CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Drew Morgan can identify.
Tuesday, the local newspaper -- The Charlotte Observer -- didn't have a word on Thursday's Belk Bowl, which is being played here.
There was a story on North Carolina State beating Vanderbilt and about the Carolina Panthers going from first to worst in their NFL division. There was an update on Wakeyleaks -- the Wake Forest scandal about a former radio analyst giving out plays to opponents -- but that was not really timely.
Clemson, which is in South Carolina, got some ink.
Not Arkansas. Not Virginia Tech. Not the Belk Bowl.
Same for USA Today, but that paper covers the entire country. The Observer is the hometown and regional paper for all that happens in the biggest city in North Carolina.
Morgan was mostly the forgotten Arkansas Razorback through his first two seasons.
He almost always was a spring football phenom. He was talked about a lot in August but not much after that.
The Greenwood native had no catches as a freshman and 10 as a sophomore.
Morgan is bold and brash. He once was heard challenging someone to a pingpong game. It wasn't his turn, but he had lost and he wanted a chance to get even.
When his teammates are asked who's the most confident player on the team, they don't hesitate. It's almost always Morgan.
He believes he can do anything, and he believes he should do it better than anyone. A loud and proud vote of self-confidence is Morgan, but he was the No. 4 receiver going into his junior year.
Two games into the 2015 season, everything changed.
Brandon Allen's favorite receiver, Keon Hatcher, was lost for the season with an injury and suddenly it was a new ballgame.
Morgan played well enough in the third game to start the fourth, and that was when he got open over the middle on one play and started waving his arms so Allen would see him. He did. First down.
He didn't need to wave anymore. Allen always seemed to consider him a viable option, and Morgan finished the season as the team's leading receiver and third-most receptions in a season at Arkansas with 63. That resulted in 843 yards and 10 touchdowns, which ranked No. 17 in the nation.
He was no longer the best kept secret on the team. Morgan had more than hit the deadline to become a headline.
Hatcher returned this season, and Morgan has willingly shared the spotlight.
Morgan has 61 catches on the season for 664 yards and 3 touchdowns. Hatcher has 38 receptions for 638 yards and 7 touchdowns.
Both are considered potential NFL Draft picks in April.
During the season, the thought occurred that almost every time Morgan touched the ball the chains were moved. Reviewing the play by play for each game was on the to-do list, but there it was in the bowl media guide.
Morgan tied for the most first-down receptions in the SEC with 38. The amazing thing is that of his 134 career catches, 88 have been for first downs.
He has a reception in 26 consecutive games.
Thursday, Morgan's fun run will end as he takes the field here for his final game. The senior never redshirted, playing on special teams as a true freshman.
No doubt Virginia Tech has scrutinized the 6-foot speedster with great moves and hands, and he will have plenty of company wherever he goes on the field.
Yet, that's the way it has been for almost two years and still the guy who always believed he would be a difference-maker has found a way to carve his name in the Razorbacks' history book.
Sports on 12/28/2016