Eric Morris, Players Reveal Surprising Truth About Cowboys’ Halftime Adjustments

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STILLWATER ​— During his radio show Thursday afternoon, Eric Morris couldn’t help but laugh when asked about the second half of last week’s game when Oklahoma State outscored UCF 21-7 after a 21-21 tie at the half.

“A bunch has been said, and a bunch has been made of our halftime adjustments,” Morris said, chuckling. “Like we’re not making that special of halftime adjustments right now.

“Like we’re doing some things that are naturally, coaches do all over the country, and the (sideline) iPads are a great resource for us to be able to go in there doing some stuff. But I want to see this group start faster, and it feels like we feel out games from time to time, and we’re able to feel people out. Like I’d really like to put together four straight quarters of what we’ve seen the second half of these last two competitions.”

That wasn’t the first time the Cowboys have pulled away late to turn a very competitive game into something of a snooze-fest late. At West Virginia, Oklahoma State trailed 14-13 before outscoring the Mountaineers 28-10.

Morris’ quote reaffirms what linebacker Tate Romney said on Tuesday.

“There’s really not change happening at halftime,” Romney said. “It’s just a matter of starting fast. You know, we haven’t started fast the last few games, and that is something we’re really trying to improve on.”

So if defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity isn’t making game-changing adjustments in the break, what is he doing?

“Just reassuring us to play confident and fast,” defensive lineman Braylon Rigsby said. “We’re doing good, we’re doing everything right. We have to be confident in what we’re doing and what he’s saying, and kind of pay attention to the small details that’ll help us out.”

Making the Cowboys confident doesn’t always look like a pat on the back. Often it’s a reminder that they control a lot of what happens, not the opponent.

“Helping us to see that you know it’s just our little mistakes that have allowed people to score on us, things like that,” Romney said. “Showing us that it’s just things that we’re doing that’s giving the offense, or the opposing offense points.

“Helping us to believe in ourselves in that way, and you know, helping us to fix those errors.”

Morris made it clear earlier in the week that he has no intention of waiting for Oklahoma State’s slow starts to break the Cowboys. He hopes to fix it, but it can’t become such a focal point that it derails the team.

“Last year, it was like 73% of teams in college football that were leading at halftime won the football game,” Morris said. “So that shows you the importance of getting a lead and finding a way to keep it.

“There’s some of those things as a coach I go back and forth on. Like, when you over-emphasize certain things, does it create anxiety and get them thinking more than what they should? They know it’s important. We stress it every week, but yeah, a fast start on the road would be huge for us in a big game like this.”