During times like this, I am reminded of a quote,

"an army is never beaten till it knows it is beaten, for defeat is an attitude of the mind and not a physical condition."

So you lost a game. You still have a war to fight.

From one Red Raider to another, I want to give you the "secret" weapon that will win this war: morale. Morale is an intangible mixture of confidence, enthusiasm, and discipline; it is the optimism you have for the future of the team and yourself. The truth about morale is it can only be restricted by the lack of fire in your heart. Your morale is defined by you and you alone. Outside events can only effect your morale if you let them. Remember, "defeat is an attitude of the mind and not a physical condition."

Morale as a "secret" weapon has been known throughout history, but only the greatest leaders have been able to understand and exploit it.

The great military commander, Napoleon said in effect that the man who is armed with morale was worth 3 men who were not. Retired General Colin Powell seems to reaffirm this fact with his statement that, "perpetual optimism is a force multiplier."

This Saturday you can win, and you will. All you need to do is believe. Believe.

Believe and you will be armed with the single greatest weapon in human history. You will become more than just 11 men on a field. As Napoleon thought, you will become 33.

Have you ever noticed that -in life- pure ability never actually decides success?

Let me indulge you with a story. When I was a young man, I volunteered at a homeless shelter. Having never spent much time around the homeless. I didn't know what to expect. Quite honestly, I imagined that most of these men would be physically and intellectually un-able to succeed in modern society.

I was wrong. They were not dumb. In fact, I had some of the most intellectual conversations I have ever carried with strangers.  They were not uneducated. Many of them had college degrees and 2 of them had a Master's degree! While a few were physically handicap, none of them had lost complete physical capacity.

The only common thread I could find among the bunch was the belief that they "couldn't."

They "couldn't" because "others were holding them back."

They "couldn't" because "others were better than them."

They "couldn't" because "they lacked qualification."

Truly, "a [man] is never beaten till [he] knows [he] is beaten, for defeat is an attitude of the mind and not a physical condition." They couldn't, because they believed they "couldn't."

Now, turn your attention toward football. Football -like most activities- is a microcosm of life. The same principles apply. Believe you can win, and you will.

The Baylor Bears are no better than you. Have you ever noticed that every great rise in a football program comes on the heels of a great victory? In 2012, Baylor beat a #1 ranked Kansas State team. In the 6 games prior to that victory, they had a record of 1-5. They even lost to Iowa State. Over the next 32 games, they went 28-4. So what changed?

Belief. They finally believed in themselves.

Well, I have news for you. You are better than Baylor. They are afraid of you. Have you ever noticed that they have a mini mosh-pit on their sideline? Or have you ever wondered why they refuse to schedule tougher non-conference games? Because they are trying to create morale where there is none.

If you destroy 3 low-level teams, you look great on paper. You look at your stats and you start to feel good about yourself. You start to believe you are invincible, and your opponents start to believe it too.

When you see that mosh-pit, remind yourself that this spectacle is not a result of their confidence. It is a calculated attempt by their coach to counteract fear with confidence. They jump because they are afraid, their coach is afraid.

Are they really any better than you? No. Have they out-recruited Texas Tech over the past 5 years? No. In fact, according to Rivals, Texas Tech has had a higher ranked recruiting classes 3 out of the last 5 years. So, physically we know they are no better than you. Regardless of that fact, you all know that recruiting stars can never measure the fire that burns in a man's soul.

Less than a year ago, you took this same Baylor team to the brink of destruction. Even after 4 turnovers, you made it a 2 point game. Are you not more disciplined than you were last year? You will win.

You have the discipline. From last year to this year, you have come to realize that discipline is created 1 play at a time and that if you take care of the small things, the big things will take care of themselves.

You lead the Big 12 in fewest penalties per game, at 5.3. Additionally, you are averaging the fewest penalty yards per game, at 42.5. Compare that with Baylor. Out of 128 FBS schools, they rank dead last in penalty yards and penalties per game.

In the conference, you rank 3^rd in turnover margin. Baylor ranks 8^th. Additionally, they rank dead last in turnovers lost.

Baylor has no discipline.

You are building a culture of discipline. A culture that future Red Raiders will aspire to possess. It is discipline alone which converts a crowd into an army. Unlike a crowd, a well-disciplined army is incapable of being intimidated by the sudden appearance of danger. Baylor is a crowd, strike fear into their hearts. Plant the seeds of doubt in their mind.

So, you have the discipline to win. You also have the ability. You are the most talented athletes this program has ever fielded. Believe it.

Over the last 6 games, you have an offense that is averaging 49.17 points per game. When was the last time a Tech offense averaged 49 points over 6 games? In the middle of 2008. During a vaunted 11-2 season. You are BETTER than that team. Believe.

You have a wide receiver in Jakeem Grant that is 697 yards shy of breaking Michael Crabtree's yardage record. A record that took Crabtree 231 receptions. Grant has 193. Believe.

You have a receiver in Devin Lauderdale that has better numbers than the last 6 Biletnikoff winners through their first 1000 yards.

And he blocks better than all of them. Believe.

You have a Running Back in DeAndre Washington that is averaging 8.2 yards per carry through 4 games. Only 10 primary running backs in all of FBS are averaging above 8 yards per carry. Washington's career yards per attempt is higher than Baron Batch, Bam Morris, Donny Anderson, and Byron Hanspard. Believe.

You have a sophomore receiver in Ian Sadler that is averaging 14.6 yards and .74 points per catch. A Senior Wes Welker averaged 11.3 yards and .65 points per catch. Believe.

You have a sophomore quarterback that has numbers like a senior Graham Harrell, BJ Symons, and Kliff Kingsbury. Do you know what Baylor has? Against Power 5 teams, their quarterback has a QB rating of 87.7. Believe.

You have an offensive line that has given up 1 sack this year. 1 sack. Among power 5 teams, you rank #1 in that statistical category. Believe.

You have a defensive line that stood up to Arkansas' offensive line and won. Physically, their offensive line is not only the biggest in college football, but in the NFL (and for that matter, the entire world). Believe.

Some men might say that "over-confidence is dangerous." The truth is, there is no such thing as over-confidence, only laziness, excuses, and un-professionalism. Laziness is resting on your laurels. Confidence is out-working your opponent, because you know that through practice and preparation, there is no force on earth that can stop you.

I'll end with a story, most of you have probably heard it, but it bears repeating. It is the story of Roger Bannister and the first 4 minute mile. Prior to 1954, no human being on record had run a mile in under 4 minutes. Think of it, thousands of years, and not 1 single person had accomplished this feat. "Experts" called a sub 4 minute mile "physically impossible." Runners even reached 4:01, but still no one could break the barrier. For 9 years, the record stood at 4:01, until 1954 when Roger Bannister ran a mile in 3 minutes and 59 seconds. What is amazing about this story is not Bannister's record by itself. It is the fact that within 4 years, 21 other individuals had accomplished the "physically impossible" and ran a mile in under 4 minutes.

Only a man can define his own limits.

"There are only two forces in the world, the sword and the spirit. In the long run the sword will always be conquered by the spirit." -Napoleon