Wake Forest Athletics
Morin Makes Splash in Debut as Slot Receiver
9/19/2020 12:30:00 PM | Football, Les Johns
After the loss of Kendall Hinton, Taylor Morin made a key impact as both a slot receiver and punt returner in the 2020 season opener.
As Mitch Griffis rolled right, evading the Clemson pressure, he found slot receiver Taylor Morin in the back of the end zone behind three Tiger defenders.
It ended up being the first career touchdown for both Demon Deacons, but is a pass and catch that had been replicated likely hundreds of times during the summer.
While the Wake Forest Football team was away from campus after just five spring camp practices and separated back to their homes all across the country, Griffis and Morin maintained a strong connection by living a mere 20 minutes away from one another.
"We were out there two-to-three times a week," Morin said. "It definitely helped. It allowed us to do a lot of things, to stay sharp during the break, and gave us an edge coming back.
"It definitely helped. Confidence and timing with one another is definitely a thing between a receiver and a quarterback. Us being able to throw all summer definitely helped us."
Morin stayed busy during the lengthy time away from Winston-Salem, and it showed with his production against No. 1 Clemson, where he had nine catches for 93 yards.
"I was out on the field working everyday," Morin said. "I was also in the weight room quite a bit, just trying to sharpen my skills. I watched Kendall (Hinton)'s film from last year, just trying to pick up as much as possible from his game. I just wanted to come back as the best version of myself."
The fourth-quarter score was the first touchdown for the Deacs against Clemson in the last three years, and is something Morin believes the team can build upon.
"It was a really good experience," he said. "I'm glad we could get one up at the end. Overall, it was a very humbling experience.
"I think we have a lot of room to grow. It was our first game, so of course there were some mistakes made. If we can clean those up moving forward, we have a chance to have a really special year."
After losing Kendall Hinton, who tied for the team lead with 1,001 yards in 2019, to graduation, slot receiver was one of the positions that was considered a question mark entering this season. Starter Jaquarii Roberson had four receptions for 92 yards while Morin excelled in his time on the field.
"There's a lot of room for growth," Morin said. "We showed glimpses of greatness. If we can all come together and do all those plays in one drive, that will be the key for us."
Morin also averaged 12.7 yards per punt return against one of the favorites for the 2020 College Football Playoff. He currently ranks sixth nationally in punt return average heading into the second game of the season.
"The speed of the game was a big adjustment," Morin said. "I hadn't touched the field in a year and a half, so getting acclimated to that — we did a good job of simulating it in practice. But seeing it in practice versus seeing it in the game is two different speeds, for sure. But then there are those guys on the other side of the ball in orange who were moving pretty fast."
Next up for the Deacs is a Big Four matchup at 8 p.m. Saturday against North Carolina State at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh.
"No game in the ACC is easy, that's for sure," Morin said. "We have to prepare each week like we are facing Clemson. Each week will be a dogfight. There's no easy games in the ACC.
"We just played the number one team in the country and Clemson is a really talented team. We have an opportunity to learn from it and grow from it. NC State hasn't played a game yet, so hopefully that's an advantage for us."
It ended up being the first career touchdown for both Demon Deacons, but is a pass and catch that had been replicated likely hundreds of times during the summer.
While the Wake Forest Football team was away from campus after just five spring camp practices and separated back to their homes all across the country, Griffis and Morin maintained a strong connection by living a mere 20 minutes away from one another.
"We were out there two-to-three times a week," Morin said. "It definitely helped. It allowed us to do a lot of things, to stay sharp during the break, and gave us an edge coming back.
"It definitely helped. Confidence and timing with one another is definitely a thing between a receiver and a quarterback. Us being able to throw all summer definitely helped us."
Morin stayed busy during the lengthy time away from Winston-Salem, and it showed with his production against No. 1 Clemson, where he had nine catches for 93 yards.
"I was out on the field working everyday," Morin said. "I was also in the weight room quite a bit, just trying to sharpen my skills. I watched Kendall (Hinton)'s film from last year, just trying to pick up as much as possible from his game. I just wanted to come back as the best version of myself."
The fourth-quarter score was the first touchdown for the Deacs against Clemson in the last three years, and is something Morin believes the team can build upon.
"It was a really good experience," he said. "I'm glad we could get one up at the end. Overall, it was a very humbling experience.
"I think we have a lot of room to grow. It was our first game, so of course there were some mistakes made. If we can clean those up moving forward, we have a chance to have a really special year."
After losing Kendall Hinton, who tied for the team lead with 1,001 yards in 2019, to graduation, slot receiver was one of the positions that was considered a question mark entering this season. Starter Jaquarii Roberson had four receptions for 92 yards while Morin excelled in his time on the field.
"There's a lot of room for growth," Morin said. "We showed glimpses of greatness. If we can all come together and do all those plays in one drive, that will be the key for us."
Morin also averaged 12.7 yards per punt return against one of the favorites for the 2020 College Football Playoff. He currently ranks sixth nationally in punt return average heading into the second game of the season.
"The speed of the game was a big adjustment," Morin said. "I hadn't touched the field in a year and a half, so getting acclimated to that — we did a good job of simulating it in practice. But seeing it in practice versus seeing it in the game is two different speeds, for sure. But then there are those guys on the other side of the ball in orange who were moving pretty fast."
Next up for the Deacs is a Big Four matchup at 8 p.m. Saturday against North Carolina State at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh.
"No game in the ACC is easy, that's for sure," Morin said. "We have to prepare each week like we are facing Clemson. Each week will be a dogfight. There's no easy games in the ACC.
"We just played the number one team in the country and Clemson is a really talented team. We have an opportunity to learn from it and grow from it. NC State hasn't played a game yet, so hopefully that's an advantage for us."
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