Eric Morris is searching for the right practice balance after Oklahoma State followed a 24-10 loss at Tulsa with a stunning upset of No. 6 Oregon. Morris wants the intensity to remain high while managing reps and keeping the Cowboys fresh as the season progresses.
STILLWATER — Two games into Eric Morris' tenure at Oklahoma State, the Cowboys have already experienced both ends of the college football spectrum.
A disappointing 24-10 loss at Tulsa was followed seven days later by a stunning 39-31 victory over No. 6 Oregon.
Now comes another challenge for Morris: figuring out which parts of the week between those games need to become Oklahoma State's new normal.
After the Tulsa loss, Morris and his coaching staff increased the physical and mental demands on their players. The Cowboys practiced outside rather than retreating indoors from the Oklahoma heat, and Morris repeatedly challenged his team following a performance he openly criticized.
The response was difficult to argue with. Oklahoma State went from scoring 10 points against Tulsa to piling up 554 yards against Oregon. The Cowboys rushed for 237 yards, Drew Mestemaker threw for 317 and the defense held the Ducks to 281 total yards.
But Morris knows simply repeating that demanding week over and over isn't necessarily sustainable.
“The intensity needs to stay high on Tuesday and Wednesday,” Morris said, while explaining that OSU will also have to maximize walkthroughs and eventually reduce repetitions as the season progresses.
Finding the Right Formula
That balance is particularly important for an Oklahoma State team still developing its depth.
Morris said every team is different, and what his Cowboys needed following the Tulsa loss won't necessarily be what they need every week.
At some point, injuries and accumulated wear will force the staff to adjust practice workloads.
“I don't have the perfect answer for you right now of what we'll do,” Morris said. “But it's something we'll spend time sitting down with all the coordinators and trying to figure out, ‘Hey, what's the perfect limit for this group.’”
It's an interesting evolution from Morris' preseason thinking. He had previously referenced Indiana coach Curt Cignetti's ability to conduct efficient practices lasting around 90 minutes. But after watching his team struggle in the opener, Morris believed OSU needed a tougher week before facing Oregon. The Cowboys responded accordingly.
From Responding to Adversity to Handling Success
There is also a different mental challenge this week. Following Tulsa, Oklahoma State spent an entire week hearing about what had gone wrong. Following Oregon, the Cowboys have spent several days hearing how good they can be.
Morris anticipated that almost immediately after Saturday's victory, saying his staff would have to handle a week in which everyone suddenly wanted to tell his players how good they were.
That makes Saturday's matchup with Murray State another test, even if it looks dramatically different on paper than facing the No. 6 team in the country.
Oklahoma State has already shown what can happen when its intensity isn't where Morris wants it. It has also shown what the Cowboys can look like when it is.
Two games don't provide Morris with a definitive practice blueprint for the rest of the season. In fact, he acknowledged the Cowboys have produced “two totally different results” through their first two weeks.
The goal now isn't to recreate the misery that followed Tulsa every week. It's figuring out how to recreate the urgency.
And for Morris, whatever adjustments Oklahoma State makes to its workload as the season progresses, one part of the formula isn't negotiable: The intensity has to stay high.
