Had things gone a different way – had, for instance, Johnnie Morant redshirted his freshman year rather than play unprepared – they could’ve been talking about their own receiver.

Had circumstances changed – had, for instance, Morant pressured himself to perform well rather than rely on his God-given ability – perhaps they dub Morant the ‘best receiver in the country.’

Instead, when SU head coach Paul Pasqualoni and safety Anthony Smith described the nation’s best receiver, they mentioned another name – Pittsburgh’s Larry Fitzgerald.

‘He just goes up and gets it and makes a tremendous catch,’ Smith said of Fitzgerald, Pitt’s sophomore Heisman contender. ‘He can always make things happen. His height, it’s to his advantage when he’s facing smaller cornerbacks and smaller secondaries. He’s the best receiver in the nation.’

Then, as a reporter asked what Morant would think of that comment, Smith chuckled.

‘I was just thinking about that,’ Smith said. ‘I almost forgot that I go against that size every day in one-on-one drills when I face Johnnie.’

It’s easy to forget about Morant, who’s been cast aside since showing flashes of brilliance earlier this year. In his first two games, he caught 15 passes for 301 yards. Then, against Central Florida, Morant suffered a left ankle injury that hampered him for the following three games.

Saturday, though, he caught a 52-yard, over-the-shoulder touchdown catch early in the second quarter to give SU a 12-7 lead. Then, nine seconds before halftime, he corralled a pass in the left corner of the end zone, deftly keeping his foot inbounds for a 19-7 Syracuse lead. That’s good for SU now, but Fitzgerald has made similar catches since his freshman year. So while Morant (ITALICS)can(ITALICS) be that dominant, three years of underachievement could overshadow any numbers he can – and will – put up now that he’s healthy.

‘(The injury) was serious,’ SU wide receiver Rashard Williams said. ‘If you came to see our practice, he can hardly run. Every time he takes a step, he’s limping. I ask him, ‘Why are you running?’ He’s like, ‘I need to practice.’ ‘

Ask anybody on the team about Morant and he echoes the same answer: Morant is a big-time receiver. He’s fast. He’s 6-foot-4, 230 pounds. He’s a playmaker.

Some, though, feel Morant is selling himself short.

‘He can do that (two touchdown catches) every week if he keeps his head into it,’ Williams said. ‘The thing is, at times, he can be nonchalant. He can be great if he goes as hard as he can on every down. Not like if a ball isn’t coming his way, but just on a backside run, he won’t hit a defender as hard as we know he could. That kind of stuff.’

With an injured left ankle, though, Morant may have an excuse. He admits the ankle affected him, forcing him to favor his right side or relax when possible.

‘With Johnnie’s ability, he can put up those numbers when he’s not healthy,’ wide receiver Andre Fontenette said. ‘He comes in here as a freshman and everyone else is benching 250 and he’s benching 315. Everyone else needs to practice, but Johnnie doesn’t have to and he can still be great.’

After three years, Morant is finally blossoming. He’s healthy. He’s motivated. He’s matured. Now, he’s productive.

‘This is his last chance,’ Fontenette said. ‘He’s been an NFL-type receiver since high school. Now he’s gotta show it because it’s his last year.’

Said Morant: ‘I have no regrets of my career. Everyone wants to be great, but I learned so much. I had to learn things a certain way, maybe bad ways. I’ve matured so much, I realized, because I’ve been through a lot of stuff. Looking back on it, it was good. But it wasn’t what it was supposed to be.

‘I came out of high school and I just thought I could be nonchalant. But you’ve gotta make it your prerogative to catch the ball. I just wish I could’ve played like this earlier.’

Published on October 20, 2003 at 12:00 pm