STILLWATER — All signs point to Sergio Vega moving up in weight for his sophomore season, and the weight class he is jumping into isn’t short on tough competition.

Vega won a national title as a true freshman last season at 141 pounds. He was the first undefeated true freshman national champ since 1947 — a stat Jax Forrest would join him in later that night. But not only did Vega go a perfect 24-0, he did so without giving up a takedown.

But being longer than many of the guys he was wrestling, Vega wasn’t long for the 141-pound division he found himself in.

“Really doesn’t weigh that much different than what he weighed last year,” OSU coach David Taylor said this week. “His body composition, I feel like, has changed. His love handles aren’t as much of love handles anymore. But, yeah, I feel like he’s just kind of maturing. I think you can kind of see it in his face and his body and his composition has matured. Just the way he approaches things. …

“I think 149 is a good weight class for him.”

The season doesn’t start for another month, but it’s going to be hard to imagine many more weight classes being as tough as 149 is at the top this season.

It looks as if three former national champs will be in the 149-pound field, with Vega joining Virginia Tech’s Caleb Henson (149-pound champ in 2024) and Stanford’s Aden Valencia (149-pound champ in 2026). On top of that, Penn State’s Shayne Van Ness returns after being the 149-pound bracket’s 1 seed last season before he lost in the NCAA final.

Taylor noted that this time last year, they weren’t sure whether Vega would wrestle or redshirt. Now he has vastly different expectations going into a season, but this isn’t the first time Vega is dealing with expectations of being among the best in the country.

Vega finished as the No. 7 wrestler on Flo’s big board for the 2025 class. He had wins at Fargo, Super 32 and Who’s Number One under his belt and went 140-2 with four state titles at Sunnyside (Arizona).

There also might not be as much of an “iron sharpens iron” sport than wrestling, and Taylor and Co. have a lot of premier iron in the Cowboy wrestling room for Vega to sharpen his skills against.

“What I think is cool about our guys, I think culturally our three returning national champs, they are three of our hardest-working guys in the room,” Taylor said. “By design, just continuing to keep them hungry and giving the perspective. Maybe you go to a different school where winning a national title is a surprise, well what do you do after that? It’s no surprise here. Our guys are expecting to come in here and win national titles, and we’ve laid that vision out for them. And not only to win once, but to win multiple times. …

“As they were having their success last year and post-success, like yeah, it hasn’t changed anything about them in terms of the way that they are training. And their all in really tough weight classes again, which is great for them to have those challenges, to keep them hungry. They have challenges in our room, which keep them hungry. It’s cool to see, just that culturally our guys that are having a lot of success are also our hardest-working guys that are trying to get better all the time.”

Julian McDonald announced an Oklahoma State offer on Thursday. A 6-foot-2, Class of 2027 cornerback from Alabama, McDonald has been committed to Mississippi State since June.

Blessed to receive a offer from Oklahoma State @BSonnone @TomLoy247 @JWilson_2 @__izayahh @ChadSimmons_ @CoachPittRiley5 @coachcook55 @AC_BIG12AU @Rivals @ScoutFball @CoachSkyCassity @SWiltfong_ pic.twitter.com/MqefOZX53K

— 3 ⭐️Julian “ juju “McDonald (@picksix_9) October 2, 2026

The major recruiting services list McDonald as a three-star prospect. He’s the No. 989 overall player in the 247Sports Composite rankings for the 2027 cycle, which makes him a Top 100 corner in the class and the No. 41 player from the state of Alabama.

Since his commitment to the Bulldogs, McDonald has also announced offers to LSU, Cincinnati and others.

McDonald plays at Williamson High School in Mobile, Alabama. His Lions are 5-0 in his senior season. Per MaxPreps, McDonald has six tackles, and interception and five pass breakups in three games.

The Cowboys haven’t shied away from offering committed prospects late in the 2027 cycle. In the past few months, Boston College DT commit MJ Woods, Cincinnati defensive back commit Noah Willis, Arizona receiver commit Braylen Ross and Pitt defensive back commit Jordan Young have all announced OSU offers.

OSU has a dozen players committed in its 2027 class, two of whom are defensive backs in Bryson Brown (Broken Arrow) and Chayce Davis (Euless, Texas).

That class ranks 14th in the Big 12, but some of that comes down to quantity, as OSU is tied with Baylor and Arizona State for the fewest commits in the Big 12. When looking at the average ratings of commits, OSU’s class ranks sixth in the league.

OSU’s 2027 Commits

North Texas, Eric Morris’ old squad, went to Tulsa to play the Golden Hurricane in American Conference action. After Oklahoma State lost 24-10 at H.A. Chapman Stadium, the Mean Green went there and won 45-44 in overtime.

In winning, the UNT X account poked a little fun at the circumstance.

pic.twitter.com/vMWONXHWgP

— UNT Football (@MeanGreenFB) October 2, 2026

If you’re not up to date on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, that’s a scene from Thor: Ragnarok, in which Hela (Tulsa), let’s Thor (Oklahoma State) know he’s incapable of winning this battle. But Thor (Oklahoma State) had backup.

Could be worse than being referred to as Thor. The past two seasons, OSU has looked more like a civilian than a superhero.

It was a wild game. UNT went up 31-17 in the third quarter before the Golden Hurricane stormed back and forced OT. The Mean Green scored first in OT before Tulsa went for a 2-point conversion and the win but came up short.

Tulsa is now 3-2, having lost back-to-back games to Arkansas and UNT.

Under former West Virginia coach Neal Brown, the Mean Green is also 3-2.

Both schools look to be competitive in the American Conference, but OSU’s loss in T-Town is looking more and more like an aberration given the Cowboys have gone 3-0 since, scoring 46.3 points a game while averaging 608.3 yards of total offense a contest.

STILLWATER — Pretty much everything has come up in favor of the Cowgirls since the season ended.

​Get the consensus No. 1 player in the transfer portal (Audi Crooks), check.

​Put the No. 1 portal class in the country around her, check.

​Extend head coach Jacie Hoyt, check.

​Have national rules change granting all athletes the ability to play for five years instead of four so the best season in Cowgirl history can go down twice, check.

​“I love that rule because I get another year,” Stailee Heard said. “So I’m very grateful for that. And you know that just makes me want to enjoy this year more, just because you know I still look at this as my senior year, and I just want to make the best out of that, and don’t want to look too far ahead, and just want to have a great year, great season this year.”

​Heard is the only returning Cowgirl this season, and considering this week she joked about wishing she could be here for the entirety of Hoyt’s extension, it would be shocking to see Heard play anywhere else for her fifth year, barring changes at the top (which seem less likely following that extension).

“Stailee is one of those kids you just never want to stop coaching,” Hoyt said. “You don’t like to think about not getting to coach her. So, just the opportunities for us as coaches to continue to pour into kids and continue to build off of a relationship is great.”

Heard will almost certainly remain a huge piece of the puzzle for OSU this season despite the influx of newcomers, but that boost has the Cowgirls in the conversation for a serious run next March.

ESPN ranked the team 22nd in the site’s way-too-early rankings following the first month of the portal when the Cowgirls cleaned up. Currently, FanDuel has the Cowgirls in a three-way tie for the ninth-best odds to win the national championship this season, alongside Notre Dame and Vanderbilt.

When the class was initially announced, this was supposed to be one last hurrah for much of the roster, including Heard and Crooks. Now with the move across college athletics to a five-for-five model, OSU could get two bites at the apple if they can keep the group intact.

“For me, in my position, I love the rule because I have an opportunity to essentially run this whole roster back,” Hoyt said. “And of course, you can’t look at it that way. You don’t know how things are going to play out, but just knowing that we could have this team back, that I just love coaching right now, that’s really exciting.”

Here’s a brief look at the Cowgirls who suddenly have two years left instead of one following the rule change.

Stailee Heard (G) — 2025 Big 12 First Team, 2026 Second Team; averaged 11.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game.

Audi Crooks (C) — Iowa State transfer ranked as the consensus No. 1 player in the portal; Three-time Unanimous Big 12 First Team (2024-26); averaged 25.8 points (second nationally), 7.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.

Ellie Brueggemann (G) — Lindenwood transfer ranked No. 36 by USA Today; two-time First Team All-OVC (2025 and 2026); averaged 14 points per game last season while shooting 44% beyond the arc (ranked seventh nationally).

Nene Ndiaye (G) — Rutgers transfer ranked No. 95 by USA Today; averaged 14.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while shooting 41.6% from three.

Talexa Weeter (G) — Fort Hays State transfer; Named D-II Player of the Year in 2026; averaged 27.5 points per game (tops among D-II and second across all NCAA) while also grabbing 8.9 rebounds per game to finish with 10 double-doubles in 2025-26.

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The top ranked quarterbacks for the 2027 NFL Draft, per @espn:

1. Drew Mestemaker (Oklahoma State) 2. Darian Mensah (Miami) 3. Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss) 4. Arch Manning (Texas) 5. Dante Moore (Oregon) 6. CJ Carr (Notre Dame) pic.twitter.com/fp2LrRPvUU — Evan Sidery (@esidery) October 1, 2026

• An OSU fan’s guide to week five of college football (PFB) • What the betting odds are telling us about OSU’s new trajectory for the season.

Oklahoma State’s projected win total has climbed to 7.5, with the over slightly favored. This summer, going over just 5.5 wins was already one of the conference’s strongest favorites. [PFB]

• How Drew Mestemaker is improving this season from the West Virginia game +  the scary part: he’s getting more comfortable in Eric Morris’ offense (PFB)

• How OSU’s Cinderella-story is like 1995 Northwestern (TulsaWorld)

• Whew, Brett bringing the truth here.

Oklahoma State has scored 17 offensive TDs thru 4 games this season Last year the Cowboys had 17 offensive TDs the entire season

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) October 1, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

• Framing the Manchester City violations in the Premier League

• What gratitude was never meant to do (faith-based)

Thanks for stopping by – here’s your daily dose of Oklahoma State sports news. 

OSU Bullets

• A couple of ESPN analysts have Drew Mestemaker as their top quarterback prospect for the 2027 NFL draft (PFB)

The top ranked quarterbacks for the 2027 NFL Draft, per @espn:

1. Drew Mestemaker (Oklahoma State) 2. Darian Mensah (Miami) 3. Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss) 4. Arch Manning (Texas) 5. Dante Moore (Oregon) 6. CJ Carr (Notre Dame) pic.twitter.com/fp2LrRPvUU — Evan Sidery (@esidery) October 1, 2026

• An OSU fan’s guide to week five of college football (PFB) • What the betting odds are telling us about OSU’s new trajectory for the season.

Oklahoma State’s projected win total has climbed to 7.5, with the over slightly favored. This summer, going over just 5.5 wins was already one of the conference’s strongest favorites. [PFB]

• How Drew Mestemaker is improving this season from the West Virginia game +  the scary part: he’s getting more comfortable in Eric Morris’ offense (PFB)

• How OSU’s Cinderella-story is like 1995 Northwestern (TulsaWorld)

• Whew, Brett bringing the truth here.

Oklahoma State has scored 17 offensive TDs thru 4 games this season Last year the Cowboys had 17 offensive TDs the entire season

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) October 1, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

• Framing the Manchester City violations in the Premier League

• What gratitude was never meant to do (faith-based)

STILLWATER — In May, Oklahoma State heavyweight wrestler Benji Mower was diagnosed with testicular cancer. In an interview from Stilly Boys, Mower makes it clear he’s going to give the sport everything he can while battling cancer.

