Morgan says ankle injury is minor

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Marshall Morgan had a chance to end his career with a record. Instead it ended with an injury.

Morgan suffered a right ankle injury in the first half of the TaxSlayer Bowl, ending his season and thus his career. His injury occurred on a kickoff when he was making a tackle. He tried to kick a towel to see if he could, but it hurt and he realized he wouldn’t be able to return.

“It’s not gonna be a long injury at all,” said Morgan, who is hoping to start an NFL career later this year.

Morgan did have a field goal and an extra point before the injury, giving him 407 for his career, third-most in school history. That’s five behind Blair Walsh and three behind Billy Bennett. So had Morgan stayed in the game, he stood a reasonable chance of passing both.

“I’m happy to be in the top three,” Morgan said, smiling.

As it is, Morgan does own the school record for extra points, going 215-for-220. His 64 field goals also rank fourth in school history.

Patrick Belesss, a senior walk-on, kicked the extra point after Morgan’s injury. Beless has replaced Morgan before, including the first two games of the 2013 season. Collin Barber tried a 48-yard field goal in Morgan’s absence, but was just wide left.

Receiver Reggie Davis also left the game with a right ankle injury.