Brett Morse, magician behind the Hawks’ offensive curtain

Brett Morse

It might be hard to tell by watching him play fullback for the Iowa football team, but Brett Morse used to bask in the spotlight.

He scored 49 touchdowns as a dual-threat quarterback in high school.

He holds the Illinois high school record for the longest touchdown pass in a playoff game at 98 yards.

And he holds the school record for most yards in a season at 3,063 and for the longest kickoff return for a touchdown at 96 yards.

But at Iowa, the yards have been few and far between because Morse’s main responsibility as the fullback is to block … and then block some more … and a little bit more after that.

Morse will be making his 23rd career start at fullback when Iowa faces Eastern Illinois in the season opener Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.

His career totals of 74 rushing yards and 35 receiving yards are similar to what he used to compile during one half in high school.

He also didn’t touch the football once during the second half of any of Iowa’s 13 games last season.

But don’t let that fool you because Morse still plays a key role in helping the offense reach its potential.

“His position is behind the scenes, but what he does is huge for our success on every single down,” Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi said. “He does a great job with everything he does.

“He really puts us in some good positions even if some people can’t see it with the normal eye that’s watching a football game.”

The fact that he found a home at fullback still is surprising to Morse because he never played the position before entering college. He also weighs about 240 pounds, which is nearly 40 pounds more than he weighed in high school.

Morse said, “If you would have asked me my senior year in high school, ‘Brett, what are your thoughts on being a three-year starter at fullback for the University of Iowa, let alone any other university?’ I would have said you’re crazy.”

Some fans still might say he is crazy given his unglamorous role in the Iowa offense.

Morse’s responsibility on most plays is finding somebody to block so the Iowa running backs have room to operate.

“I love every part of it,” Morse said of blocking. “It’s a blast blocking for the great running backs we have. And it’s awesome being able to help the offense out as much as I can.”

Morse helped pave the way for Shonn Greene’s record-breaking season in 2008. Greene set a UI single-season rushing record with 1,850 yards and was the recipient of the Doak Walker Award, which goes to the best running back in college football.

“There were lots of times I would get off the ground and be watching him make a real awesome run,” Morse said of Greene, who now starts at running back for the New York Jets. “I was actually blessed to have blocked for such a talented back.”

Morse came to Iowa in 2006 with the intention of playing linebacker. He had played strong safety in high school, and the Iowa coaches felt he had good growth potential.

Morse started at outside linebacker and then moved to inside linebacker before ultimately finding a permanent home at fullback in the spring of his freshman year.

He made the decision to switch to fullback after talking with Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz.

“It didn’t bother me at all because I was just excited to have an opportunity to help the team and be a part of the program and contribute in any way I could,” Morse said. “When coach Ferentz told me that (moving to fullback) was probably the fastest way to get on the field, I jumped all over it. I was just excited to have an opportunity to get on the field.”

The transition got off to a rocky start, though.

Morse said he felt lost the first time he had to block somebody in practice.

“It was awful. I had no idea what I was doing out there,” he said. “I didn’t have any success for quite some time at fullback.

“I never had blocked anybody in my life. I think it was my second spring ball when things started to click a little bit and I started to figure it out.”

Morse said he would like to have an expanded role on offense. But he won’t complain if nothing changes because the team always comes first.

“I would love to do that, but if they want to get the ball to other people, that’s more than OK for me,” he said. “I’m basically another (offensive lineman).”

What he isn’t anymore is a quarterback.

“We’ll throw after practice, but I think he knows that he’s kind of lost his touch a bit,” Stanzi said.

Reach Pat Harty at 339-7368 or pharty@press-citizen.com.

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Tags: Brett Morse, football, fullback

Category: Iowa Hawkeyes Football