Oklahoma State football coach Eric Morris is 'nuts' and that's why Texas Tech loves him

STILLWATER — Their undefeated season in jeopardy, the Red Raiders faced third-and-goal from a yard out in overtime. The chatter on the headsets called for a run up the gut, but Mike Leach zagged. Because of course he did.

“Elf, can you score around the edge?” Leach asked.

“Hell yeah, Coach,” Elf responded.

“Alright,” said Leach, “we’re sending Elf around the edge.”

Eric Morris, who was lined up in the slot, jetted in motion before the ball was snapped. Morris received the handoff from quarterback Graham Harrell, and Morris outflanked the Nebraska defense on his way to the end zone for what proved to be the game-winning score as the 2008 Red Raiders moved to 6-0.

“That’s just an incredible moment for me personally in the magical run that we had,” Morris said.

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Almost two decades later, Morris — “The Elf” — will coach against his alma mater at Boone Pickens Stadium. No. 25 Oklahoma State hosts No. 12 Texas Tech at 8:30 p.m. Saturday.

It won’t be the first time Morris has coached against the Red Raiders. Morris, as the head coach at North Texas, lost 66-21 in Lubbock two years ago. But the stakes are higher this time. The Cowboys (6-3, 4-2 Big 12) still have Big 12 title hopes in what’s been a remarkable debut season under Morris, and the Red Raiders (8-1, 5-1 Big 12) are in the way.

Morris wasn’t in the mood to reminisce Tuesday in his weekly press conference about his time at Tech. A school 11 miles from his hometown of Shallowater, Texas. Where he played for five seasons under Leach, racking up 22 touchdowns and almost 2,000 receiving yards. Where his best friend, Clay McGuire, is the offensive line coach.

“He’s a fiery guy, and there might be a little more of that this week,” OSU quarterback Drew Mestemaker said of Morris. “At the end of the day, even if it wasn’t his alma mater, it’s a big-time game either way.”

That Morris, 41, is in this position, steering a turnaround in Stillwater as he did at Incarnate Word and North Texas, is no accident.

“It doesn’t surprise me, really,” said longtime coach Ruffin McNeill, whom Morris counts as a mentor. “And I’m not being arrogant about it or anything. He’s always had that competitive desire.”

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'This dude is nuts'

Former Millwood High School star receiver Tramain Swindall was teammates with Eric Morris at Texas Tech.

“He was gritty, he was hard-nosed, and he had to be,” Swindall said. “He was small.”

Morris’ diminutiveness is one of his defining characteristics. Why do you think Leach called him “The Elf?” (Morris’ teammates chose a more tasteful nickname: “E-Mo.”) Morris was listed at 5-foot-8 and 178 pounds.

Where Morris lacked in size he made up for with moxie. He wasn’t averse to the occasional skirmish. And he was a big trash talker.

“With a dip in his mouth,” Swindall said. “He didn’t care.”

Come again?

“It was real,” Swindall said. “It was a thing.”

It wasn’t crazy for some of the linemen to have a dip in during practice, Swindall remembers, but a receiver?

“This dude is nuts,” Swindall thought.

Multiple teammates recalled Morris’ habit.

“How do you not swallow that s---?” former backup quarterback Chris Todd used to think.

It was all part of Morris’ undaunted assuredness.

In the ways Danny Amendola was like Wes Welker, Morris was like Amendola.

“You could interchange them,” Todd said.

Morris caught 184 passes for 1,965 yards and 19 touchdowns for the Red Raiders from 2005-08. He was second behind Michael Crabtree on the team in touchdown catches in 2007 and 2008, a season in which the Red Raiders started 10-0 before losing in Norman in the “Jump Around” game.

“He found ways to take advantage of the defense,” Swindall said, “and that’s what he’s doing now with playcalling.”

Morris, the mastermind behind an OSU offense that ranks second nationally and tops in the Big 12, ranks 22nd on Texas Tech’s all-time receiving yards list and tied for 14th in touchdowns.

Morris had three rushing touchdowns in his career, including the big one over Nebraska.

“There’s a lot of guys we had that could run faster, jump higher, they were bigger,” Texas Tech offensive line coach Clay McGuire said. “There were very few that were more competitive. There were very few that were tougher than him.”

McGuire (no relation to Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire) and Morris overlapped for a year as teammates. Their lockers were side-by-side. McGuire then transitioned into a coaching role on special teams. Morris was Texas Tech’s punt returner.

“It was hard coaching him,” McGuire said. “He was pretty bullheaded and strong-willed. He probably would’ve led the nation in punt return yards, average punt returns, but he just refused to fair catch the ball. He’s stubborn. He wanted the opportunity. That was just kind of who he was.”

Morris is still the last Red Raider to have returned a punt for a touchdown (2008 at Nevada).

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'Bet on himself'

Eric Morris and Clay McGuire have coached against each other before, but that doesn’t make it easier for the dear friends, who still talk almost every day. They golf and hunt together. The way McGuire tells it, Morris is a better shot with a rifle than a club. (Those armadillos in Morris’ yard are toast.)

Their wives are also close friends.

“They joke around that we’re on a bye week,” McGuire said. “That this is not actually happening.”

Morris still has all sorts of connections at Texas Tech. He and billionaire booster Cody Campbell are longtime friends. Morris played with Texas Tech cornerbacks coach Darcel McBath. Tech offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich used to work for Morris at Incarnate Word.

“Outside of this week, I’m the biggest Oklahoma State fan,” McGuire said.

The player who refused to fair catch a punt? That’s how Morris has risen in the coaching ranks, seizing every opportunity from Shallowater, to Lubbock, to Stillwater.

“He’s just a good ole tough West Texas kid,” McGuire said, “who went out there and bet on himself.”

OSU vs. Texas Tech

KICKOFF: 8:30 p.m. Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater (ESPN)

Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com. Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State football coach Eric Morris is 'nuts' and that's why Texas Tech loves him