00:00But it was a team that kind of was in the mix in the Big 12 for a long time,
00:03and they had an alumni as a coach.
00:05He was part of one of their most successful runs as a player,
00:08led their most successful run as a coach.
00:11We're talking about the Oklahoma State Cowboys and Mike Gundy,
00:14who's no longer there.
00:16Eric Morris comes in as the first-year head coach out of North Texas,
00:20brings in Drew Mestemaker, who didn't even start in high school, Bill.
00:23I mean, this is like Kurt Warner's story part two.
00:27If this dude becomes a great player and you're like,
00:30well, you couldn't even start in your high school team,
00:31and you go there, you walk on, you start here, you move up,
00:34and maybe one day play in the NFL.
00:36Who knows?
00:37But are you a believer in Eric Morris and the fact that he brought most of that
00:41North Texas team with him, including his quarterback?
00:43They paid him pretty well.
00:45I don't know, Bill, about them going in 10 games,
00:47but maybe this team could find a way to eight wins this year
00:51after going an abysmal 1-11 last season.
00:54You stole everything I can say to South Florida.
00:58I don't know what I could pile on here because I think Oklahoma State is that
01:03right when you said sleeper, that's the school that jumps out
01:07because Eric Morris and the quarterback whisperer factor.
01:11He is really good with QBs.
01:13He had Cam Ward at Incarnate Word.
01:15He goes on to Washington State as the offensive coordinator with Cam Ward,
01:20goes to North Texas and finds Drew Mestemaker,
01:23recruited John Mateer to Washington State.
01:25And I remember talking to Eric Morris about this a couple years ago
01:29when I was working on a story about Ward.
01:30He said one of the reasons he recruited John Mateer was he saw how he turned
01:36a double play in baseball with his footwork.
01:39So a little bit of a guy that knows what he's talking about with QBs
01:43or finds unconventional ways to do it,
01:46and I think they are going to be good.
01:48If you look at Drew Mestemaker, he was very good in close games,
01:51and he was very good in the fourth quarter last year at North Texas.
01:55So in a conference where you're going to have a lot of close games
01:58and wild finishes, you want a quarterback that's going to be good
02:00in the fourth quarter.
02:02Oklahoma State, the one that we got accustomed to watching, Bob,
02:05was watching them lose to Oregon last year and give up 69 points on the road.
02:12That was a shell of that program, and it was time for Gundy to go.
02:16But I think they are bringing in a guy that's perfect fit
02:20for what they want to do next.
02:21I think Eric Morris will do well there.
Comments