“No better recovery for cancer than just wrestling really, really hard,” Mower said.

He will have to reluctantly step away from the sport for a bit following a major surgery last week. Just ahead of the surgery, Mower came to coach David Taylor with a request.

“This kind of explains Benji,” Taylor told reporters on Tuesday. “So he wrestled last Tuesday (no, it was) two Tuesdays ago, and he was getting ready to go into surgery the following week. And he’s like, ‘Coach, can we wrestle live one more time before I go to surgery?’ … He’s like, ‘I just really want to wrestle a little better.’”

Unlike most of the Cowboys roster, Mower didn’t step foot on campus expecting to hold a national title belt over his head. He told Stilly Boys that he started wrestling in the seventh grade. It didn’t take long before he decided to become a Cowboy even though he would need to walk on.

“I just knew I wanted to go where I could be the best,” Mower said. “Even if I went there for five years and never started, I wanted to go somewhere I could become the best wrestler possible. From there on, I always wanted to be a Cowboy.”

On Tuesday, Taylor said Mower’s surgery went well and that he was expected to get out of the hospital in a “couple days.”

Always in your corner, Benji 🧡 pic.twitter.com/6tIkVb1VIH

— OSU Cowboy Wrestling (@CowboyWrestling) September 26, 2026

“He’s just awesome dude, and he’s so mentally, talking about mentally tough, like unbelievable perspective on life and how he approaches things,” Taylor said. “And he just loves the sport of wrestling, and all he could talk about was like he couldn’t wait to get back to wrestling practice when I went and saw him the other day. Which is just what wrestling can mean to somebody, which is pretty great.

“What he means to our program is pretty significant. So yeah, definitely thinking about him. We’re looking forward to getting him, you know, just back around us, and yeah, he’s an awesome dude.”

Mower’s positive attitude and commitment to wrestling have remained strong despite the fact that his cancer treatments coincided with the birth of his daughter Leia. At times, due to the chemo treatments, Mower told Stilly Boys he was forced to limit contact with her.

It’s easy to imagine all of this breaking most people, but not Mower.

“Life, it is live or die, wrestling, it is win or lose,” Mower said. “No matter what, I’m going to scrap. I’m going to fight.

“It is a pretty easy choice. It is a challenge. I’m just going to keep on fighting, keep on doing what I do. God knows I want a challenge, and he gave me a challenge. This is one of the hardest mentally and physically that I’ve gone through. But I see it as almost a privilege because the higher the mountain that you got to climb, the stronger your legs get afterwards once you have climbed it. … There is no harder scrap than the scrap for your life.”

Please click the link to watch the Stilly Boys video on Mower and his family here. The video is linked to a GoFundMe set up to support the Mowers with “treatment, medical bills, travel and lodging, and everyday expenses during this difficult time.”

There has been a wonder as to how long it will be until Drew Mestemaker is an NFL player.

After Oklahoma State’s Week 1 dud in Tulsa, the 2027 draft hype fell off a cliff. But oh, how quickly things change.

Since that inexplicable Saturday against the Golden Hurricane, Mestemaker has looked every bit the NFL prospect he was thought to be. Across games against Oregon, Murray State and West Virginia, he averaged 343.3 passing yards while completing 72% of his throws and was responsible for 11 touchdowns.

And thus, the draft talk has resumed.

On Thursday, ESPN’s Jordan Reid released his Top 50 prospects for the 2027 NFL Draft. Mestemaker was No. 11 — first among quarterbacks.

“Mestemaker is my top quarterback prospect despite this being only his second season as a starter in high school and college. He has an unconventional style, holding the ball at his waistline before ripping a fiery, three-quarters release. Mestemaker has the confidence to test the tightest of windows from various platforms, but that can get the best of him and lead to turnovers. Plus, he can be oblivious to underneath defenders. Mestemaker is bit of a streaky passer, though his hot streaks feature plenty of “wow” moments. And he is capable of being a running threat.” — Jordan Reid, ESPN

And Reid isn’t the only ESPN employee putting Mestemaker tops in the most heralded position in the sport.

Last week (before the West Virginia game), ESPN released an episode of “First Draft,” where Mel Kiper Jr. and Field Yates gave their thoughts on prospects.

Both draft analysts noted they didn’t enjoy putting a “top three” label on stuff this early in the season, but they were asked to give their top three projected quarterbacks.

Kiper went Dante Moore, Arch Manning, Drew Mestemaker.

Yates went Mestemaker, Manning, Moore.

“He has unique size, the arm strength is very good, the scrambling ability is very good,” Yates said. “You saw that on that 75-yard run against Oregon. He’s raw. He’s inexperienced. He’s still working on seeing coverage post-snap, is Drew Mestemaker, which has led to some carelessness with the football. But if you’re looking at upside, which is part of the exercise here, I will maintain I think he has as much upside as any quarterback in the class.”

Yates called Mestemaker’s outing against Oregon the best quarterback performance of the first three weeks. If you don’t recall, Mestemaker completed 61% of his passes for 317 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions while running for another 109 yards and a score.

DREW MESTEMAKER, ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?!

Oklahoma State is back in front! pic.twitter.com/pZFt3elz3c

— ESPN (@espn) September 12, 2026

Kiper, as the ranking might suggest, sounded a tad more hesitant and noted he wasn’t a fan of some of the hits Mestemaker took (see above), but even with those reservations, he has OSU’s quarterback in his early top three.

“I like him,” Kiper said. “I wanna see that performance (against Oregon) moving forward. We didn’t see it Week 1 against Tulsa. Bad opponent this past week (Murray State), we don’t care. I agree with you, went on that field and looked better than Dante.”

There’s still a lot of football to be played this season, but the NFL is certainly well aware of Oklahoma State’s quarterback.

We’re getting more datapoints on these teams to know just how good they really are, but the chaos of college football leaves no prisoners.

Here’s a look at my Big 12 Power Rankings heading into the weekend.

1. Utah (+2)

Record: 4-0
Week 4 Result: W, 31-17 at Iowa State
Week 5 Matchup: Bye

After being up 24-3 at the half in Ames, Utah sorta downshifted and won 31-17, but with BYU being off and Texas Tech looking perhaps even more suspect at home to Sam Houston, I’m not going to punish the Utes for a controlled win in Jack Trice. But Iowa State fighting back shows that the Big 12 is ripe for chaos.

2. BYU (-1)

Record: 3-0
Week 4 Result: Bye
Week 5 Matchup: at TCU

The Cougars slide behind their Holy War rivals in an off week. With the Utes off this week, perhaps the Cougars do enough to yo-yo back in front.

3. Texas Tech (-1)

Record: 4-0
Week 4 Result: W, 49-14 vs. Sam Houston
Week 5 Matchup: at Colorado

So, Tech had a 21-14 halftime lead against Sam Houston, and two of those touchdowns were defensive.

The Red Raiders got right at halftime and were able to win in blowout fashion, but it’s another example of the Red Raiders not looking super clean in the early points of the year. Will Hammond has now thrown more interceptions than touchdowns.

4. Oklahoma State (+3)

Record: 3-1
Week 4 Result: W, 41-24 at West Virginia 
Week 5 Matchup: Bye

One of my big dilemmas this week was OSU-Houston. Houston has the prettier loss, being on the road to a team above in these rankings. Then the Cougars did something OSU failed to do this weekend, go on the road and beat a Group of Six team.

But in the end, I give Oklahoma State the nod because the Cowboys now have two better wins than the Cougars. The more datapoints the Cowboys put between themselves and that Tulsa loss, the better they’ve looked.

5. Houston (-1)

Record: 3-1
Week 4 Result: W, 42-28 at Georgia Southern
Week 5 Matchup: vs. UCF

For some reason, the Cougars went to Georgia Southern this weekend. Giving up 28 points to a Sun Belt team raises an eyebrow, but Conner Weigman completed 77% of his passes and threw four touchdowns.

Houston dropping has more to do with how good OSU has looked over recent weeks than what the Cougars have done.

6. Arizona (+3)

Record: 3-1
Week 4 Result: W, 34-24 at Washington State
Week 5 Matchup: vs. Cincinnati

The Wildcats’ trip to Wazzu wasn’t an overly impressive result, but surviving and winning went a long way this week.

Consider me a little worried that, with preseason All-Big 12 QB Noah Fifita, Arizona’s offense ranks 11th in the Big 12 in scoring and 10th in total offense.

7. Arizona State (+1)

Record: 2-1
Week 4 Result: Bye
Week 5 Matchup: vs. Baylor

The Sun Devils had a week off after playing Kansas in London. This week’s game against Baylor is a big one.

8. Cincinnati (+3)

Record: 4-0
Week 4 Result: W, 31-26 vs. Kansas State
Week 5 Matchup: at Arizona

A week after struggling with Miami (OH), the Bearcats beat Kansas State to remain unbeaten. It feels a little disrespectful having one of the league’s four undefeated teams down in eighth, but we’ll learn a ton about how legit the Bearcats are over the coming weeks. Their next five games at: at Arizona, at West Virginia, vs. Texas Tech, vs. Utah, at Houston.

9. West Virginia (-4)

Record: 3-1
Week 4 Result: L, 41-24 vs. Oklahoma State
Week 5 Matchup: at Iowa State

The Mountaineers are going to give plenty of teams trouble this season, but in the end, they were outmatched by the Cowboys. West Virginia’s trip to Ames ought to be a dogfight.

10. Kansas State (-4)

Record: 3-1
Week 4 Result: L, 31-26 at Cincinnati
Week 5 Matchup: Bye

Woof, Kansas State’s hot start came to a screeching halt in Cincinnati. Maybe the Bearcats end up being a solid group, but for now, K-State takes a hit in these rankings.

11. Baylor (-1)

Record: 3-1
Week 4 Result: W, 23-13 vs. Colorado
Week 5 Matchup: at Arizona State

The Bears took care of business against Colorado, and all things considered, their resume isn’t in too rough a shape with Baylor’s only loss being on a neutral field to Auburn.

Do the Bears have enough to compete with the perceived contenders in the league? We’ll find out this week.

12. UCF (+2)

Record: 3-1
Week 4 Result: W, 21-13 vs. TCU
Week 5 Matchup: at Houston

Without their starting quarterback, UCF beat TCU this past weekend. Similar to Cincinnati and Baylor, we’ll get a look at what UCF looks like against a team that everyone thinks is a contender this week to see just how legit the Knights are.

13. Iowa State

Record: 2-2
Week 4 Result: L, 31-17 vs. Utah
Week 5 Matchup: vs. West Virginia

Iowa State isn’t going to give up, we learned that this past weekend. Stingy is how I’d describe the Cyclones. Saturday’s game against West Virginia could have a combined 100 rush attempts, and I’m here for it.

14. Kansas (+1)

Record: 1-2
Week 4 Result: Bye
Week 5 Matchup: vs. Middle Tennessee State

Kansas was on a bye and has lost more games than they’ve won, and yet the Jayhawks climbed a spot this week? What happened?

15. TCU (-3)

Record: 2-2
Week 4 Result: L, 21-13 at UCF
Week 5 Matchup: vs. BYU

Oh, this is what happened. TCU going from making the national title game a few years ago to losing to UCF’s backup quarterback is certainly less than ideal for the Horned Frogs. But they could flip the season back on its head this week if they dare upset the Cougars.

16. Colorado

Record: 2-2
Week 4 Result: L, 23-13 at Baylor
Week 5 Matchup: vs. Texas Tech

Colorado’s past two weeks have seen the Buffaloes lose 41-7 at Northwestern, dismiss players from the team and then go lose 23-13 at Baylor. Not good.

