‘We Have To Get Better’: Morris Focused Internally As Cowboys Are Massive Favorites Against Murray State

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STILLWATER — Two games into the year, and the Cowboys have lost as a big favorite and won as a big underdog.

This week, the Cowboys are gargantuan favorites against FCS Murray State, with FanDuel setting the line at 55.5 points. With a 70.5 over/under, that means the sportsbook is expecting something like a 63-7 win for the Cowboys.

So after two weeks of results being opposite of the expectation, how Eric Morris gets his team ready to be such a big favorite will be key — maybe not for the result of this game but for the Cowboys continuing to get better week by week.

“This is a game where I’ve preached to our kids, like, we have to get better and worry about us,” Morris told Dave Hunziker on Inside Oklahoma State Athletics. “So, we have to get better and build off of things that we did positively. So our message is to play fast again, and that’s not just on the field running. That’s mentally being able to process fast, and when you do play fast, it turns into a physical brand of football. I think that’s gonna be our recipe for success this year, no matter who we play.”

There’s a reason the Cowboys are such heavy favorites — and it’s not just that they took out Oregon last week.

Since the start of the 2022 season, the Racers are a combined 7-42. Since current coach Jody Wright took over to start the 2024 season, Murray State is a combined 3-24.

The Racers are 1-2 to start this season, losing to Eastern Illinois and Middle Tennessee State before getting on the board with a win against Valparaiso this past weekend.

Murray State has used three quarterbacks already this season. Collin Shannon has played the most, but Wright noted that he’s dealing with an ankle injury that has seen him miss some practice time. Jim Ogle has played 58 snaps across two of the Racers’ games, and Baxter Wright has played seven snaps, not having thrown a pass but used as a running option.

This marks Jody Wright’s first head-coaching gig, but he has experience at a lot of different levels. A running back at Jacksonville State back in the early 2000s, Wright has been on Group of Five staffs, he’s been on SEC staffs and he’s been on NFL staffs.

He was an offensive analyst at Alabama in 2011 and 2012, two seasons where the Crimson Tide won national titles. He returned to Tuscaloosa in 2015 as the director of player personnel, where he collected two more national title rings in 2015 and 2017.

“I think this is a team that’s looking for an identity right now,” Morris told Hunziker. “I do think their head coach has been around some great programs, has been in the NFL, was out at Alabama when they won four different national championships. So, he’s seen football at a really high level.”

The Racers have been bad in the kicking game to start the year, as they’re 0-for-2 on field-goal attempts and 5-for-7 on PATs. With that, Morris is on alert for some trickeration.

“They’re extremely multiple on both sides of the football, and super aggressive” Morris said on his radio show. “On offense, they’re gonna line up in a ton of different formations. They’re gonna shift. They’re gonna do trick plays. They’re gonna try to catch you sleeping. And then defensively, they’re gonna be in a ton of different multiple fronts. They’re gonna be aggressive. They’re gonna blitz.

“They’ve really struggled in the kicking game so far this year, so it’ll be interesting. This’ll be a great game, I could see them faking field goals, faking punts and things of that nature and be able to live a little bit dangerously.”

So, with all that said, even with the Racers’ best efforts on Saturday, they might not come close to the Cowboys. So for the Pokes, it’s about themselves.

“A great week for us to really focus on us, I think,” Morris said. “And not worry about who the opponent is but really worry about us getting one week better and really capturing off the momentum and the things that we did well last week.”