It's deja vu all over again for Nick Morasko. And for the
fifth-year senior from Glendive, it's a great feeling.
"I just thank God," Morasko said of his fifth spring as a Bobcat,
a training camp that almost wasn't. Morasko entered last fall,
his fourth year, as a starting defensive tackle. But in the
fourth game of the season he dislocated his shoulder. By
suffering the injury that week, instead of a week later, he
remained eligible to apply for a medical hardship season, which
he was granted by the Big Sky Conference.
"I'm so fortunate to be back this year," Morasko says. "This
injury is almost the best thing that's happened to me. I'm
fighting through a lot of pain right now, but I think by the fall
I'll be 100 percent and it will be worth it."
Morasko's return has certainly been worth it for MSU defensive
line coach Joe O'Brien. "Nick comes out every single day as a
fifth-year senior to get better. He's gotten better every single
day. With this year back he's quicker than he's ever been, he's
leaner, smarter than he's been, and he's playing with
unbelievable effort right now. He's taken a leadership role,
which is huge for us. It took him a little bit to do that, but
he's becoming a big-time vocal leader."
Bobcat coach Mike Kramer said Morasko serves as an anchor for the
Bobcat defense. "He really gives us a physical presence in terms
of both mass and strength inside. By playing part of last season
he gained nothing but quality experience and wisdom as a player,
and that's something that we need. Because even though we have a
veteran defensive unit, we still have a young defensive unit."
O'Brien echoed the notion that Morasko's experience has fortified
his ability. "That extra year gives you another year to work on
things you need to work on. Nick was maybe a little overweight
last year, but his feet are quicker now and he's smarter. Seeing
things for another year really helps, and physically having that
extra time is really important."
The most important factor for O'Brien has been Morasko's
willingness to learn. "He hasn't been at all one of those
fifth-year guys that think they know everything. Every day he
gets better at something. And when he screws something up one day
he'll fix it the next."
* * * * *
Although Montana State's defensive line is full of familiar
faces, they will be lining up at some new positions for at least
the remainder of the spring. John Taylor has been moved -- for
now -- to nose tackle from the defensive end spot at which he's
started for two seasons.
Taylor, at 6-3, 245, is somewhat light for his new position. "But
nobody in the nation has a (player who runs) 4.52 at nose
tackle," says Bobcat coach Mike Kramer. "He can run, he's really
lean, he's improved his overall body strength. John's a little
bit lighter than Shaun Ross (last year's nose tackle), but he's a
little bit faster. It's the fastest defensive front I've ever
been associated with."
Kramer said a pair of factors beyond Taylor's control have
prompted his move. "The injury to and loss of William Kofe (who
will miss the rest of the spring with a sprained knee and next
fall due to an LDS mission) and the development of Adam Cordeiro
have prompted us to move John Taylor to a position where he can
start and play a lot. This is a great opportunity for him and a
great opportunity for us to get better and faster on defense."
The bottom line, says MSU defensive line coach Joe O'Brien, is to
get the four best defensive linemen on the field at the same
time. "That's really our philosophy. We want our four best guys
out there, and John is one of those four."
Kramer said the issue could be revisited next fall when junior
college transfers Travis Busse and Danny Lockhart arrive to
buttress the interior of the defensive line. But, he'll deal with
that when it happens. "We'll always do what we can to make
ourselves better at every position. But if John Taylor is one of
our four best d-linemen, he'll play."
* * * * *
The Bobcats will scrimmage on Friday afternoon in Bobcat Stadium
beginning around 4:30 p.m. It will be the third scrimmage of the
spring, and should last fifty plays. "But that will be predicated
on the health of our offensive line, where we're down to 10 right
now, our defensive line, where we have seven, and our secondary,
where we really have three cornerbacks."
Kramer said that health is not a major concern in the long run.
"We're at the point of the spring where we don't necessarily have
more injuries than you'd expect, but we are pretty thin right
now. We have everything input, it's just a matter of repetition
and execution."
