‘I Still Watch That Film Once a Week’: Eric Morris Isn’t Letting Himself or His Team Forget About the Tulsa Game

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It’s been mostly good vibes when discussing the Cowboy team that has won three in a row, including beating Oregon and then going on the road and winning in West Virginia.

But in some ways, those two big wins have magnified a question: what the heck happened in Tulsa?

It’s been a busy bye week for Morris, who spoke on Big 12 Today on Wednesday morning before going and eating lunch with donors at Karsten Creek before then doing a radio hit on The Sports Animal. In both of those media opportunities, Morris was asked about that Tulsa game.

“It’s, at the same time, so frustrating when you’re searching for those answers just because, and it’s also, you know, a league that I just got out of and felt really comfortable going into that game,” Morris told The Sports Animal. “To have so much momentum that we built up over the course of the offseason and to go out and perform so badly on so many different levels, is something I wish I could explain.

“It still keeps me up at night. I still watch that film once a week just to remind myself. At our worst, that’s our team right now that we put on film. That’s our resume. And then at our best, we were able to respond.”

One of the theories of the Cowboys’ loss in Tulsa is a wonder if the Pokes were looking ahead to Oregon, consciously or otherwise.

If that was the case, the Cowboys have a chance to overcome that obstacle next week when UCF comes to town. The Knights are a Big 12 team worthy of respect, but there’s a sexier game the next weekend when the Cowboys travel south to Houston.

Morris reiterated that the Cowboys turned up the intensity dial in practice in the week following the Tulsa loss, and while a bye week is usually a time to take it a little easier, Morris is looking to find the right balance of getting guys work and getting guys rest.

“Super important now for me to kinda keep my foot on the gas during these periods,” Morris said on Big 12 Today. “We know what’s worked for us, and we’ve practiced extremely well on Tuesdays and Wednesdays the last three weeks, and we’ve been rewarded on Saturdays.

“Typically, every single year is a little bit different in how you handle a bye week. We’re a little bit beat up right now, but we also have some young players playing for us that need these reps, and they’re super important. We’ve allowed some of the vets to be able to heal up a little bit this week, but these practices have been super, super intense. I still believe the physicality of this football team is growing. That’s when we’ve been at our best.”

The bright side of that Tulsa loss, if there is such a thing, is that it might’ve been what kicked the Cowboys into this gear they’ve hit in recent weeks.

Without being embarrassed in Tulsa, do the Pokes have the tenacity to beat Oregon? It’s a question that has been asked. On Big 12 Today, Morris was asked if that loss helped refocus the group, and he said he thinks so.

“The hardest thing for me was just how poorly we played that first game,” Morris said. “We put so much time and effort into it, and to come out and to lay an egg like that. But yeah, to answer your question, I think it was able to kind of put us back to a place to figure out, hey, what’s important to us in this program as we’re building this culture? And nobody’s bigger than the team. We’re gonna have to go out and practice a physical style of football and came out and were able to get a big win against Oregon and then being able to ride that success.

“Our kids, they got humbled the first week, but they’ve remained to be humbled and now we’ll have a tough time keeping them humble throughout this bye week, but we gotta get back ready because a good UCF team coming into town the week after next.”