How Eric Morris dealt with armadillo terrorizing his yard: 'It wasn't illegal'

First-year Oklahoma State coach Eric Morris hasn't been getting much sleep with the college football season quickly approaching. The armadillo terrorizing his yard hasn't helped with the stress of leading a new program, either. Morris channeled his inner Mike Gundy with reporters on Tuesday, Aug. 18, detailing his standoff with the critter that was digging up his flower beds in the middle of the night. And no, it's not illegal to take out a wild animal in the country, Morris made sure to mention. There's no special permit needed to handle an armadillo in Oklahoma. REQUIRED READING: Why Oklahoma State football coach Eric Morris has labeled Cowboys as team of 'misfits' "My brain's going constantly," he said. "I don't sleep very well. I've had a couple armadillo problems tearing up my lawn. A couple days ago I just popped up at 2:30 (a.m.) because I couldn't sleep about something and I thought it was a great opportunity to go outside, and luckily I found him. "It was my first experience with an armadillo. He was crushing my yard and my flower beds just digging everything up. But I got him about 2:30 (a.m.) and I sent a text message to my neighbors, 'I apologize for the gun shot.' I am in the country so it wasn't illegal. But I did get rid of him just because I don't sleep right now." Receiving a middle-of-the-night text message from Morris was probably a bit jarring for his neighbors. It probably won't be the last time he'll have to deal with an armadillo in Stillwater, Oklahoma, either. Armadillos are quite common to the area. In fact, Oklahoma State even has a landing page dedicated to information for how to manage problems caused by the animal. Morris handled the situation by the rulebook, too. "Shooting is very effective, but limited by local ordinances within city limits," the website reads. There are a wide range of outcomes for Oklahoma State this season, especially with 85 new players, 60 of which via the transfer portal. He also brought a trio of offensive standouts from North Texas with him in quarterback Drew Mestemaker, running back Caleb Hawkins and receiver Wyatt Young, who are hoping to carry the Cowboys' offensive attack. While Morris, touted as one of the brightest offensive minds in college football, thinks over his future game plans while struggling to sleep, at least he won't have to deal with a pesky armadillo — for now. "I think just naturally that clock is going off in my mind and continues to race on the things we're doing good right now and what we need to continue to build." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How Eric Morris dealt with armadillo terrorizing his yard: 'It wasn't illegal'