Had someone gone to Eric Morris before this season and told him that Oklahoma State would win four of their its five games, including a victory over Oregon, he probably would have taken it.
He also would have likely seen it as validation of his process turning the Cowboys around. It's been an impressive start to his tenure as head coach.
He took over a program that was 1-11 last year, had won four of its last 24 games and had an 18-game Big 12 losing streak. Now, the Cowboys are ranked No. 18 in the country, are on a four-game winning streak and head into a huge showdown against No. 20 Houston on Saturday, a game that could determine if the Cowboys truly are legitimate Big 12 Conference title game contenders.
But OSU isn’t the only program riding a big turnaround. Last weekend Kentucky beat LSU and UCLA beat Oregon. Those programs are also led by first-year head coaches in Will Stein (Kentucky) and Bob Chesney (UCLA).
So why are all three programs flipping the script? Morris sees some similarities.
How OSU, UCLA and Kentucky Have Improved Fast
Morris knows Stein well. Their paths crossed when Stein was a Texas high school coach and he moved on to UTSA and Oregon before he took over at Kentucky for Mark Stoops. He admitted he doesn’t know Chesney, who was formerly at James Madison and led the Dukes to the College Football Playoff last year.
But he sees similarities, starting with the energy all three bring to the job.
“It just has to be done so fast, and all those processes of building relationships are expedited,” Morris said. “And I think if you did a poll within those teams of Kentucky and UCLA, I would think that they'd have a ton of respect for those coaches and the energy and the passion they bring every single day.”
Next? Well, quarterback play helps. The Cowboys have Drew Mestemaker, who is building up credentials that could make him a first-round NFL draft pick come April. Chesney and his staff have rejuvenated the career of Nico Iamaleava, who has guided the Bruins to a 5-0 start. Stein has Kenny Minchey, who has numbers similar to Mestemaker — 1,394 yards passing, 11 touchdowns and one interception — and transferred from Notre Dame.
Then there’s the background of all three coaches. They’ve all had to do more with less. Morris was a head coach at Incarnate Word to start his career. Chesney was the head coach at Salve Regina, Assumption and Holy Cross before landing at JMU, which was one of the better resourced Group of 6 programs in the country. This is Stein’s first head-coaching job, but his experience with UTSA informs much of what he does.
“Those guys kind of progress and come from the lower ranks,” Morris said. “I think you learn so much. I know I did as a coach. Without having resources, you learn how to solve problems in different ways, right? When you don't have resources, you know those guys aren't going to make excuses. They just find ways to win games.”
The proof is in the turnaround. Oklahoma State has gone from 1-11 to 4-1. UCLA has gone from 3-9 to 5-0 and ranked No. 12 in the country. Kentucky has gone from 5-7 to 5-1 and a No. 15 rankings.
The common treads tell the tale — culture builders, great quarterbacks and problem solvers.
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