Deion Sanders has made a quarterback change, as former Utah QB Isaac Wilson steps in for Julian Lewis. We’ll see if that provides the spark the Buffaloes need.

STILLWATER — Eric Morris’ strong start didn’t just impress the Loyal and True. It’s already begun shifting the conversation around Oklahoma State, with several prominent college football voices including the Cowboys in playoff predictions.

That might seem like an overly huge boost following a win over a West Virginia program that was also looking for its first winning season since 2023.

FanDuel doesn’t yet have the Cowboys on the shortlist for the CFP (OSU is 28th in terms of odds), but the oddsmaker has also dramatically changed its tune on OSU since the offseason.

Oklahoma State’s win total is now set at 7.5 with the OVER a slight favorite. At one point this summer, the Cowboys hitting OVER on 5.5 wins was one of the heaviest favorites in the conference.

If you follow the odds, that puts OSU as a slight favorite to finish fifth in total wins among Big 12 teams, with Arizona and Kansas State just behind the Pokes.

The Cowboys are fourth in line to make the Big 12 title game, but a distant fifth to win it. Here’s how FanDuel sees the top six teams in the conference sorted by odds of making that game.

FanDuel doesn’t view any other Big 12 team as remotely competitive to make the Big 12 title game. In the offseason, FanDuel had Oklahoma State ninth in the Big 12 with +2,500 odds of winning the title game, so the Cowboys more than doubled their chances based on FanDuel’s shift.

FanDuel is also booking several other bets that were either interesting or have insight into how the rest of the season might go for the Cowboys.

Users can bet on who will hold state bragging rights at the end of the season between Oklahoma State (3-1) and the Sooners (2-2). The Cowboys were a decent favorite at -250 to maintain their lead in wins, while OU is +390. A tie was +650.

OSU quarterback Drew Mestemaker ranked 12th for the Heisman with +3,500 odds. For context, he was not even close to the 18th spot this offseason, which had guys with +5,500 odds, and according to multiple reports, Mestemaker was listed at +10,000 odds, if not more, at some places for much of the offseason.

Oregon (+105) has the 11th-best odds of making the CFP just behind Texas Tech (-105).

Oklahoma State has a particularly soft stretch of schedule coming up next with teams that aren’t expected to celebrate many more times this season.

Here’s how things look for the rest of OSU’s schedule following the odds:

Home vs UCF, at MOST three more expected wins

At Houston, at LEAST six more expected wins

Home vs Colorado, at MOST two more wins

At Iowa State, at LEAST three more wins

At Kansas State, at MOST five more wins

Home vs Texas Tech, seven more wins (exact total could go either way)

At Arizona State, at LEAST five more wins

Home vs Kansas, three more wins (could go either way)

Although this might not be the best of slates from the offset, that’s usually when we get some crazy results. Here’s an Oklahoma State fan’s watch guide for Week 5.

Big 12 Schedule

Middle Tennessee (2-2) at Kansas (1-2) — 11 a.m. Saturday on ESPNU
UCF (3-1) at No. 20 Houston (3-1) — 11 a.m. Saturday on ESPN2
West Virginia (3-1) at Iowa State (2-2) — 11 a.m. Saturday on TNT
No. 10 BYU (3-0) at TCU (2-2) — 6 p.m. Saturday on ESPN
No. 12 Texas Tech (4-0) at Colorado (2-2) — 6:30 p.m. Saturday on FOX
Baylor (3-1) at Arizona State (2-1) — 9:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN
Cincinnati (4-0) at Arizona (3-1) — 10 p.m. Saturday on FOX

UCF-Houston: OSU’s next two opponents play each other this week, as the Knights head to Houston before their trip to Stillwater.

The Cougars boast the Big 12’s highest-scoring offense to this point, averaging 44.5 points a game. UCF will again be without starting quarterback Alonza Barnett III, but that didn’t stop the Knights from beating TCU last week.

West Virginia-Iowa State: The Mountaineers will have to try to rebound from their loss to the Cowboys in a trip to Ames to play an Iowa State team that has had more fight to it than I expected going into the year.

The Cyclones rank in the top five in the Big 12 in total defense, giving up just 272.5 yards a game. We’ll see how that holds up against West Virginia’s all-out rush attack.

Baylor-Arizona State: This game is more interesting now than it was at the beginning of the year. It feels like a Arizona State loss would be catastrophic and a Baylor win would be massive, but the Sun Devils are just 4.5-point favorites.

The Bears’ only loss was by a point to Auburn on a neutral field, but it’s still hard to know what to expect from the group. Arizona State’s loss is to Texas A&M, and the Sun Devils had to sweat it out in London to beat Kansas a few weeks back.

Cincy-Arizona: Can Cincinnati go back-to-back weeks in upsetting the Wildcats?

The Bearcats got the best of Kansas State last week and now travel to Tucson. Arizona’s loss was a tight game in Provo, which is respectable, but the Bearcats have proven they aren’t to be slept on.

Other Games to Watch

North Texas (2-2) at Tulsa (3-1) — 8 p.m. Thursday on ESPN
Pitt (4-0) at Virginia Tech (4-0) — 6 p.m. Friday on ESPN
Penn State (3-1) at Northwestern (2-1) — 7 p.m. Friday on ESPN
No. 7 Alabama (4-0) at No. 16 Mississippi State (4-0) — 11 a.m. Saturday on ABC
Michigan (3-1*) at Minnesota (3-1) — 11 a.m. Saturday on FOX
No. 5 Ohio State (3-1) at No. 14 Iowa (4-0) — 2:30 p.m. Saturday on CBS
No. 8 Florida (4-0) at No. 25 Missouri (3-1) — 2:30 p.m. Saturday on ABC
Auburn (3-1) at No. 17 Tennessee (3-1) — 2:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN
No. 24 Kentucky (3-1) at South Carolina (2-2) — 3:15 p.m. Saturday on SEC Network
No. 4 Miami (4-0) at Clemson (3-1) — 6:30 p.m. Saturday on ABC

Pitt-Hokies: SMU and Louisville now each have a conference loss, meaning the race to playing Miami in the ACC championship game is back on. Both of these teams have tough games remaining on their schedule, so both would likely need a win here to truly be a part of that race.

Alabama-Mississippi State: The country is catching a case of Kamario Taylor fever, as he has the Bulldogs undefeated. The Alabama offense has been stout to this point, averaging 48 points a game. Will Taylor have enough in him to keep up?

Ohio State-Iowa: I’m in the camp that the Buckeyes will win this thing comfortably, but Kirk Ferentz has made a career of dragging a team into the mud for a knock-down, drag-out. Just last week, Iowa was outgained by Michigan 429-285 but won. I think it would take a similar head-scratching result for the Hawkeyes to do the same to Ohio State.

Rumblings abound that OSU might still relieve Weiberg of his duties, perhaps sooner rather than later. OSU has become quite a dysfunctional place the last couple of years, with heavy regents involvement and palace intrigue from the president’s office and, of course, all the Mike Gundy drama the previous two seasons. [TulsaWorld]

• Pokes in the Pros – former Cowboy running backs are killing it (PFB)

• To swing back to the optimistic side – top-shelf offense is nostalgic for the Cowboy faithful.

I’m not going to lie, watching Oklahoma State’s offense on Saturday night in Morgantown brought back some memories. It felt like the days of Mason Rudolph throwing deep balls to James Washington. [HCS]

• Wyatt Young vs. Justin Blackmon vs. James Washington through four games (X)

• PFB looked at the “two deep” for Cowboy Wrestling (PFB)

• Not crazy – OSU has the third best win in college football according to these rankings:

an updated view of the best wins via Resume Quality

a reminder that this does not consider margin of victory. it considers win/loss, opponent rating, and location. https://t.co/YWr8zMtpRZ pic.twitter.com/MNiK1NOm4I — PEARatings (@PEARatings) September 29, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

• Reality only takes yes for an answer 

• Avoiding checklist sanctification (faith-based) Clever move to get fans in the stadium.

NEW: Tennessee has announced “Happy Hour” at Neyland Stadium for the rest of the season🍻 Gates will open three hours before kickoff, with concessions and beer half-priced for the first hour.https://t.co/pfJKyeRMGy pic.twitter.com/RSSWUwCQZJ

— On3 (@On3) September 30, 2026

Thanks for stopping by – here’s your daily dose of Oklahoma State sports news. 

OSU Bullets

• News around OSU sports yesterday: athletic director Chad Weiberg apparently has a bit of a hot seat, though Eric Morris’ squad playing well certainly impacts the situation.

Rumblings abound that OSU might still relieve Weiberg of his duties, perhaps sooner rather than later. OSU has become quite a dysfunctional place the last couple of years, with heavy regents involvement and palace intrigue from the president’s office and, of course, all the Mike Gundy drama the previous two seasons. [TulsaWorld]

• Pokes in the Pros – former Cowboy running backs are killing it (PFB)

• To swing back to the optimistic side – top-shelf offense is nostalgic for the Cowboy faithful.

I’m not going to lie, watching Oklahoma State’s offense on Saturday night in Morgantown brought back some memories. It felt like the days of Mason Rudolph throwing deep balls to James Washington. [HCS]

• Wyatt Young vs. Justin Blackmon vs. James Washington through four games (X)

• PFB looked at the “two deep” for Cowboy Wrestling (PFB)

• Not crazy – OSU has the third best win in college football according to these rankings:

an updated view of the best wins via Resume Quality

a reminder that this does not consider margin of victory. it considers win/loss, opponent rating, and location. https://t.co/YWr8zMtpRZ pic.twitter.com/MNiK1NOm4I — PEARatings (@PEARatings) September 29, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

• Reality only takes yes for an answer 

• Avoiding checklist sanctification (faith-based) Clever move to get fans in the stadium.

NEW: Tennessee has announced “Happy Hour” at Neyland Stadium for the rest of the season🍻 Gates will open three hours before kickoff, with concessions and beer half-priced for the first hour.https://t.co/pfJKyeRMGy pic.twitter.com/RSSWUwCQZJ

— On3 (@On3) September 30, 2026

STILLWATER — A lot of the offseason talk surrounding Drew Mestemaker, and Oklahoma State overall, centered around the quarterback’s ability to handle the step up in competition.

Despite starting against Power Conference teams for the first time ever twice already, Mestemaker’s numbers look like he never left the American Conference.

He ranks third nationally in passing yards per game (318), seventh in touchdowns (seven), 28th in yards per attempt (9.01) and 47th in completion percentage (67%).

“I think I’ve been seeing the field a lot better this year than I did last year,” Mestemaker said Wednesday. “I think last year I was kind of just locked in on my receivers and like, progression-wise, I wasn’t really seeing the full picture.

“And I think I’ve been able to see the full picture of the defense and what the defense is trying to get to, and then also I feel like I’ve been more consistent down the field on my deeper passes this year, and I think you know just keeping that up throughout the season will be good.”

Currently, Mestemaker is on pace to finish 70 passing yards ahead of last season’s nation-leading number (assuming he plays 14 games once again, which requires some type of championship access).

His completion percentage has dipped only 1.5 points.

On Wednesday, Mestemaker referenced a 21-yard completion to receiver Wyatt Young on 3rd-and-9 in the second quarter against West Virginia as an example of how things have changed for him when it comes to seeing the entire field better this fall.

