Athletes of the Week: Neil Rose '02-'03 and Carl Morris '03

Harvard’s 11th consecutive Ivy League victory came on a Wing and a Player.

The Wing was senior quarterback Neil Rose’s right arm, and it slung pass after pass to the Ivy’s best player Carl Morris in a record-breaking performance Saturday.

It was the first game of the 2002 season in which the oft-injured, once-demoted Rose logged every meaningful snap. Morris hopes it won’t be the last.

With his ol’ buddy under center, Morris caught 21 passes for 257 yards—both school records—and surged to new single-season standards in receptions (73) and yards (1,068).

“We were trying [to cover Morris]. We just weren’t getting it done,” said Dartmouth Coach John Lyons. “Believe me, we were double-covering.”

Rose had no trouble threading passes between two, or even three, defenders to the 6’3 All-American.

The running game was checked. The offense became one-dimensional. And every freezing fan in Memorial Stadium knew exactly where the ball was going.

But on this day, Rose-to-Morris was as unstoppable as the winter enveloping Hanover.

“[Trying to defend the pass] was just frustrating,” said Dartmouth strong safety Phil Frost.

Rose racked up 11 completions and almost 200 passing yards separate from Morris on his way to school-record totals in completions (36), passing yards (443) and total yards (449).

Perhaps the only thing more impressive than the seven records Rose and Morris teamed up to break was whose records they were breaking—their own.

“I had no idea the numbers we were putting up,” Rose said. “I realized Carl was having a huge game sometime in the third quarter when I realized all the balls he was getting.”

Morris would have gotten more than he did if it weren’t for a terrifying fourth quarter hit.

At the close of his 21st reception, Morris sustained a blow to the head and slumped to the turf unconscious. After two minues lying on his back, Morris jogged off the field with a mild concussion and did not return. Seven minutes remained in the game.

But by the post-game press conference, Morris was jovial.

When asked about his performance, Morris replied, “Umm, the part I remember…” before chuckling and shaking his head.

Due to the concussion, he couldn’t remember most of the greatest receiving performance in Harvard history.

Lucky for Morris, the Wing and the Player have three games remaining to create new memories.