“Some Good, Some Bad,” Eric Morris Said His Leaders Are Bouncing Back From Tulsa Loss
STILLWATER – The loss to Tulsa for Oklahoma State shocked nearly the entire college football world on Saturday. The Cowboys have a roster being paid north of $20 million, while Tulsa is considerably less. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker and the North Texas offense led the FBS last year. So, to say the 24-10 loss to the Golden Hurricane is anything less than a complete shock would be an understatement.
Following the game, head coach Eric Morris and the players led by Mestemaker were very critical after the game on Saturday.
“I think, obviously, momentum is everything in sports, and obviously we get on the road and come down to an in-state school, that on paper, we got more resources, we got more history, we got all this stuff, and that's why they play these games,” Morris said on Saturday.
"For a second year in a row, Tulsa, they reigned supreme on us right now on the football field. And that's a fact. I'm a fact guy, and I'm always gonna tell you guys the way I feel. There's no way that we don't leave this thing right now and feel all of that momentum come to a screeching halt. We gotta do something to fix that. And two, it's gonna be really, really important, I've always believed, and I've done this numerous places -- it's easy to lead when things are going well and things are good. It's hard to lead when things aren't going well and you get punched in the mouth like that. That's on me to be able to get us back together collectively and regroup and start fixing these problems one at a time."
So, following the past few days, how has the team responded to the adversity of losing a game they shouldn’t have?
“Some good, some bad, some good, some bad. That’s how it’s going to be; there’s going to be certain people that have their feelings hurt. They didn’t think they played enough. They didn’t play well, and they go into the dumps. Then you’re going to have some guys that have the right mentality, and they’re competitors at heart; they got some dog in them, fight in them, and they’re going to come back and respond the right way. I thought that we practiced good today. I thought it was something where there’s a bunch of leadership and guys stepping up. Obviously, with (Jacob) Sexton going down, a captain that was voted on his teammates, a guy that’s just been phenomenal from a leadership role for us up front and kind of our vocal leader up to this point. You lose him early, so somebody else has got to step up. But we have guys - I mean (Tyler) Mercer, Johnny Dickson, all those guys have played plenty of football and should be able to step up and take that void.”
Starting center Tyler Mercer was one of the players who met with the media on Tuesday. He had great things to say about Mestemaker, who is no doubt the leader of this team, bouncing back after his performance on Saturday.
"He's a baller. I think he's gonna respond in the right way. He's kept his cool. He's kept level-headed. He's a mature player, a mature quarterback, so he's been in situations like this. We've seen him do well and pass for a lot. So, I believe in him. The whole team still has faith in him. The whole team has faith in the team itself. Yes, it was a rough weekend last weekend, but I don't think that's a good representation in any of (our) play."
Mestemaker responded after the game they needed to turn things around. Coaches and players talk all the time about blocking out the noise, whether in person or on social media. There’s been a ton of criticism of the team on social media, and rightfully so. But Mestemaker, followed by linebacker Ethan Wesloski, responded positively to some of the criticism.
Does that mean things will immediately turn around and the Pokes will beat Oregon on Saturday? Oregon is one of the best teams in the country and will most likely not be losing this Saturday, or too many other Saturdays for that matter. But I believe this team will take the Tulsa loss and try to turn it into something positive.