“They were trying to like mug the safety up on the left side, and then they dropped him all the way back to the deep middle and tried to bring two guys from the other side and like roll away from it,” Mestemaker said. “And so they were trying to like get me to see the safety off the left side and not see the blitz, and I felt the blitz and slid left and then hit Wyatt on a crosser, and I felt like, you know, that I felt I was really seeing the defense and safety rotation well last game.”

On that particular play, within one second (maybe less) of the snap, the WVU safety bails back just like Mestemaker describes. At the same time, two defenders on the opposite side begin coming up and do, in fact, blitz.

Plays like this gave Oklahoma State difficulty in the opener at Tulsa. In this instance, all the blitzers get picked up, including one of the latecomers by running back Caleb Hawkins.

Mestemaker’s “slide” to the left away from the defense is so slight you might miss it on rewatch. This too is another example of how he’s improved since last season.

“I think last year I was a little too quick to get out of the pocket sometimes,” Mestemaker said. “There’s a few times I was too quick getting through my reads and kind of skipped over something that could have been a big play, and so I think just really this offseason, I was doing everything I could to stay in there as long as I could and get through all my reads.”

If Eric Morris’ breakout pupils last year were Drew Mestemaker, Caleb Hawkins and Wyatt Young, his breakout pupil this year might be Skyler Cassity.

Cassity is Oklahoma State’s 31-year-old defensive coordinator. Despite being that young, this is actually Cassity’s fifth season coordinating a Division-I defense after starting at Abilene Christian in 2022.

Four games into his first Power Conference gig, and Cassity’s defense ranks in the Top 20 nationally on third down. His Cowboys are 3-1 having knocked off Oregon and West Virginia.

“Skyler, he’s a star in the making,” Morris said on Big 12 Today. “Obviously I’ve said this on record numerous times: the biggest difference in our football team at North Texas that last year was how good our defense was. Even though, you know, Drew and Wyatt and Caleb, they had a buncha numbers, so they’re the ones that get the media time. But that’s where all of our biggest improvements were made from the previous years.”

Cassity was with Morris at UNT for just one season before Morris packed him up and brought him to Stillwater. Here’s the instant impact he made:

Cassity’s most notable result thus far this season is when the Cowboys held Oregon to 281 total yards and a combined 5-for-17 on third and fourth down.

Although West Virginia had a good statistical day against OSU this past weekend, Morris praised Cassity’s halftime adjustments. He also noted the way Cassity held certain blitzes for big plays late in the game, as the Cowboys sacked Michael Hawkins Jr. three times in the second half en route to the win.

“He’s somebody that’s young but is so mature for his age,” Morris said. “Listen, I know. At some point, he has all the characteristics to be a great head coach, just not only the way he calls a football game, how he sees it and how smart he is, but the way he interacts with our kids. Our players absolutely always respond to him in the best ways.”

Morris and Cassity shared a staff at Texas Tech back in 2017 when Morris was the OC and Cassity was a graduate assistant.

When Cassity got his first DC job at Abilene Christian in 2022, Morris was familiar with the Southland Conference, having been the head coach at Incarnate Word. Morris said he knew Cassity wouldn’t have the most resources available, but Cassity was still able lower the Wildcats’ points and yards allowed per game in his first year.

Then Morris watched as Cassity got the job at Sam Houston in 2024, the Bearkats’ second season at the FBS level after jumping up from the FCS. Sam Houston went from giving up 26.2 points and 394.4 yards a game in the year before Cassity to giving up 20.5 points and 321.4 yards in his lone season with the program.

So, with a lack of resources at both of those spots, Morris knew Cassity was nailing evaluations.

Although Cassity might be young, he is fully in control of what the Cowboys do on that side of the ball.

“He has full autonomy over there,” Morris said. “There’s things that we talk about and we discuss and get on the board. He’ll ask me, ‘Hey, how would you handle this? How would you handle this?’ So there’s a bunch of conversation that happens, but that’s not my expertise in any sense or way, so I try to stay away.

“I like to be really confident when I’m able to present information, and what I have a PhD in is finding ways to get first downs that hopefully end up being touchdowns. So, yeah, he has full autonomy on that side as far as what we’re doing schematically and how we’re calling it. But there is a lot of conversation just trying to sharpen each other’s brains on what the other side of the ball is thinking in certain situations.”

It’s been mostly good vibes when discussing the Cowboy team that has won three in a row, including beating Oregon and then going on the road and winning in West Virginia.

But in some ways, those two big wins have magnified a question: what the heck happened in Tulsa?

It’s been a busy bye week for Morris, who spoke on Big 12 Today on Wednesday morning before going and eating lunch with donors at Karsten Creek before then doing a radio hit on The Sports Animal. In both of those media opportunities, Morris was asked about that Tulsa game.

“It’s, at the same time, so frustrating when you’re searching for those answers just because, and it’s also, you know, a league that I just got out of and felt really comfortable going into that game,” Morris told The Sports Animal. “To have so much momentum that we built up over the course of the offseason and to go out and perform so badly on so many different levels, is something I wish I could explain.

“It still keeps me up at night. I still watch that film once a week just to remind myself. At our worst, that’s our team right now that we put on film. That’s our resume. And then at our best, we were able to respond.”

One of the theories of the Cowboys’ loss in Tulsa is a wonder if the Pokes were looking ahead to Oregon, consciously or otherwise.

If that was the case, the Cowboys have a chance to overcome that obstacle next week when UCF comes to town. The Knights are a Big 12 team worthy of respect, but there’s a sexier game the next weekend when the Cowboys travel south to Houston.

Morris reiterated that the Cowboys turned up the intensity dial in practice in the week following the Tulsa loss, and while a bye week is usually a time to take it a little easier, Morris is looking to find the right balance of getting guys work and getting guys rest.

“Super important now for me to kinda keep my foot on the gas during these periods,” Morris said on Big 12 Today. “We know what’s worked for us, and we’ve practiced extremely well on Tuesdays and Wednesdays the last three weeks, and we’ve been rewarded on Saturdays.

“Typically, every single year is a little bit different in how you handle a bye week. We’re a little bit beat up right now, but we also have some young players playing for us that need these reps, and they’re super important. We’ve allowed some of the vets to be able to heal up a little bit this week, but these practices have been super, super intense. I still believe the physicality of this football team is growing. That’s when we’ve been at our best.”

The bright side of that Tulsa loss, if there is such a thing, is that it might’ve been what kicked the Cowboys into this gear they’ve hit in recent weeks.

Without being embarrassed in Tulsa, do the Pokes have the tenacity to beat Oregon? It’s a question that has been asked. On Big 12 Today, Morris was asked if that loss helped refocus the group, and he said he thinks so.

“The hardest thing for me was just how poorly we played that first game,” Morris said. “We put so much time and effort into it, and to come out and to lay an egg like that. But yeah, to answer your question, I think it was able to kind of put us back to a place to figure out, hey, what’s important to us in this program as we’re building this culture? And nobody’s bigger than the team. We’re gonna have to go out and practice a physical style of football and came out and were able to get a big win against Oregon and then being able to ride that success.

“Our kids, they got humbled the first week, but they’ve remained to be humbled and now we’ll have a tough time keeping them humble throughout this bye week, but we gotta get back ready because a good UCF team coming into town the week after next.”

You’d think this would be a time where, after two years of woeful football, Oklahoma State could kick its feet up and sit in the successes it has longed for.

But apparently not.

Berry Tramel released a column Tuesday night, reporting that OSU athletic director Chad Weiberg’s job status is still very much under a microscope, whether that be because of the fundraising piece of the modern landscape of college athletics, the handling of Mike Gundy’s dismissal, a general power struggle or some combination of it all.

That’s led to an avalanche of similar reports, and all of a sudden, we’re back to wondering what the future of OSU’s athletic department looks like.

It’s the continuation of an ongoing saga that saw Weiberg working without a contract for a portion of last school year. Then when he got that contract, there was a delay in the signing.

I’m not going to pretend to know or understand all the financial conundrum’s athletic departments find themselves in these days, but it’s hard to argue against Weiberg’s hiring streak at this point.

The latest example is new football coach Eric Morris, who — after a gross opening weekend — has promptly revitalized a fanbase with a marquee win against Oregon before going on the road and leading the Cowboys to their first Big 12 win in more than 1,000 days. After two lame-duck seasons, excitement for Cowboy football was quickly re-energized.

Weiberg has also hired Jacie Hoyt, David Taylor and Steve Lutz.

Taylor instantly provided a spark to OSU wrestling that has seen the Cowboys break attendance records and quickly climb back into national prominence. Hoyt led her team to three NCAA Tournaments in four years and has her most talented team to date entering this upcoming season. You could certainly argue the jury is still out on Lutz, but he, too, looks to have his most-talented squad heading into this season.

For those reasons, it seems like an odd time for front-office drama. But, it does come after two seasons where the football program — the most-important program in just about every athletic department in terms of finances — had its two darkest years of the 21st century. And those two years came at a time where, with the introduction of paying athletes, money has never been more important.

How much of whatever fractures those two years caused can be mended in the span of three good weeks of football? I guess we’ll find out.

I leave you with this:

STILLWATER — Returning Cowboys like Ben Ahmed tried to warn the newcomers that Steve Lutz doesn’t mess around when it comes to practice.

“We told them, yeah, if we don’t get it right, we coming back at night,” Ahmed said. “And you know, when you keep saying it, and it don’t happen, they would just think like, yeah (whatever).”

Lutz and multiple players described this team to be well ahead of last year’s team in part because of the extra practices the team got in this summer due to the Puerto Rico trip.

But it sounds like no amount of extra practices can keep the Cowboys from at least one unscheduled night practice.

“The first time it happened, it was like, ‘Oh, it’s real, yeah,’” Ahmed said, describing how the newcomers reacted. “But yeah, we came back at night, and we got it done. So hopefully we don’t gotta come back at night no more.”

When Ahmed said this, the newcomers Jacob Walker and Jordan Burks nodded along, and their eyes widened a bit, like that evening was rather memorable for them.

The drill that caused an early end to one practice and the addition of a night one was a conditioning drill continuity.

“We just couldn’t make it (work),” Ahmed said. “And he (Lutz) was like, ‘Yeah, just get the F out. I’ll see you at night.’”

Recounting that moment got some laughter out of his teammates. It seemed like Walker, a Sam Houston transfer, was mildly surprised that day, but he more or less expected this intensity from his new head coach.

It also sounded like this might have been a bit of a bonding moment for the team.

“He makes it very obvious, you know, what he’s about in recruitment,” Walker said of Lutz. “But obviously, the guys talked about it before, but the night we came back for practice, that was probably like, ‘OK, I see what I’m getting myself into (now).​

“But I mean, he’s a very straightforward coach. Like he doesn’t go for a lot of (stuff), and what he stands for, that’s what he stands for. And that’s how we’ve improved. So I mean, if that’s what it takes, then we’re all for it.”

OSU Bullets

• When looking at playoff contenders – ESPN’s Heather Dinich doesn’t know what to do with the Pokes, circles in on the defining stretch. Wouldn’t it be incredible to get a week-to-week poll of fan expectations for OSU?

