FORT COLLINS — After a violent outburst almost cost him everything, Avery Morrow was determined to get his life back on track.
His path took a turn after an on-campus altercation in January 2023, when he assaulted a fellow male CSU student who contacted Morrow’s parked car while riding by on a longboard.
For tackling and punching the student multiple times, Morrow was suspended from the team for six months and served 46 days in a work-release program last summer after being convicted of misdemeanor assault. A judge also ordered him to do 200 hours of community service and pay restitution and fees.
All of which is why when Morrow scored his first touchdown of the season Sept. 7 against UNC, the culmination of his comeback hit him hard.
“I really thought my football career was over,” Morrow said. “I thought for sure it was coming to an end and I didn’t know what to expect. It wasn’t until UNC when I got that touchdown on that last drive where (I felt my momentum shift). Ever since then, it’s been going the other way.
“… (In the big picture) I want to motivate these younger guys on the team and I want to motivate people from back home to never stop trying to come back (from a mistake), to never quit. If you do it right, you can make it out of the end of the tunnel. I feel like I’m still in the tunnel.”
Morrow is running as hard as he can to reach the other side. And he’s making the most of a second chance this fall as the Rams (6-3, 4-0) sit second in the Mountain West standings behind Boise State. CSU controls its own destiny to make the conference championship game after clinching its first bowl bid since 2017 last Saturday.
Colorado State running back Avery Morrow (25) eyes his gap as he runs in for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter of a game against the Northern Colorado Bears at Canvas Stadium at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. The Colorado State Rams defeated the Northern Colorado Bears 38-17. (Photo by Alex McIntyre/Special to The Denver Post)
Morrow has 130 carries for 788 yards, with a 6.1 yards-per-carry average and eight touchdowns. After starting the season buried on the depth chart, he’s climbed back into a featured role for a Rams running game that has been a cornerstone of head coach Jay Norvell’s offense.
The graduate student didn’t play in the season opener at Texas, only got in the game late against UNC, and played sparingly against CU before breaking out with a 156-yard, two-touchdown performance against UTEP. Over the Rams’ last six games, he’s gone over the century mark four times while demonstrating his versatility.
“He has the ability to be explosive, and also get the tough yards, too,” CSU quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi said. “It’s rare you have a back who can get out in open space and outrun people, make cuts off DBs and shake people, but also be inside and stuff ‘A’ gaps and get three, four yards when you need him to.”
Morrow, who remains on probation, said his production this fall is a result of the mindset he adopted while serving his sentence. As he fulfilled his work release over the summer, he dedicated himself to changing his body. He lost around 6% body fat, revamped his diet and rededicated himself to the weight room.
“I’d go to team workouts, then Monday, Wednesday, Friday I’d go to the rec center to go swim,” Morrow said. “I was working on other (skills) stuff, working on route running. I was working on everything and just trying to be the best version of me.”
Morrow said his legal troubles humbled him, but that he “learned from it in the right way.” He also said difficult circumstances with family back in Seattle affected his outlook in the period that led up to the assault.
There was some disagreement over how forcefully the victim contacted Morrow’s car during the incident. According to reporting from the Fort Collins Coloradoan, the victim testified during the trial that he gestured toward Morrow after seeing his car illegally parked in an alley and touched it with his hand while riding past on his longboard. Morrow described the contact as more forceful, while a witness said they heard a loud “bang.”
“I was already kind of on edge,” Morrow said. “I wasn’t looking to fight anybody or anything like that. (The victim) just messed with me on the wrong day. I didn’t appreciate him hitting my car, and I made a decision that changed my life. I regret it, and if I could take it back I would.”
Colorado State running back Avery Morrow (25) runs during the Colorado State Rams football game against the San Jose State Spartans at Canvas Stadium at Colorado State University in Fort Collins on Oct. 12, 2024. The Rams defeated the Spartans 31-24. (Photo by Alex McIntyre/Special to The Denver Post)
CSU running backs coach Jeremy Moses says Morrow earned back the trust of the coaching staff and teammates following his arrest by “not shying away from having to get certain things done in order to get through this.”
“Not only did he hit the checkboxes, but he went above and beyond what he was required to do in order to get through that process,” Moses said. “Though it was a tough situation and a dark moment in his life, there’s so many learning experiences that came from it that ended up being positives in the end, rather than negatives.”
As Morrow emerged as a centerpiece of the Rams’ attack, his play and the consistency of the linemen in front of him allowed the offense to take on a new, and unexpected, run-game identity this season. It’s been one of the driving forces behind CSU’s four-game win streak. As the Rams have gotten accustomed to life without star wideout Tory Horton (season-ending surgery), the Air Raid has taken a back seat to establishing tempo and momentum on the ground.
The opposition has taken notice. After losing to CSU last Saturday, Nevada coach Jeff Choate pointed out how the Rams’ offense “is really going through (Morrow) more than it is the quarterback.”
“To rely on (the run game) in first and second down, to be able to get us into third-and-manageables and move the sticks, or be able to capitalize on red zone drives by being able to get into the end zone running the football, is different than what we’ve traditionally done in the past,” Moses said. “But within our conference you can see how effective it’s been in who we play. And it’s opening up big play-action passes.
“Safeties are playing a little bit lower, they’re adding guys closer to the box. … As we get deeper into the season, a safety is going to have to come up and hit Avery in the box or it’s going to be a five-yard gain. But in order to do that, you’ve got to give up a deep post. You’ve got to pick your poison with us right now.”
With that identity and a conquerable schedule left, Morrow and CSU could run their way into the conference title game and give the Rams a shot at their first Mountain West crown in 22 years. The Rams have two home games left against struggling two-win teams in Wyoming and Utah State, with a road tester at Fresno State (5-5) in between.
While Morrow closes in on his goal of a 10-touchdown, 1,000-yard season — which would make him CSU’s first 1K rusher since 2017 — he also carries the team’s hopes with him.
Fowler-Nicolosi believes “there’s no reason we shouldn’t end up in that (conference championship) game in a month.”
The 22-year-old Morrow, who has taken a knee and said a brief prayer after most of his touchdowns this season, remains focused on his long-term goal of impacting “the younger generation, because I want to show them right from wrong.”
“I grew up in the ghetto — a lot of my friends are drug dealers, are in jail,” Morrow said. “I was the one friend who was always sticking to football while my friends were going to go smoke, go party. I knew I had a future. … I want to show them all you need is one opportunity, and that’s all I had (coming out of high school at Nevada).
“… So I’m trying to keep a level head, stay humble, stay consistent. Not too long ago, I was at the bottom of the totem pole, and now I’m at the top. So I try to treat it like I’m still at the bottom, keep working hard, and keep making plays.”
Colorado State running back Avery Morrow (25) reacts as he runs into the endzone for a touchdown during the Colorado State Rams football game against the San Jose State Spartans at Canvas Stadium at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. The Rams defeated the Spartans 31-24. (Photo by Alex McIntyre/Special to The Denver Post)