean Green's first drive of the season and was the seventh rushing score of his career.
- Morris' 3-yard touchdown pass to Damon Ward Jr., with 12:43 left in the second quarter was the 17th of his career and first at UNT.
- Morris' 25-yard touchdown pass to Blair Conwright with 13:23 left in the third quarter was the 18th of his career and second at UNT
  - The completion was the first between Morris and Conwright since Nov. 6, 2021, when the duo was at TCU and Morris threw for 461 yards against Baylor and was named National Player of the Week.
- Morris' 1-yard touchdown run with 10:14left in the third quarter put UNT up by two scores and was his second rushing TD of the day and eighth of his career.
- Morris' 54-yard touchdown pass to Damon Ward Jr., with 3:36 left in the third quarter was the 19th of his career and third at UNT.
- Ten different receivers caught passes for the Mean Green.
Junior RB Ikaika Ragsdale (Las Vegas, Nevada) finished with 45 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown to go with three catches for 20 yards.
- Ragsdale's 3-yard touchdown run with 8:28 to play was the 13th of his career and his first since Dec. 17, 2022, against Boise State in the Frisco Bowl.
Senior WR Damon Ward Jr. (Beaumont, Texas) finished with 12 catches for 230 yards and two touchdowns.
- Ward Jr.'s 230 yards is his first 200-yard day, the third time in his career to eclipse 100 yards and a new career high.
- Ward's 12 catches is a new career high and he is the first UNT receiver with 12 catches since Rod Burns at SMU in 2021.
- Ward's 230 yards gives him the fifth-most receiving yards in a single game in program history.
- Ward's 230 yards is the most receiving yards in a game for a UNT wide receiver since Jaelon Darden's 244 against Charlotte on Oct. 10, 2020.
- Ward's 230 yards is the second-most in a season opener in program history behind Scott Ford's 231 against ACU in 1992.
- His 3-yard touchdown reception with 12:43left in the second quarter was the 11th of his career.
- His 54-yard touchdown reception with 3:36left in the third quarter was the 12th of his career and second of the day.
Senior WR Blair Conwright (Lubbock, Texas) finished with one catches for 25 yards and a touchdown.
- Conwright's 25-yard touchdown catch with 13:23 left in the third quarter was the sixth of his career and third at UNT.
Junior WR DT Sheffield (Corinth, Mississippi) finished with seven catches for 74 yards.
- Sheffield's seven catches is a new career high, breaking his previous high of three at Washington State.
- Sheffield's 74 yards is also a new career high, breaking his previous high of 19 at Washington State.
C.J. Garnett's blocked punt return touchdown with 2:40 left in the third quarter was the first for UNT since Dominique Harrison's on Oct. 19, 2019, against Middle Tennessee and was the first non-offensive touchdown for UNT since Ridge Texada's pick-six against FAU on Oct. 1, 2022.
Senior DB Jayden Hill (Gahanna, Ohio) finished the day with a team-high nine tackles, including two solo stops.
Senior LB Jordan Brown (Huntsville, Texas) finished the day with six tackles, including two solo stops.
Redshirt freshman CB Taylor Starling (Dallas, Texas) finished the day with a career-high six tackles, including three solo stops, and a half-tackle for-loss.
Sophomore DB Evan Jackson (Houston, Texas) finished the day with five tackles – all solo stops – and added a pass breakup and a QB hurry.
Senior DL Roderick Brown (Forney, Texas) finished the day with three tackles, including two solo stops, and two sacks.
- His second-quarter sack was the eighth of his career and his first since Oct. 15, 2022, against LA Tech.
- He added his ninth career sack in the fourth quarter.
Senior CB Ridge Texada (Frisco, Texas) finished the day with two tackles, including a solo stop and a pass breakup.
- Already the program leader in career PBUs, Texada's one on the day gives him 25 in his career.
- Texada now has 29 passes defended (PBUs + INTs), which is tied for second on UNT's all-time list with Nate Brooks (2015-18) and Royce Hill (2008-11).
Redshirt freshman kicker Kali Nguma (Mission, Texas) went 7-for-7 on extra points and 1-for-2 on field goals, making a 30-yarder in the final minutes, in his UNT debut.