The question is whether Oklahoma State can continue to defy expectations. ESPN’s FPI gives the Cowboys less than a 50% chance in three of its remaining games (Houston, K-State and Texas Tech). If they can win at least two of those, the narrative in the Big 12 will change quickly. [ESPN]

• Cowboy Golf finished in seventh at the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational at the Colonial (OKState.com)

•  Fun use of AI – check out these generated images of Boone Pickens Stadium with an upper deck (X)

If Oklahoma State proves it can Consistently be a playoff team, should they look to expand BPS with an upper bowl? Note: BPS was built with the intent of an upper bowl pic.twitter.com/NllFFEAXrJ

— Roughneck Pete (@RoughneckPeter) September 29, 2026

• Cinematic highlights from the win plus final thoughts from rewatching the win over West Virginia (PFB)

• Social media hype via statistics for Drew Mestemaker:

Highest Graded Quarterbacks from Week 4🎯 pic.twitter.com/jwsU4QPVtW

— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 28, 2026

NEW: Week 5 On3 College Football Heisman Poll🏆 Do you agree?🤔https://t.co/hd75dNXyfJ pic.twitter.com/ngBZJ5lfue

— On3 (@On3) September 28, 2026

The leaders in passing yards after Week 4‼️ pic.twitter.com/uIRTw8CPdD

— CFP (@CFBPlayoff) September 28, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

• How a MAC school is trying to climb to the Power 4

• Ways to maintain focus (YouTube)

• Holy ambition begins at home (faith-based) Gosh I bet this frustrated some Knicks fans.

Stephon Castle says Madison Square Garden was underwhelming compared to OKC: “It was underwhelming in that first game. They made it seem like it was going to be way crazier in there. OKC was way louder than MSG.” (Via @GQMagazine, h/t @TheNBABase) pic.twitter.com/gy3ovBZ4Ni

— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) September 28, 2026

Let’s take a look around the league to see how OSU alums fared, starting with Warren’s season-best performance in a win.

Warren Leads Steelers Past Bengals

Jaylen Warren was leaned on more heavily this week with Steelers running back Rico Dowdle out with a toe injury.

Warren carried it 17 times for 127 yards, including a 35-yarder. And all that with this 87-yard run being called back due to a penalty.

JAYLEN WARREN MASSIVE RUN CALLED BACK

DK METCALF HOLD pic.twitter.com/Nb3iGHZjJS

— wok (@wokdior) September 27, 2026

Dowdle was listed as day-to-day and did not participate in the Steelers’ practice on Tuesday.

Here’s Warren talking about how much he likes breaking tackles.

#Steelers RB Jaylen Warren, who was questionable to play with a shoulder injury, standing in the locker room with a gash over one eye and a huge goose egg over the other, smiling, talking about how much he loves breaking tackles.https://t.co/12MUb4HV1T pic.twitter.com/oflclHKZFn

— Alan Saunders (@ASaunders_PGH) September 28, 2026

Chuba Takes the Reins

Chuba Hubbard had his own season high with 82 yards on 19 carries in the Panthers’ 21-18 loss to the Browns.

He also had four catches for 28 receiving yards. Somehow, in that catch/yards total, he had a 30-yard catch and run. He did log 42 yards after the catch.

Chuba Hubbard takes it 30 yards into Browns territory

📺: FOX/FOX One pic.twitter.com/E2XOsWdumS

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 27, 2026

Ollie Finds the End Zone

Gordon found pay dirt for the first time this season.

Ollie Gordon on the touchdown run and a major assist from rookie Kadyn Proctor on the push to get him in. pic.twitter.com/jd61dGW5nH

— Jason Sarney – Dolphins Wire (@Jason_Sarney) September 27, 2026

The former Cowboy took the lion’s share of handoffs in Miami’s Week 3 loss after RB1 De’Von Achane went down with injury. Achane has been ruled out for the season after being diagnosed with a torn ACL.

In his stead, Gordon carried the ball 17 times for 41 yards and that score. He also caught all three passes thrown his way for 14 receiving yards.

Other Updates

• Justice Hill carried it five times for 33 yards in the Ravens’ 34-31 win over the Cowboys.

• Malcolm Rodriguez logged two tackles in the Lions’ 31-24 win over the Jets.

• Teven Jenkins was listed as DNP for a back injury for the Browns on Tuesday.

STILLWATER — Oklahoma State basketball coach Steve Lutz started his press conference last week, his first official one since preseason practices began, praising the start of the Eric Morris Era.

“This is my third season, we’ve not been in this position as an athletic department,” Lutz said. “Football’s 2-1, obviously, kind of knocking on the door of the Top 25, and there’s a lot of momentum on campus. And then, you know, I think that women’s basketball is going to have a fantastic year. I think we’re going to have a fantastic year, and then obviously wrestling as well.”

Wrestling coach David Taylor has more than proved his program has what it takes over the last two seasons, and Cowgirl coach Jacie Hoyt’s program took two big steps forward last season, starting with her first NCAA Tournament win followed by the nation’s No. 1 portal class.

Just in case anyone living under a rock missed it, the football team did in fact enter the AP Top 25 for the first time in two years. Lutz thinks all of this matters not just for those teams, but his own.

“Eric Morris has been a fantastic ambassador for athletics, but (also as) just a partner in helping fundraise and helping promote all the different athletic teams,” he said. “So it’s been fantastic. So you know you love to see them doing well. And we need, as I said, we need football to do well.”

On Tuesday, Hoyt took time to answer questions about her own program. At the very end, she was asked about football’s successful start.​

“I love it,” Hoyt said. “I’m so excited for Coach. He, I think, is the real, real deal. And I’ve, I thought that before they played a game. But I just think he’s so perfect for Oklahoma State and the culture and what we’re about here. Blue-collar, genuine, down to earth, gritty. We just saw that in West Virginia.”

Hoyt added that she asked to attend some of Morris’ team meetings ahead of the season. It sounds like that experience sold her on this team’s bright future before they ever took the field.

“I love learning and just figuring out ways that I can be better,” Hoyt said. “And I sat in that meeting, and they hadn’t played yet, but I just knew this guy is special. He’s really, really good. He’s sharp. He’s concise. He’s confident. His players clearly loved him, and so I’m not surprised at all about what he’s doing right now. I’m so happy for him, and I think he has brought the excitement to Stillwater that we were all really needing and craving.”

STILLWATER — A year ago, Jacob Walker started his college basketball career, taking an offer to play at Sam Houston over offers from Radford, Tennessee State, Jacksonville, Alabama State, Jackson State, Arkansas State and Bradley.

Needless to say, he wasn’t the blue-chip recruit that high-major programs had their eyes on. But a year later, Walker is a high-major player at Oklahoma State.

“I always told myself that if I kept my head down, the sky is the limit,” Walker said Tuesday. “Sam Houston was a great starting point for me. Obviously, I didn’t think it would flip the way that it did. I didn’t think that I would play the amount I did, but obviously God happened and I was able to get out there. …

“It was a rough process starting off because I didn’t know if I’d get out there, I’ll be honest. I didn’t know if I’d have a shot, but like I said, guys trusted me, coaches trusted me. And Coach (Steve) Lutz has trusted me in this recruitment process, and I have teammates that trust me again. So, that’s really what it’s been based around, just having guys around you that trust you. Once you have that the sky’s the limit.”

After being unsure how much he’d play as a true freshman, Walker would go on to become Conference-USA’s Sixth Man of the Year after averaging 11.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists across his first 34 games of college hoops.

A 6-foot-1 point guard, Walker might’ve not played for a high-major team last season, but he did play against a couple.

By Dec. 2 last season, Walker and his Bearkats had already played Texas Tech, Utah and … Oklahoma State.

That game in Stillwater was a bit of a breakout for the freshman guard, as he put up a then-season-high 17 points while going 3-for-6 from 3. Sam Houston would lead Oklahoma State 44-37 at the half before the Cowboys flipped the script in the second.

“I had a solid game,” said Walker, chuckling to Ben Ahmed next to him. “I had a solid game, going all the way in the second half, we thought we were gonna beat y’all. We thought we were gonna win, and then obviously Parsa Fallah happened and Kanye Clary happened. Game got out of hand, and Oklahoma state ended up winning.

“I still think about that. I still think about that game a lot, but it was a good experience. It was a great crowd. I knew this was something I wanted to be a part of because of the fanbase, the coaching staff and obviously the great players they had last year was once again a no-brainer for me.”

Walker was a standout in the Cowboys’ trip to Puerto Rico this summer. He scored in double figures in all three games and went 4-for-10 from 3-point range while also averaging three assists a contest. He had 14 points and six assists in the final game, going 2-for-3 from 3.

With so many new pieces on this OSU roster, who knows what Lutz’s rotations will look like come the end of the year, but Walker spoke at length Tuesday of how together he felt this team was. And after quickly working his way from unknown freshman to his conference’s Sixth Man of the Year, Walker knows what it takes to carve out a role.

“I played defense to get on the court at Sam Houston,” Walker said. “I couldn’t get on early. Had a lot of turnover issues. I wasn’t shooting the ball the best. Obviously, defense turned it around for me, and then coach trusted me with the ball more and I was able to show that I can play too.”

Tuesday’s this fall have normally meant Oklahoma State football updates its depth chart, but with those Cowboys on their bye week this week, let’s take a look at what a David Taylor two-deep might look like entering his third season.

Taylor’s first two teams have been excellent, producing a combined five national champions and 14 All-Americans. But in terms of depth, this is Taylor’s best roster to date, adding the No. 1 recruiting class to a team that returned all 10 starters from the group that finished second place at the NCAA Championships.

So, just what might an OSU wrestling two deep look like? Here’s what I came up with using weights listed on OSU’s official roster.

125:
Troy Spratley*
Ronnie Ramirez OR Rocklin Zinkin#

133:
Jax Forrest$
Jayden Raney# OR Ronnie Ramirez

141:
Jayden Raney# OR Jordyn Raney# OR Tagen Jamison

149:
Sergio Vega$
Jordyn Raney# OR Tagen Jamison

157:
Landon Robideau$
Cutter Sheets OR Kolter Burton

165:
Dee Lockett
Casey Swiderski* OR Kody Routledge

174:
Alex Facundo OR Lorenzo Norman

184:
Zack Ryder* OR Bennett Berge
Michael White#

197:
Cody Merrill*
Austin Johnson OR Michael White#

HWT:
Konner Doucet* OR Dreshaun Ross#

*= 2026 All-American
#= Top 10 incoming freshman
$= 2026 NCAA Champ

That depth will be on display on Nov. 1 in Gallagher-Iba Arena, as the Cowboys welcome Gardner Webb, Little Rock and SIU-Edwardsville to town for the OSU Invitational. That event will feature multiple Cowboys in each bracket, with Taylor saying Tuesday that he wants the whole team to wrestle in it.

A lot of the best matches in that tournament will be Cowboys vs. Cowboys, so we could see Alex Facundo vs. Lorenzo Norman, Raney vs. Raney vs. Jamison and more.

Those matches would be meaningful, but it doesn’t sound as if Taylor is going to set his NCAA Championships lineup based solely on a tournament at the beginning of November.

“It’s a full season,” Taylor said. “We tell our team pretty frequently, like, how lucky are we to have the depth in our room that we have, that our guys are very battle tested. For many of our guys, like, some of the toughest matches of the season are gonna happen in the room. But being in the room is one thing, being out in competition is another. Like, you’re gonna have a full season to earn your spot for the national tournament.”

That kind of depth is a luxury any coach would want to have, but it’s a necessity if the Cowboys are going to run down Penn State.

OSU’s last team national title came in 2006. OSU left that tournament with two national champs and six All-Americans. Well, 20 years later, three champions and eight All-Americans was good for second place to the Nittany Lions.

“It’s what it takes,” Taylor said. “Look across college athletics. I mean, there was a time 15 years ago you could win the team (title) with five guys contribute at the national tournament. We, as a team to win the nationals, need 10 guys contributing at a pretty high level at the national tournament, which requires more than 10 people. It takes more than that. It takes competition. Like, these guys need each other pushing themselves. You have to have that.”

