SDSU’s Morrison, Facing Surgery, May Miss Season : Football: Defensive end missed most of 1991 season as well.
An accidental collision with a teammate in Tuesday’s practice might result in another lost season for San Diego State defensive end Tyrone Morrison.
Morrison will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee this morning after a magnetic resonance imaging Thursday revealed a torn meniscus cartilage and a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Today’s surgery will repair only the cartilage and will followed by two to four weeks of rehabilitation.
SDSU trainer Brian Barry said if Morrison’s knee responds favorably, ligament surgery will be postponed until after the season. If it does not respond, the surgery will be moved up and Morrison, who won a starting job and looked impressive early, will be lost.
“In 10 days to two weeks, we’ll know if he has to have the ACL to play,” Coach Al Luginbill said. “Some kids can play without it. Some can’t.”
For the second day in a row, Morrison, a former Morse High standout, didn’t want to comment on his injury. His knee was heavily wrapped and in a brace. He moved slowly on crutches and the smiles he gave to well-wishers appeared to be mere obligatory acknowledgments.
“I don’t know if I’m ready to talk about it,” Morrison said. “I’m boiling inside with frustration.”
Morrison, 6-feet-3, 255 pounds, played part-time as a freshman at Ohio State in 1989, but transferred to SDSU for the next season. Since then he has spent little time on the field, redshirting in 1990 and missing most of 1991 with injuries, including a knee sprain.
Said Luginbill, “He’s had nothing but problems with injuries since the day he walked onto this campus.”
Six players will not make the trip to Albuquerque for Saturday’s game against New Mexico because of injuries: Morrision, nose tackle Turaj Smith (ankle sprain), center Mike Alexander (foot sprain), split end Jake Nyberg (groin strain), H-back Will Tate (hamstring pull) and punter Jason Savorn (bronchitis). Hardest hit is the defensive line. Defensive end Jamal Duff missed Thursday’s practice with a thigh contusion but hopes to be ready Saturday.
As a result, Roger Blake, a 6-4, 245-pound redshirt freshman who was an all-section linebacker/tight end at Hoover High, will be put into the defensive line rotation and could get his first collegiate playing time. He has five reserves ahead of him, but all of them played regularly in at least one position while Morrison and Smith were healthy.
Blake said he is confident and looking forward to an opportunity, after being set back by having to work and take two classes during the summer.
“I didn’t come into fall camp in shape,” he said. “It was hard for me to adjust here, academically. I didn’t settle down like I was supposed to. I learned. It’s a big jump from the (City) Central League to Division I.”
The latest update on the Aztec passing game:
“I can’t even describe how much better we’ve thrown the ball this week,” said Luginbill, who added the aerial scheme will continue to be emphasized in practice in coming weeks.
Dropped balls have played a major role in passing breakdowns. That, coupled with the injuries to Nyberg and Tate, could bring opportunity to another Morse product, Larry Maxey, Saturday. Maxey, a fifth-year senior, a former starting H-back and running back (who twice gained 100 yards in a game), is now the No. 2 H-Back behind redshirt freshman Ray Peterson.
“I’m trying to step up (my) leadership role within the group and get everybody going,” Maxey said. “Everybody’s responded. I think we’re going to have a big game against New Mexico. Every position I’ve been to, for some reason I’ve enhanced the play of the players that were already there.
“I have a lot of experience in games, and I feel I can get the job done. Little Ray, he’s a young guy, but he has to be out there. I’m not moaning and groaning about not having a position to myself.”
Nyberg, who played at Orange Glen in Escondido and caught his first two passes of the season against UCLA, said his injury occurred while running a route, but he still managed to dive and catch a pass from Tim Gutierrez for a 20-yard gain.
“I don’t drop the ball; that’s my one strength,” Nyberg said. “The coaches, they know that. They know I can get in there and get them a couple completions and move the sticks.”
The Aztecs will have their second bye in a month next week, which creates some confusion at the Nyberg residence.
“My mom said, ‘B-Y-E. You play them twice? Who’s B-Y-E?’ ” Nyberg said. “I said, ‘Ma, it’s the British Youth Enthusiasts, or something.’ ”
