It's rare to see a quarterback leap in the air over an opposing defender, but don't tell that to graduate transfer Shane Morris.

In his first game wearing the Central Michigan gold and maroon, Morris' coming out party wasn't his second quarter touchdown pass to Brandon Childress in last Thursday's 30-27 win over FCS Rhode Island, nor was it his ability to lead in the three overtimes before the finish.

But perhaps his 14-yard run when the Chippewas faced a 3rd and 13 situation at their own 46-yard line late in the first half was the different maker.

Not only did Morris' hurdle give CMU the first-down, it also showed that Morris is ready to prove his worth as a starting quarterback.

"I don’t know where that came from," Morris said on the jump. "But when something like that happens, it elevates the people around you."

His athleticism was featured on SportsCenter's Twitter account and even former Michigan teammate Wilton Speight got in on the fun.

Not counting two series in which redshirt freshman Tony Poljan completed three passes for 27 yards, the former five-star recruit got the start for CMU and stayed in the game until senior captain Devon Spalding's game winning run from four yards out.

Morris' connection to Childress was his first ever touchdown throw since senior year of high school at Warren De La Salle (Mich.). He started twice in the four years with the Wolverines, including the 2013 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl in Tempe, Arizona.

"I have a lot of confidence in (Morris)," said head coach John Bonamego. "He is a very intelligent football player. Sometimes you just never know what’s going to happen until you get into the live game situations and you have live bullets."

He finished 25-of-49 passing for 226 yards with one interception, which occurred during Central Michigan's third drive of the first quarter. Morris was hit when he threw the ball, then caught by Rhode Island's Myles Ross at the 16-yard line.

Morris also had miscue issues with senior center Austin Doan on three separate occasions. The Rams were able to capitalize on Morris fumbling the snap with three minutes left in the fourth quarter, eventually tying the game.

"When Rhode Island only has one FBS school on their schedule, and it was us, they’re going to play like it’s the Super Bowl," he said. "We expected that and they did well. They came out and played us hard."

Morris is comfortable having the responsibility of attempting as many throws as he did for the remainder of the year. It's been beneficial knowing that he's found chemistry with the receiving corp so early.

Childress finished fourth on the team with 20 yards and four catches. Senior Mark Chapman, who wore the No. 21 jersey in honor of the late-Derrick Nash, had 88 yards receiving on eight receptions.

Logan Hessbrook, the Saginaw Valley State transfer who got the start at tight end after senior Tyler Conklin broke his foot in camp, caught five passes for 52 yards.

"I think the receivers did a good job," Morris said. "They did a great job catching it."

Central Michigan finished with nearly 500 yards of total offense, allowed two sacks and was 20 percent on first-down conversions.