Eric Morris: "I was tired of having the No. 1 offense in the nation and not having any championships"

The question was simple. The answer dates back more than 20 years.

Why, Oklahoma State head coach Eric Morris, do you run the ball more than the late, great Mike Leach ever did?

"I was really tired, at Texas Tech, multiple times having the number one offense in the nation and not having any championships that come along with it. I did a big study," Morris said. "There were people winning championships that were throwing the football all around and spreading it out a little bit, the Clemsons at that time were throwing the ball a ton, LSU was throwing the ball a ton and winning championships. We were running the ball for about 60 to 70 yards a game, and the people that were winning championships were rushing for about 150 to 175. That was a huge factor with conference champions at different levels, and the national champions."

As a player from 2004-08, Morris's Red Raiders annually ranked among the top 10 in total offense while never running for 120 yards per game. All that passing produced a 45-18 record under Leach, but Texas Tech never played for a Big 12 championship in those years. In 2016, Morris coordinated a Texas Tech offense that averaged a national-best 566.6 yards per game on just 103.6 rushing yards; quarterbacked by a guy named Patrick Mahomes, the Red Raiders went 5-7. 

To answer Morris's own question, here's how the teams he studied fared through the air and on the ground. 

2016 Clemson -- 334 passing yards per game, 170 rushing yards per game
2018 Clemson -- 279 passing, 249 rushing
2019 LSU -- 402 passing, 167 rushing

To put a finer point on it, the last 25 national champions have all rushed for at least 160 yards per game, per FootballScoop research. 

Big Ten/CFP: Indiana -- 239 passing, 213 rushing
SEC: Georgia -- 220 passing, 182 rushing
ACC: Duke -- 285 passing, 138 rushing
Big 12: Texas Tech -- 279 passing, 183 rushing
American: Tulane -- 245 passing, 166 rushing
Mountain West: Boise State -- 245 passing, 179 rushing
Sun Belt: James Madison -- 211 passing, 242 rushing
C-USA: Kennesaw State -- 243 passing, 159 rushing
MAC: Western Michigan -- 139 passing, 204 rushing

Eight of the nine FBS conference champions from last season averaged at least 160 yards per game, or came within two feet of it. Seems we've identified the magic number.

Now, because I can hear the analytics folks screaming in my ear, let's talk about what 160 rushing yards does and does not mean. It doesn't mean a team has to hit 160 rushing yards before it hoists its first pass. It doesn't mean a team has to average a certain number of yards per carry, either. It's a lagging indicator, but there's value in that.

If a team gets to 160 on 20 carries, that team throws the ball well enough that its runners have lots of room, and those ball-carriers must be pretty darn explosive. If a team gets to the magic 160 number on 50 carries, it means it's on the field long enough to run the ball 50 times. That means it's likely winning the game in the second half. That's a good thing. 

"We took that study and tried to apply to it on what our philosophy was in our game planning. As we started winning championships, it married up with it."

Morris won the Southland Conference at Incarnate Word in 2021 despite running for only 127 yards per game, but his North Texas team that played for an American championship last fall finished one carry per game shy of 200. True freshman Caleb Hawkins finished sixth nationally in rushing and led the nation in rushing touchdowns.

Hawkins helped Morris get the Oklahoma State job, and came to Stillwater with him. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker -- the nation's leading passer from a year ago -- is the star of the Cowboys' offense, but Hawkins is the centerpiece. 

Coming off a 1-11 season, Oklahoma State probably won't challenge for a Big 12 title this fall. But when the Cowboys do make it back to Arlington, it'll be because the entire team is strong enough that the offense can rush for 160 or more per game.