Another interesting aspect in all of this is the five-for-five rule.

No longer are guys looking to maintain their redshirts by juggling how many matches they can wrestle. That could mean the Cowboys’ lineup is more fluid during the regular season as Taylor finds the right group for March.

“It’ll be evaluated week-to-week,” Taylor said. “When we get opportunities to get guys matches when they need matches, we’ll get them matches. It’s really hard to project out because you really don’t know what’s gonna happen. Things could change. You gotta be a little bit mobile, but I like mobility that we have now as coaches and our roster, so just to be mindful of that.

“Every week, you’ll probably ask me the same thing (about the lineup), and I’ll keep giving you the same answer of just week to week, we gotta put our best team out there, ultimately to have our best team at the national tournament.”

STILLWATER — On Monday, Oklahoma State announced an extension for Cowgirl basketball coach Jacie Hoyt, extending her contract through the 2030-31 season.

Stailee Heard, who will unquestionably go down as the face of the Hoyt Era (at least the first decade), wasn’t shy about her thoughts.

“I wish I could stay and play till that, for that time,” Heard said after praising her head coach.

Hoyt, who was sitting next to her at the time, didn’t miss a beat, adding, “Me too,” then the duo erupted into laughter.

“She’s a great role model for Cowgirl basketball, and just for wanting to be the type of player I want to be and the type of person I want to be off the court,” Heard said. “She shows resilience, hard work. You know, she’s very loyal and true.”

The extension comes at a time when expectations for Cowgirl basketball might be at an all-time high following the offseason acquisition of the nation’s No. 1 portal class, according to ESPN.

On Tuesday, Hoyt said she’d never been more excited about a team in her coaching career and added that this is her most talented group. Last season, she led the Cowgirls to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where they played the then-future national champs UCLA closer than three of the other teams they faced in the Tournament.

So that, in theory, establishes a pretty healthy floor if the Cowgirls can live up to expectations.

“I’ve had big-time donors step up and have my back, and I would not be in the position that I’m in without them,” Hoyt said of her offseason acquisitions. “One huge one in particular, and I’m just grateful that you know if you look across the country, women’s basketball has elevated to this amazing position when it comes to viewership and the ability to generate revenue, and I’m just grateful that I get to work at a place that has donors that can recognize that and want to pour in and invest in our roster.”

Hoyt said the contract extension meant “everything.”

“This is home to me,” she said. “Even just take out the basketball. You know, I get to work with my husband (OSU associate AD Daniel Helfin) here. I have a daughter (Harlow) that I get to bring around and has literally grown up from 10 days old, you know, being a Cowgirl and a part of this community and this fan base.

“The donors, the people who have invested in me, it’s just, it means everything. And I’m the type of person that if I feel like you’re for me, I’m gonna run through a wall for you. And I feel that here. I feel the investment in me from so many people, and I’ve said from day one I want to do something here that’s never been done. I want to build this thing to be, you know, just a final destination for the greatest players in the country. And I feel like this year we’ve been able to kind of take that step in getting that talent, and the future is brighter than ever. So I’m just thrilled. I’m grateful. I’m just so blessed and grateful to all the people who helped make it possible because it really was on the backs of my players, my coaching staff, and all the people who invested in me.”

The Cowgirls host Langston for an exhibition on Oct. 27 before starting the regular season at home against Southern on Nov. 2. Although Hoyt will likely take every practice she can get in the coming weeks, her excitement for the season ahead was on full display Tuesday.

“I don’t look at it as a oh, you know we’ve arrived or I have this talent so the work is done,” Hoyt said. “I actually look at it complete opposite. Like I’ve never wanted to work harder. I’ve never wanted to have more answers for my players and help put them in positions to be successful.

“So I am probably for that reason more motivated than I’ve ever been, and that’s saying a lot because I’ve never thought of myself as not being super motivated. But I just love coaching this group, and I just want to be at my very, very best for them.”

For the most part, it was the expected names that showed up in Morgantown, West Virginia to secure the win. There’s no reason to think those guys won’t continue dominating the rest of the Big 12 after this weekend’s bye week.

Today’s Final Draw will examine:

• OSU’s red zone struggles this season
• Receiver Wyatt Young’s ability to thrive whether he’s open or not
• One defender who stood out

But first, Drew Mestemaker spent the spring working on deep shots after he felt like he left some on the table last season.

It was a bold proclamation to make, considering that among QBs with 15 attempts at least 20 yards downfield, Mestemaker ranked 29th in yards per attempt (15.5) and graded out 50th (88.8).

​On Saturday, the Cowboy gunslinger proved he could back it all up and more, torching the Mountaineers by completing 6-of-7 such attempts for 243 passing yards. PFF considered four of them to be “Big Time Throws” defined as “a pass with excellent ball location and timing, generally thrown further down the field and/or into a tighter window.​”

Mestemaker’s first big play was apparently somewhat impromptu when he hit receiver Chris Barnes 28 yards downfield for a 52-yard catch.

Drew Mestemaker said he checked to the deep ball to Chris Barnes to start the second half. Went for a 52-yard gain. He said he thought they were disrespecting Barnes leaving him out there all alone.

— Marshall Scott (@MarshallScottOK) September 27, 2026

The throw that impressed me the most was probably the time he hit receiver Terrence Lewis 23 yards downfield on 2nd-and-6. It looks like Mestemaker kept his eyes on where Lewis would end up the entire time, almost like he knew it would be open.

On the play, Mestemaker drops the ball perfectly into the opening between three defenders, two of which are trailing Lewis by roughly 3.5 yards while the safety is five yards over top. There’s plenty of room for an elite quarterback like Mestemaker, but at that distance it wouldn’t have taken much for that play to turn out somewhat risky.

If raw power is more your thing, Mestemaker also hit receiver Wyatt Young 43 air yards downfield. He also hit Young 23, 24 and 39 yards downfield as well, and Mestemaker’s only incompletion came when he missed Lewis 25 yards downfield on an attempt that looked just a little overthrown.

Mestemaker heads into the bye week as the third-highest-graded deep passer (97.8). He’s completing 70.6% of his passes for 433 yards and three touchdowns. His Big Time Throw Rate leads the nation (ignoring QBs with only three total attempts) at 53%, an increase of 22% from last season.

That’s hardly the only way he’s shattering every standard he set previously. Mestemaker’s 13-game pace has him completing 39-of-55 deep shots for 1,407 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Here’s what he did looking deep in 14 games last season: 19-of-49 for 758 and eight touchdowns.

It’s easy to make fun of West Virginia’s defense, but it’s worth remembering that Eric Morris said the Mountaineers spent most of the first half playing so Mestemaker couldn’t throw deep.

Instead, the OSU QB just waited for them to finally relax a bit on the back end in favor of taking away the Cowboys’ running game and shorter passing plays, and then Mestemaker did all that damage in just two quarters.

Hold Your Breath in the Red Zone

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The Cowboys are a third of the way through their regular season, sitting at 3-1 and squarely in the early conversation for a trip to Arlington — just like we all predicted.

Although Oklahoma State has a bye week to get healthier and work on a few peccadilloes, it’s a good time to check in on some of the numbers and see where they sit among the Big 12 and (possibly) do a better job of projecting where they might end up come December.

Normally, I’d add the caveat that these include nonconference games and numbers might be uncharacteristically inflated. That the Cowboys should be expected to regress to the mean. (They still could). But this is a bit of a different season since the Tulsa game may end up being their worst offensive outing of the year, and their second game was against an actual legit Oregon team. So do with all that what you will.

The most important thing to remember about these numbers is that OSU’s trajectory has been upward. We can’t exclude the Tulsa game. But if we did, these would be some elite-level numbers, and the Cowboys could very likely make that 10-point effort an outlier.

Here are some of my takeaways from the Cowboys’ numbers through four games.

Win Total

At this point, it seems like it’s not worth mentioning, but the Cowboys won four games over the previous two seasons. There’s little chance they don’t far exceed that now. This is a different team with a different culture.

In our 2026 predictions, before Eric Morris had entered the cheat code into Drew Mestemaker, I said getting to a bowl berth is a huge turnaround in Morris’ first year. Now the path is laid for something special.

Gunslingers Again

Maybe you’re not like me. Maybe you’ve been living under a rock.  Maybe you’ve not been incessantly rewatching Mestemaker highlight vids on YouTube. If that’s you, let me be the first to tell you that the Cowboys are gunslingers once more.

OSU leads the Big 12 and is eighth nationally in passing offense, throwing it for 327 yards per game. In a very strange statistical tidbit, North Texas is ranked seventh, just above OSU at 342, as of writing.

Drew Mestemaker is third nationally and first in the conference with 317.8 passing yards and 11 TDs. And he’s spreading the ball out to his myriad weapons.

Wyatt Young is second in the league at 102.5 yards per game to go with three TDs. Justin Bowick is seventh at 86 and four scores himself. That makes the Cowboys the only team with two receivers in the Big 12’s top 13. With Chris Barnes’ at T-19th with 48.3 yards, the Pokes are the only team with three receivers in the top 20.

All the stuff that endeared most OSU fans to OSU? It’s back.

Don’t Forget about Caleb

Caleb Hawkins ranks behind only WVU’s Cam Cook in the league in rushing. He has 441 rushing yards and a pair of TDs in four games.  And he’s exactly on pace with his impressive freshman season at UNT.

In 2025, Hawkins averaged 110.31 yards per game at 6.2 yards per carry. Through four games at OSU, he’s averaging 110.25 ypg at 5.3. He’ll have to get it in gear to approach his FBS-leading 25 rushing TDs from last year though. He’s tracking for six over 12 games.

Defense Still Owns the Money Down

The Cowboys’ vaunted third-down defense ranking looks a little worse for wear after West Virginia, but it’s still among the best in the country at getting off the field.

OSU is currently sitting at 27.78% on opponent third downs, which is 16th nationally and second in the Big 12. The laws of attrition would dictate that they probably will rise up the rankings on a bye this weekend. But regardless of their rankings, Skyler Cassity’s defense is still tracking just better than Jim Knowles’ impressive 2021 group that finished third in the FBS at 28.64%.

It would be impressive if they were able to continue at that clip, but what we’ve seen so far has also been impressive. For what it’s worth, the 2021 Cowboys finished fourth nationally in fourth-down defense at 29.63%. These Cowboys are sitting at 22.22%.

This next guy is a big reason why.

Another 100-Tackle Cowboy

Ethan Wesloski is set to join the likes of Jordan Sterns, Nick Martin and Malcolm Rodriguez. The senior linebacker is fresh off tying a career high with 17 total tackles against West Virginia and he’s on pace to reach triple digits in tackles for the year.

Wesloski leads the Big 12 with 36 tackles. Projecting that out over 12 games and he’d get 108. He had 113 last year at UNT.

Record Pace for First Downs

This is a bit of an obscure stat, but we saw how important it was in Morgantown.

Oklahoma State is currently ranked third in the FBS with 110 first downs in four games. That’s 27.5 per game. The best ever at OSU was the 2011 team (shocker), but they averaged 25.3 per game.

This also falls in the category of a stat that might very well fluctuate. OSU’s 33 first downs against Murray State were the most the Cowboys have had since 2021. But it’s important to point out that OSU has had a low of 25 thus far, which was more than in any single game last year.

