Cowboys Insider: Why Oklahoma State’s UCF Win Was Right Kind of Victory

With a Top 25 opponent next on the schedule, the Oklahoma State Cowboys had the perfect kind of victory over the UCF Knights.

OSU head coach Eric Morris. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

STILLWATER, Okla. — Oklahoma State head coach Eric Morris said on Saturday that he really doesn't care how his team wins so long as they win.

And if you pin down any football coach, they'll tell you the same thing. But I could see it on his face at the podium after the game as he talked about his team's 42-28 victory over UCF.

It was a win coming off a bye week. It wasn't the prettiest of victories. But it was the right kind of victory for a head coach as he's getting ready to prepare his team for their next opponent, which happens to be the nationally ranked Houston Cougars.

“This team’s growing and learning how to win in different ways, which I’m super proud of,” Morris said.

Why UCF Win Was Right Kind of Win For Oklahoma State

OSU tight end Morgan McPhaul. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Oklahoma State’s win on Saturday was grimy. It is gritty. It was kind of sloppy. In the first quarter the Oklahoma State defense didn't wrap up well. Running back Caleb Hawkins had a costly fumble on the second play of the game that helped set up a relatively easy UCF touchdown. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker took a sack on a play where you should have gotten rid of the ball much sooner.

The Cowboys put up points, but they were still tied with UCF at 21-21 at halftime because the Knights figured out ways to move the ball with a limited passing game. It was working. The Cowboys needed adjustments. That’s what halftime is for. Morris made it clear the energy he was getting from his players wasn’t enough.

“We challenged those guys at halftime,” Morris said. “I thought we weren’t very good on the perimeter, setting edges on our defense early.”

UCF was trying to shorten the game. The Knights dominated time of possession, holding the football for more than 35 minutes. Because of that, Morris said after the game he couldn't get into a flow as an offensive play caller. But the Cowboys still produced points.

The defense had a much sharper second half. The unit made big plays and safety Evan Jackson turned a backward pass that became a fumble into a touchdown return. As victories go, it was their dirtiest of the season.

And for that, Morris should say thank you. Seems like a strange sentiment going into the Houston game, right? Well, here’s why.

Coaches love having things to coach to for the next game. That hasn’t been the easiest thing to do this season.

Sure, Morris got to give his players an earful after the Tulsa loss. But the Oregon win? The vibes were too good to mess with. The Murray State game? The Cowboys played too well. The West Virginia game? It wasn’t clean but Morris had two weeks to work with and could take his foot off the gas just a bit. His guys needed a break.

Now the bye week is done. The Cowboys don't get a break until the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Morris gets to go into “Tell the Truth Monday,” as he likes to call it, and tell his players the truth. The way they played against UCF, a game he was secretly concerned about because of the bye week and their run defense, might not cut it against a Top 25 Houston team.

Secretly, he must be happy about that. If Oklahoma State had just gone out and steamrolled UCF it would be Oregon all over again — except there’s no Murray State waiting at the end of the week. Play too poorly and there's far too much concern going into the Houston game. It's Tulsa going into Oregon all over again.

No, this was perfect. The Cowboys played good enough to win but not nearly good enough to beat a really good team. They know it. Morris knows it. Morris couldn't have asked for a much better coaching outcome going into Houston.

Oklahoma State can play better than that. It must play better than that to beat Houston. Morris gets to teach to that object lesson all week with great teaching tape at his disposal. He said things “broke” that hadn’t broken before.

Better now than next week, right?

“It's not going to get any easier in this conference, right?” Morris said. “But I do like that you can see steps of things, and I do think learning how to win is so important and our kids are starting to push over and you can see our responses have been better.”

The response in Houston must be better than the response to UCF. Morris doesn’t have to keep that a secret from anyone this week.