Why Oklahoma State football coach Eric Morris has 'admiration' for Houston's Willie Fritz
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STILLWATER — Don’t expect Oklahoma State football coach Eric Morris to be coaching long enough to get his name in the career-wins record book.
Morris, 40, has 51 career victories as a college head coach.
Houston coach Willie Fritz, 66, entered this season with 221 victories and has added to that total with five more wins in 2026.
Fritz coached at Blinn College, Central Missouri and Sam Houston State before breaking into the FBS with Georgia Southern (2014-15), Tulane (2016-23) and the past three seasons at Houston.
“I don’t know, (Fritz) has 200 or some-odd wins, 266 or something,” Morris said. “There ain’t no way in hell I’m gonna get to 266, I can tell you that right now. I’ll be retired and doing something else at that point in my life.”
Morris voiced tremendous respect for Fritz ahead of OSU’s matchup Saturday with Houston (6:30 p.m. FOX). Morris’ admiration is, in part, because he feels he’s had a similar grind-it-out coaching journey, even if the FBS ranks came more quickly for him.
“I think Willie Fritz, if I was an AD right now, he might be at the top of my list,” Morris said. “I don’t care where I was. I just have so much admiration for the way he’s done it.”
Here are takeaways from Morris’ press conference Tuesday:
Morris compares Conner Weigman to J.W. Walsh
Morris has worked with quarterbacks like Case Keenum, Patrick Mahomes, Baker Mayfield and Cam Ward. He knows the position.
This week, OSU faces senior Houston quarterback Conner Weigman.
Weigman is completing 66.7% of his passes this season and has thrown 15 touchdowns and one interception. He has rushed for another six touchdowns.
The comparison that came to Morris’ mind for Weigman is former OSU quarterback J.W. Walsh (2011-15).
“J.W. Walsh here could beat you with his legs and arms,” Morris said. “He was tough. He was gritty. He could get the extra yards. I think Conner he's just so big and strong on tape. I don't even know what they actually list him at … but runs with strength behind his pads and somebody we're definitely going to have to work on getting on the ground because they'll do some design runs for him more than what we will and we'll do them from time to time as well.”
Weigman began his career at Texas A&M as a five-star recruit and the No. 3 high school prospect in the country.
“I mean there's a reason this guy was one of the most highly touted guys in the nation coming out because he's a full-package guy and a guy I think that will play on Sunday someday,” Morris said.
Dayvon Standard's return gives OSU another big-bodied receiver
Freshman receiver Dayvon Standard suffered an unspecified injury in camp and has missed every game this season. He will make his debut against Houston, Morris said.
Standard is a 6-foot-4, 185-pound receiver from Goodyear, Arizona. Morris said the team was “really high” on him early in camp.
“He has a bigger, longer … frame that has really good ball skills,” Morris said. “Add a little depth there behind (Justin) Bowick, somebody that can spell him from time to time because he's playing almost every play for us, Bowick is right now."
OSU’s leading receiver Wyatt Young also said Standard reminds him of Bowick.
“He’s a raw guy right now and he’s such a good player," Young said. "He’s going to be a great player in the future. But he’s just raw athlete he can go up and make the plays like Justin. That’s who I would compare him to on our offense right now. I think he can fill his role next year like no other. I’m really excited to watch that kid play."
Cowboys must stay balanced against Houston’s rush defense
The Cougars allow 74 rushing yards per game. That ranks No. 4 nationally behind Miami, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame.
The Cowboys are averaging 199 rushing yards per game this season.
Morris is already committed to not abandoning the rush against a stout Houston defense.
“We can't go away from what's been good for us, too, right? And I thought we did a nice job,” Morris said. “You know, our numbers weren't what they've been in the past as far as running the football, but we stayed committed to it, and I think it allowed us to stay ahead of the chains last game so it's not a thing where we're going to abandon it because they stopped the run.”
Morris said it will be important for the Cowboys to stay on schedule and not get into third-and-long situations. Saturday, the definition of a successful rush changes.
“I think that we got to do a nice job at being able to continue to have positive runs and, against this team, a 3-yard run is a positive run against these teams and gets you in second- and third-and-manageable situations," Morris said.
Ben Hutchens covers OSU athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Ben? He can be reached at bhutchens@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @ben_hutchens_. Sign up for OSU Sports Minute newsletter to access more coverage of the Cowboys and Cowgirls. Support Ben's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Why Oklahoma State football coach Eric Morris has 'admiration' for Houston's Willie Fritz
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