First Downs
Tulsa: 27
Oregon: 25
Murray State: 33
West Virginia: 25

It’s also important to point out that the Cowboys are ranked just 14th in the Big 12 in third-down offense, converting just 32% thus far. So how do you explain that?

That leads me to this chestnut…

Chunk Plays Galore

Oklahoma State is 10th nationally with 72 plays of at least 10 yards. In plays of at least 20 yards, the Pokes are second only to SMU. The Mustangs have 33; the Cowboys have 32. That’s eight per game.

There’s not a quick way to average that out among all teams, but if OSU plays 14 games, that would be 112. More than any team has had at least as far back as 2020. The most during that stretch was Texas last season with 108, but the Longhorns did that in 16 games (6.8 average).

We knew the Cowboys had skill players and a QB, but give due credit to an offensive line that gives Mestemaker time to cook.

Get Your Sam Keltner Jerseys

The first-year Cowboy kicker is 10-for-10 on field goals. It obviously doesn’t get better than 100%, but he also leads all of the flawless specialists in attempts. Next up is James Madison’s Morgan Suarez at 9-for-9. It’s the best start by an OSU kicker since Alex Hale stared 8-for-8 in 2020.

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OSU Bullets

I don’t even think West Virginia played poorly. The Cowboys were just that good. It was reasonable to ask the Cowboys to back up the Oregon win before fully trusting them again after the Tulsa debacle. Mission accomplished. The Pokes are now in the top 20 and look like bona fide Big 12 title contenders. If they take care of business against UCF next week, their mid-October trip to Houston looms large. [Open for Business]

Explosive plays (20-yard pass/10-yard rush) since Week 1: 1. Oklahoma State (43) 1. Miami (43) 3. SMU (42) 4. Duke (37) 5. Indiana (36) 5. West Virginia (36)

— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) September 28, 2026

“America we have a new short king.” 🔥 pic.twitter.com/OxY27ImSL6

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) September 26, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

Now you can relive that big road win with these highlights care of OSU Athletics.

As a bonus, OSU also posted the official BPS intro video to help hold you over on the bye week.

In the fallout of Oklahoma State’s 41-24 win against the Mountaineers in Morgantown, the Cowboys’ standing in the Big 12 was discussed by many of the major national podcasts. Here’s what some of them had to say.

Josh Pate

Josh Pate had the Cowboys as one of his winners during his winners and losers segment.

“Mestemaker did what he needed to do,” Pate said. “Caleb Hawkins did what he needed to do. They are a legit Big 12 contender. Like, they’re loss — this is gonna be one of those weird things you say at the end of the year — their loss is to Tulsa. So, that’s not a conference game, so they’re still undefeated there. …

“They got an NFL quarterback. They have some big-time players.”

Pate then pointed out Texas Tech’s Nov. 14 trip to Stillwater as a game he’s starting to get excited about.

Brandon Walker

Brandon Walker and Liam Blutman went live late Saturday night to recap action from around the country. It wasn’t front-page news, but later in the show, they got excited for what the Cowboys did.

“You want to talk about a who’s back? I mean they already beat Oregon, but now Oklahoma State,” Walker said. “… Oklahoma State goes on the road, beats an undefeated West Virginia team. And Drew Mestemaker, it’s bizarre how little he showed in Week 1, and it’s bizarre how incredible he has been since. Week 2, 3 and 4, he has been one of the five best quarterbacks in the country, and today he was no different.”

Blutman said it might be a good thing OSU lost to Tulsa because in the end, the result is meaningless if the Cowboys go on to win the Big 12.

Cover 3

On Saturday night, the guys at Cover 3 discussed Oklahoma State as they were predicting what the updated AP Poll would look like.

Hindsight has revealed the Cowboys at No. 19, and they agreed.

“Oklahoma State, into the Top 25,” Chip Patterson said. “Maybe should’ve been already, but you’ve got a win against Oregon. Loss against Tulsa is gonna be an anchor, but good job in an impressive win, pulling away in the second half. A good second-half performance from that Oklahoma State offense.”

Bussin’ With The Boys

Will Compton and Taylor Lewan discussed that the Big 12 is looking like more of a battle royal at the top than had been initially anticipated.

They added that West Virginia is still good, and Lewan started discussing the Cowboys.

“But Oklahoma State, man, I’ll tell you what, that quarterback, he nice,” Lewan said. “This is a nice little ball club out there. Their defensive line is good, too. They’re older, they’re more established, they know what they’re doing, like Stillwater’s got themselves a little ball club right now.”

Lewan said we’re going to know a lot about this OSU team after its Oct. 17 trip to Houston before Compton started talking about how electric OSU’s offense has been of late.

“Over their last three games, they are close to averaging 600 yards of total offense,” Compton said. “Like, they are tough, man. Oklahoma State is playing some tough ball out there in the Big 12.”

Andy and Ari

Like many have discussed, Andy and Ari from On3 talked about whether the Cowboys could contend for a Big 12 title.

Wasserman said the Cowboys could, and before that, he made note of Oregon’s thumping of USC in Los Angeles and what that does for the Cowboys overall resume.

“Obviously as this season progresses, if what we saw out of Oregon is an indication of what the Ducks are gonna be moving forward that, that game and that win is going to age like fine wine,” Wasserman said.

Oklahoma State announced on Monday that Jacie Hoyt has inked an extension that will keep her in Stillwater through the 2030-31 season.

“Coach Hoyt has successfully guided our program through the changing landscape of college basketball and has continued to build Cowgirl Basketball into one that contends for conference championships and consistently plays and advances in the NCAA Tournament,” OSU Athletic Director Chad Weiberg said in OSU’s release. “We’re excited about this upcoming season and the future under her leadership.”

Hoyt in entering her fifth season as the Cowgirls’ head coach with an 84-45 record and three NCAA Tournament appearances. OSU made it to the second round of the tournament this past season and has been ranked in the AP Poll in each of the past two seasons after having not been ranked since the 2017-18 season before her arrival.

And this upcoming season is setting up to be the Cowgirls’ best to date.

Hoyt landed the No. 1 transfer portal class in the nation, according to ESPN. It features two-time All-American Audi Crooks and All-SEC guard Liv McGill. And it pairs them with the most impactful player of the Hoyt Era to this point in Stailee Heard.

There are plenty more reasons why this Hoyt extension is a good thing for OSU.

The Cowgirls averaged 81.1 points a game last season — a program record. She has 10 wins against ranked opponents and three top-four finishes the in Big 12. Her teams have been particularly good on Eddie Sutton Court, as OSU is 57-10 at home under Hoyt.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to continue leading this program and representing Oklahoma State,” Hoyt said. “Stillwater has become a home for me and my family, and I’ll never take for granted the trust and belief that has been placed in me by our administration, specifically Chad Weiberg and President (Jim) Hess. I’m incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made as a program, but I’ve never believed more in what we’re building than I do right now. The best part is knowing we’re not finished.

“I’m thankful for every player, coach, staff member, fan and member of this community who has poured into our program. We have more work to do, more memories to make and more history to write. I couldn’t be more grateful or excited to keep doing it as a Cowgirl.”

The Big 12 announced its weekly awards on Monday, and it’s filled with Cowboys.

Offensive Player of the Week: 
Drew Mestemaker, QB, Oklahoma State
Wayshawn Parker, RB, Utah

Defensive Player of the Week:
Ethan Wesloski, LB, Oklahoma State
Austin Romaine, LB, Texas Tech

Special Teams Player of the Week: 
Sam Keltner, K, Oklahoma State
Palmer Williams, P, Baylor

Freshman of the Week: 
Caleb Smith, WR, Arizona

Offensive Line of the Week: 
Oklahoma State

Defensive Line of the Week: 
UCF

That’s a lot of orange — not too dissimilar to after the Cowboys beat Oregon in Week 2.

Starting with Mestemaker, the Cowboys’ quarterback threw for 389 yards and three touchdowns against the Mountaineers. He completed 10 passes of at least 20 yards and four of at least 40 yards. Mestemaker took the game over in the second half, throwing for 274 yards on just 14 attempts.

Wesloski tied a career-high with 17 tackles against the Mountaineers’ potent ground game. After the game, I asked him how one’s body feels after making 17 tackles in a game.

“Body’s gonna feel good tomorrow,” Wesloski said. “Waking up Sunday 1-0, it makes a lot of differences. Couldn’t have done it without my guys around me, allowed me to play free and fast, so credit to them, and credit to Coach Cass (defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity) for putting me in good position.”

Keltner went 4-for-4 on field-goal attempts in Morgantown, hitting from 30 yards, 19 yards, 29 yards and 47 yards. The SMU transfer is now 10-for-10 on the year, including being 5-for-5 from at least 30 yards out.

Not only did the OSU offensive line allow for Mestemaker’s big day, it also paved the way for the Cowboys to run for 220 yards, with the Cowboy offense finishing with 609 total yards. OSU ran for 5.4 yards a carry — bettering that of West Virginia’s 5.1 yards per carry. Cowboy running back Caleb Hawkins carried 31 times for 180 yards and a touchdown.

The Big 12 released its schedule for Week 6 (the weekend of Oct. 10), showing Oklahoma State’s game against UCF will kick at 11 a.m. on either ESPN or ESPN2. Here’s the Big 12’s full slate for that week:

Iowa State at BYU — 9:15 p.m. Friday on ESPN
UCF at Oklahoma State — 11 a.m. Saturday on ESPN/ESPN2
Arizona at West Virginia — 11 a.m. Saturday on TNT
Houston at Kansas State — 2:30 p.m. Saturday on FOX
Kansas at Utah — 9:15 p.m. Saturday on ESPN
Hawaii at Arizona State — 9:30 p.m. Saturday on FS1

The Cowboys technically haven’t kicked in the morning yet this season. They were supposed to against Oregon in Week 2, but a lightning delay saw that kick pushed back.

While the Cowboys are off this weekend, UCF is making a trip to Houston to play the No. 20 Cougars in a game that kicks at 11 a.m.

UCF is 3-1 this season after beating TCU 21-13 this past weekend in Orlando.

The Knights have been playing without starting quarterback Alonza Barnett III because of a hamstring injury. The timetable of his return is uncertain.

In his place, UCF has turned to FIU transfer Keyone Jenkins. The 6-foot, 200-pound senior has completed 30 passes for 288 yards, three touchdowns and a pick this season.

This game will mark UCF’s first trip to Stillwater, as OSU has made the trek to Orlando twice since the Knights joined the Big 12. Both of those games went UCF’s way. We all remember the 45-3 monsoon game after the final Bedlam, and then last season UCF beat OSU 17-14.

OSU Bullets

• The Pokes climbed into the AP Top 25 after the win over West Virginia (PFB)

• Drew Mestemaker’s Heisman odds are rising after the win (HCS)

• Loved these two excerpts from the “Ten Thoughts” article after Saturday’s win – what a fun time to be pulling for the Pokes:

“Midway through the second half, I had an epiphany that win or lose, watching this team play football is just head and shoulders more enjoyable than anything we were subjected to the past two seasons. The Cowboys are back to throwing it around the yard, scoring points and playing meaningful football.” [PFB]

• Jaylen Warren rushed for 127 and the Pittsburgh Steelers got back on track (CBS Sports) • This is more bullish than logical, but fun to see someone high on the Pokes:

NEW: College Football Playoff Bracketology via @AndyStaples🏆 Do you agree?🤔https://t.co/VRTkfO4pFR pic.twitter.com/vHCQJou9oh

— On3 (@On3) September 27, 2026

• Pokes all over these stat leader charts:

College Football’s Stat Leaders — Week 4 pic.twitter.com/Ek6DRX190Q

— Cody Nagel (@CodyNagel247) September 27, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

• Why you waste your evenings

• The Dallas Cowboys lost in a surprising way (seven seconds wasn’t enough)

Before Saturday night, the Cowboys’ last Big 12 win put them in the Big 12 title game.

