To Take Shots or Not to Take Shots: Morris, Mestemaker Know When to Be Aggressive and When to Let the Game Come to Them

The last time Eric Morris was a part of the Big 12 it was still the Wild, Wild West, and the Cowboys were still coming to town guns a-blazing.

Morris last called plays for Texas Tech back in 2017. His Red Raiders hung tough in there but eventually fell short to the Mason Rudolph- and James Washington-led Cowboys 41-34. Somewhat pedestrian for some OSU-Tech games we were used to seeing. The last time Oklahoma State won a game with at least 70 combined points was in 2023.

A lot has changed about the league since Morris left, and not just its revolving door status of incoming and outgoing schools.

At Big 12 Media Days, Morris talked about how different those offenses looked to the ones in the new-look Big 12.

“The one thing that’s different for me from a schematics standpoint is when I was in the Big 12 last – I think it was 2017 – this league was so wide open,” said Morris. “Fast-paced offenses, throwing the ball all over the place, high-scoring games. And I’ve gone back and watched tape more and more this summer, and it’s really reversed roles.

“There’s a bunch of people that everything’s condensed, we’re using a lot more tight ends, 12-, 13-personnel, playing a possession game, playing good defense.”

Such is the nature of progression. Defenses have gotten more agile and better at slowing down those spread concepts and quick schemes.

It’s no secret that Morris has buttered his bread on the offensive side of the ball. During his steady rise up college football’s ranks, he’s rubbed elbows (and shared clipboards) with some of the top offensive minds the sport has seen this century, serving on staff with the likes of Mike Leach, Lincoln Riley, Sonny Dykes and current Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire. But while he cut his teeth in the air-raid, his own brand of offense is much more balanced and complex.

Last year, Morris’ North Texas team led the FBS in scoring offense and total offense and was second in passing yards. But they were also Top 25 in rushing, chewing up over 194 yards per game. They ranked 17th with 5.3 yards per carry and led the country in rushing scores.

The question is whether or not that firepower will translate to the next level of competition. Morris expects it to translate just fine and that’s in large part thanks to the stars he brought with him, namely returning all-FBS-everything Drew Mestemaker, who Morris seems to have complete trust in.

Mestemaker was still in middle school when Rudolph and the Cowboys were hanging 50 points on defenses, but he’s proven he can sling it with the best of them. He threw for 469 yards and three TDs in a win over Rice last season and then set a career an American Conference record with 608 yards and four passing TDs in a win over Charlotte.

But as impressive as his physical skillset, is Mestemaker’s football IQ which he showed off as a freshman and which he’s apparently honed even more this offseason. He knows how to win both ways, which includes knowing when to take what defenses are giving you and when to air it out.

“I think it’s knowing your situation and kind of getting a feel on what we’re doing well in that game,” said Mestemaker. “If you look back at the Navy game, we handed the ball off a lot, and Caleb [Hawkins] fell forward for like seven yards every play. Whenever you’re rolling like that, there’s no need to take that shot. If the run game’s not doing super well, and like we’re winning on the outside, and we need a spark, that’s kind of the time that you want to take that shot.” 

Morris is confident in his team and in his scheme and seems more excited than worried about transitioning back to calling plays in the Big 12.

“It’ll be interesting for me to get back in that mold,” said Morris. “Just, it’s not what I remember. But I’ll win a football game. I don’t care how I have to win a football game.”