Oklahoma State head coach Eric Morris wasn’t interested in letting his team spend much time celebrating its stunning upset of then-No. 6 Oregon.Just days after
Oklahoma State head coach Eric Morris wasn’t interested in letting his team spend much time celebrating its stunning upset of then-No. 6 Oregon.
Just days after the Cowboys’ 24-20 victory over the Ducks, Morris told Urban Meyer and Rob Stone on "The Triple Option" that the team had already undergone a “hard reset” and was moving forward.
“We’re not paying attention to any of this,” Morris said of the outside attention following the win.
The victory was an impressive response to Oklahoma State’s 35-7 loss to Tulsa in the season opener, a game Morris described as embarrassing and one in which his team “lost in the trenches.”
The solution heading into Oregon was surprisingly simple.
Morris challenged his players to play faster.
“The only thing we’re grading this week is how fast our players play,” Morris said. “We don’t have a chance against Oregon unless we’re able to pull the trigger and play extremely fast.”
That approach carried into Oklahoma State’s preparation. Morris said the Cowboys went “old school,” holding two-hour, physical practices on Tuesday and Wednesday, emphasizing inside run, more live work and increased competition between the offense and defense.
The result was a dramatic turnaround in the trenches.
“We dominated that football game up front on both sides,” Morris said.
Quarterback Drew Mestemaker was another major part of the upset. Mestemaker’s path to becoming Oklahoma State’s starter is unusual. In high school, he was an all-district defensive back and punter but wasn’t even the starting quarterback.
Morris said Mestemaker’s spatial awareness and exceptional recall helped him develop into an effective quarterback. Oklahoma State also uses cognitive testing similar to evaluations used by NFL and NBA teams, and Morris said Mestemaker was “off the charts” in his testing and recall.
Mestemaker’s competitive nature was on full display when he launched himself into the end zone for a memorable touchdown against Oregon. After getting the wind knocked out of him on the play, Mestemaker told Morris he needed a drink of water before returning to the field for a two-point attempt.
Morris also credited the continuity provided by the 22 players and coaches who followed him from North Texas to Oklahoma State. Those relationships, he said, helped accelerate the process of establishing the culture he wanted in Stillwater.
That culture is heavily influenced by Morris’ former mentor, Mike Leach. Morris worked for Leach at Washington State and said the late coach taught him the importance of accountability and demanding that players and coaches embrace the program’s standards.
“He was a mastermind of that,” Morris said.
Morris believes Oklahoma State’s early-season adversity could ultimately prove valuable. The Cowboys have already experienced the extremes of a season, from a blowout loss to a victory over a top-10 opponent.
Now, Morris wants his team to learn from both experiences.
“We’ve got to do a great job staying in the moment,” he said.
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