North Texas's ground-and-pound past is colliding with Eric Morris's pass-happy philosophy. The result could balance out.

There's no question that North Texas head coach Eric Morris is a disciple of Mike Leach's Air Raid offense.

Morris spent four years playing wide receiver at Texas Tech under Leach, who affectionately donned him 'The Elf' for his 5-foot-8-inch frame. Then he served as offensive coordinator at his alma mater from 2014-17, learning from head coach Kliff Kingsbury and grooming quarterback Patrick Mahomes. But when he took his first head coaching job at Incarnate Word for the 2018 football season, it was time to implement his twist on Leach's signature aerial attack. And one game from his playing days still gnawed at him.