TAMPA, Fla. - Jamie Morris stuffed a pair of wristbands into his blue-and-gold Michigan travel bag and zipped it shut for the final time.
Suddenly serious, he jumped from the locker-room bench and crouched his 5-foot-7, 183-pound frame into a running position.
"I've always taken a lot of kidding about my size," said Morris, a senior. "But I used to have this coach who would tell me, 'Jamie, if those trees in front of you are too tall, just chop 'em down to size."
Chop-chop by turning on the speed, or flashing the slippery moves, or even running over the sequoias with chainsaw-like grit. Morris did it all in rushing for a career-high 234 yards and three touchdown to lead Michigan past Alabama 28-24 in Saturday's Hall of Fame Bowl.
But the doubts linger, and the doubters should carry Morris' analogy one step farther.
NFL scouts who overlook Morris because of his size are missing the forest for the trees. And that's a shame.
This guy could have won the Heisman Trophy, but they don't give the Heisman to guys who have to stand on tip-toes to touch it.
"When I'm on the field carrying that rock, I'm 6-foot-2, 210 pounds," Morris said. "Besides, size doesn't matter. It doesn't make any difference how big you are. It's how much heart you have."
Morris was the inspirational leader of a team with a mission. It was a game they dedicated to ailing coach Bo Schembechler, back in Ann Arbor recovering from heart surgery but ever-present in their thoughts.
Morris scored second-quarter touchdowns on runs of 25 and 14 yards to give the Wolverines a 14-3 halftime lead.
The 14-yarder showcased Morris as the complete back. On a draw play, he shot past the linebackers after a key block by center John Vitale, eluded one tackler, and shifted into four-wheel drive. At the two-yard line, Alabama safety Mike Smith braced for an ambush. But Morris ran over him and scooted into the end zone.
"I didn't know I had it in me," Morris said. "My position coach [Tirrell Burton] said after the game, 'Jamie, you acted like a bull out there.' I said, 'Yeah, that's me. Jamie, the bull.'"
A 77-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, which gave Michigan a 21-3 lead, dispelled all the talk about Morris not being able to break the long run.
"Christmas came a little early for me this year," Morris said with a smile. "Maybe I don't have break-away speed. Maybe that was a mirage."
Or maybe some people refuse to believe what they see.
"You saw one of the great backs in the game today," interim Michigan coach Gary Moeller said.
What you might not have seen was the commitment in Morris' eyes or the determination in his step. This wasn't just another game. This was for Bo, the man who believed.
Four years ago, most coaches projected Morris as a defensive back, if anything. But he wanted to run, just like his famous brother, Joe Morris, now of the New York Giants. Bo said OK.
The gamble paid off one more time on a balmy Florida day.
Afterward, Moeller called Schembechler, accepted congratulations for a gutsy fourth-down call that won the game, then passed the phone to Morris, the game's hero.
"I just thanked him for giving me a chance and letting me play for him," Morris said. "Bo's been like a father to me. This was my best game, and it was for him."
Then, as he picked up his bag and began walking toward the door, Morris stopped and looked back.
"I wonder if anyone else will ever believe in me like Bo did?"
Any gamblers out there?
Copyright 1988 by Keith Dunnavant