CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Stephen Morris wanted to play his college football in his home state. Florida coaches said they would probably be willing to give him that opportunity. That’s all Miami had to hear. When Morris started getting some serious interest from the Gators during the recruiting process in 2009, the Hurricanes quickly convinced the Miami native to remain in his hometown for another four years. That’s what Morris wanted anyway, and on Saturday he gets a chance to beat the school that unsuccessfully wooed him when No. 12 Florida (1-0) visits the Hurricanes (1-0) in the renewal of a rivalry that was once among the best in the college game. ”I wanted to stay in Florida,” Morris said. ”I wanted to stay home with my family, I wanted to stay as close to my family as I could. I was just waiting for a school to give me a chance, to give me an opportunity. My hometown school gave me that shot. I never looked back.” The Hurricanes expect every seat in Sun Life Stadium – all 76,854 of them, a bigger-than-usual capacity for a bigger-than-usual game – to be filled on Saturday, and the game will be shown nationally as well. It could be quite the backdrop for a signature moment that Miami has craved for some time. The Hurricanes are 1-10 since November 2005 when facing teams ranked No. 12 or better, and that one win comes with a bit of an asterisk, since it was over an Oklahoma team in 2009 that was playing without an injured Sam Bradford. And Morris is 0-4 against ranked teams in his three-plus seasons at Miami. None of that will matter much Saturday, of course. It’s Miami vs. Florida, and it’s a game Morris has waited a while to play. ”What is there to talk about? …
Continue Reading: Morris thrilled for chance to play No. 12 Florida