Although Saturday’s win might’ve not carried those kind of consequences, after two long years, it might be just as important.

Oklahoma State beat West Virginia 41-24 on Saturday night in Morgantown. I already laid out 10 thoughts from the Milan Puskar Stadium press box, but having rewatched the game (on my flight home), here are three more things that stood out.

1. To the Left, to the Left

With the Mountaineers trying to defend the deep ball, the Cowboys were pounding the rock in the first half, particularly to the left side.

Per PFF, of Caleb Hawkins’ 180 yards, 105 came when he ran to the left of the center, and Hawkins averaged 5.5 yards a carry while rushing to that left side.

Hawkins obviously deserves credit for such a feat, but so do some of the guys creating the creases over there.

Shaun Torgeson played left tackle, and Johnny Dickson returned to left guard after filling in for Joseph Hanson on the right side for the past few weeks. Those two often had it blocked up pretty good, but when the Mountaineers would overpursue that side, Hawkins would coolly hit a cutback for just as good of yardage.

There was also at least one instance on an outside zone play early that Miles Coleman came flying in from the slot and boxed the linebacker to the inside long enough for Hawkins to race by.

2. Hawkins Had Some Strong Pass Pro Reps

What will go unnoticed in Hawkins’ fantastic day is that though he didn’t have a catch, the Cowboy running back contributed to the Cowboys’ pass game.

If it means anything to you, PFF graded Hawkins’ eight pass block snaps out at a 65.7, which was a notable improvement from what the service graded him against Tula (11.7) and Oregon (29.5).

But more than grades, Hawkins’ work in pass pro made an impact.

On a 3rd-and-9 late in the first half, West Virginia brought a blitz from the right side that Hawkins stepped into, giving Drew Mestemaker the extra time he needed to step up and hit Wyatt Young for a 21-yard gain. That play would help set up the Cowboys’ first touchdown of the night.

Then on a 2nd-and-5 late in the third quarter, Hawkins worked across Mestemaker to pick up a blitz coming from the left side, which gave Mestemaker the opportunity to hit Young for a 48-yard gain. Hawkins scored from 22 yards out on the next play.

So, yeah, Hawkins had no receiving yards in Morgantown, but he was still a key component to a few of OSU’s big passing plays.

3. Sam Keltner Has Rocked

I’ve been meaning to get Sam Keltner in thoughts, but with so much happening (especially compared to the past two seasons), it’s been difficult.

He was again a rock star on Saturday night and was so in front of a hostile crowd.

Keltner was 4-for-4 in Morgantown, hitting from 30, 19, 29 and 47.

The 47-yarder was the most impressive not only because of the distance but also because of the spot it came in.

OSU was leading 38-24 with just under three minutes to go. That’s obviously a good spot to be in if you’re the Cowboys, but had Keltner missed it, WVU would’ve taken over in decent field position down two scores.

But he made it, pushing it from a two-score game to a three-score game, essentially putting it on ice. That’s a big-time kick, especially on the road.

Keltner, an SMU transfer, is now 10-for-10 on the year, including 5-for-5 from 30+ yards and 2-for-2 from 40+ yards.

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Oklahoma State jumped into the AP poll at No. 19 after a demonstrative road win over West Virginia on Saturday night. The Cowboys were the fifth team out of the ranking in Week 3 with 50 votes. West Virginia had been the third team out receiving 93 last week.

The Cowboys were the first team out of the US LBM Coaches Poll, receiving 136 votes after receiving 36 a week ago.

Here’s a look at the full ranking.

The Cowboys have been outside the AP ranking since Sept. 29, 2024 (almost two years to the day) after dropping their second straight game to start Big 12 play. OSU started the 2024 season at No. 17 in the AP and rose as high as No. 13 after beating Arkansas before dropping to 20th.

Around the League

This means that five Big 12 teams are in the Top 25 with BYU leading the way at 10th, Texas Tech and Utah next at 12th and 13th, respectively, before OSU and Houston are paired up at 19th and 20th. The Cowboys still face two of those ranked opponents this year with a trip to Houston on Oct. 17 and then a home game versus Texas Tech Nov. 14.

Here’s how the conferences are represented.

SEC: 10
Big Ten: 6
Big 12: 5
ACC: 1
Independent: 1
G04: 2

Other Movement of in the Polls

Things always change once conference play gets going.

Ole Miss dropped from No. 4 to No. 9 after getting thumped by Florida 52-28. The Gators jumped from 21st to 8th. Texas A&M dropped from 23rd out of the ranking after the Aggies’ second loss, this one to LSU. The Tigers actually still dropped a spot to 11.

Oregon, which had dropped to 21st, dismantled No. 12 USC 41-27. The Ducks are back up to 15th. No. 13 Penn State fell out of the ranking after losing a close one to unranked Wisconsin. No. 16 Louisville also dropped out after losing to unranked Wake Forest.

Let’s take a look around the league at some notable results.

Bearcats > Wildcats

Probably the most surprising result in the league this weekend was Cincinnati handing Kansas State its first loss of the season while the Bearcats jumped to 4-0.

The Wildcats kicked a field goal early in the fourth quarter to cut Cincinnati’s lead to 24-20, but Scott Satterfield’s group responded with a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that drained 6:02 off the clock.

That led K-State to put together a 79-yard touchdown drive, but at that point, the clock was working against the Wildcats as there was just 2:11 to play.

The Wildcats still managed to force a three-and-out, but they got the ball back with just 51 seconds to play and couldn’t make it back down the field.

The Bearcats ran the ball for 271 yards against K-State with Gi’Bran Payne and Cole Tabb each running for north of 120.

Former Cowboy Rodney Fields Jr. scored two of K-State’s touchdowns.

Shorthanded Knights Best TCU

UCF is without quarterback Alonza Barnett III for multiple weeks with a hamstring injury, but that didn’t stop the Knights from getting in the Big 12 win column against the Horned Frogs.

UCF beat TCU 21-13, with Knight backup QB Keyone Jenkins going 19-for-20 for 160 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile Harvard transfer Jaden Craig threw for 310 yards for the Horned Frogs but threw no touchdowns and two picks.

Craig was given next to no support, as TCU finished with just 33 rushing yards, while the Knights sacked him four times.

Julian Lewis Benched in Colorado’s Road Loss in Waco

After an exciting win in Week 0, it hasn’t been a pretty stretch of football for Colorado.

The Buffaloes fell to Baylor 23-13 on Saturday in a game where CU benched starting quarterback Julian Lewis at halftime in favor of Isaac Wilson after the CU offense mustered only a field goal in the opening 30 minutes.

Baylor QB DJ Lagway threw for 221 yards, two touchdowns and a pick.

This game featured five field goals.

Full Week 4 Results

Texas Tech 49, Sam Houston 14
Utah 31, Iowa State 17
Houston 42, Georgia Southern 28
Baylor 23, Colorado 13
UCF 21, TCU 13
Oklahoma State 41, West Virginia 24
Cincinnati 31, Kansas State 26
Arizona 34, Washington State 24

Next Weekend’s Schedule

UCF at Houston — 11 a.m. Saturday on ESPN2
Middle Tennessee at Kansas — 11 a.m. Saturday on ESPNU
West Virginia at Iowa State — 11 a.m. Saturday on TNT
BYU at TCU — 6 p.m. Saturday on ESPN
Texas Tech at Colorado — 6:30 p.m. Saturday on FOX
Baylor at Arizona State — 9:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN
Cincinnati at Arizona — 10 p.m. Saturday on FOX

Big 12 Standings

MORGANTOWN, West Virginia — Drew Mestemaker said his favorite throw of Oklahoma State’s 41-24 win against West Virginia was his 52-yard bomb to Chris Barnes straight out of halftime.

And the architect of said play was none other than Mestemaker himself.

“They tried to come out and load the box, and kinda disrespecting Chris out there, putting him one-on-one press,” Mestemaker said. “So, I checked him a go ball, and that one fired me up pretty good.”

West Virginia’s first half gameplan seemed to be to take away the explosive pass plays, playing umbrella coverage and forcing the Cowboys to keep it on the ground.

It’s not a poor idea against a quarterback of Mestemaker’s caliber, but the issue was that the Cowboys ran for 135 yards on 6.1 yards a pop in the first half with that light box. So, when Mestemaker got out of the halftime locker room and noticed the Mountaineers’ gameplan had changed, he wasted no time exposing it.

After having four completions between 20 and 28 yards in the first half, Mestemaker had six pass plays of at least 27 yards in the second half. Four of those plays went for 40 or more.

Oklahoma State coach Eric Morris praised Mestemaker’s patience postgame in that he didn’t try to force things when the Mountaineers were clearly trying to take away the pass.

The Mestemaker-Morris tandem is seemingly starting to think with one mind.

“I feel like in this offense, I’m just so comfortable with what Coach Morris is gonna call and what he’s thinking,” Mestemaker said. “So, I can kind of feel when the big play is coming, too.”

As elite of a play-caller as Morris is, though, Mestemaker is comfortable switching stuff on his own at the line.

That check to the Barnes go-ball wasn’t the first time Mestemaker successfully made a check in this young season. In a sit down with Dave Hunziker last week, Morris said Mestemaker threw two touchdowns against Murray State on plays he changed at the line of scrimmage.

“I think Drew’s gotten us in and out of some bad things,” Morris told Hunziker. “Whenever I make a bad call, he’s been able to be the magic eraser back there. … Having his brain back there running the whole operation on offense, I think helps.”

It got to the point sometimes where it would drive the OSU fanbase crazy when Mike Gundy would say a quarterback needed to play about 15 games before things started slowing down for him. And all of the quarterbacks Gundy was talking about in those instances had some banked high school experience.

As has been highlighted many times, Mestemaker wasn’t his high school’s starting quarterback. Saturday’s game against West Virginia marked his 19th start at the position.

Through four games, Mestemaker is already at 1,271 passing yards this season. That’s a little more than 200 yards behind Zane Flores’ nine-game total from 2025.

As good as Mestemaker is right now, he’s only getting better.

“Maybe I would’ve checked it (last year),” Mestemaker said. “But, I just feel so confident in the offense right now that I feel like whenever I check those plays, I feel really good about making them.”

For most of the first half, it looked like Oklahoma State’s defenders had the worst seat to a one-on-one rushing competition between West Virginia running back Cam Cook and Mountaineers quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr.

Cook had 121 yards and averaged 8.6 yards per carry, while Hawkins Jr. had 62 and two touchdowns while averaging 4.8. Seventeen of their combined 27 first-half carries resulted in a touchdown, first down or gain of at least four yards.

“I thought early in the game, we weren’t great taking some angles on Hawkins, especially when we got down in the red area,” coach Eric Morris said. “We had linebackers and safeties, felt like we were in position. And he did what he does, and he made them miss, and he scored touchdowns. I thought we did a much better job of closing the gap and taking the space away.”

Hawkins Jr. averaged 2.9 yards a carry in the second half and added only 40 more rushing yards. Cook’s average also dipped considerably, down to 4.8, and he rushed for 72 in the second half.

Together, the duo picked up a first down, touchdown or a gain of at least four yards on only 13 of 29 carries as the Cowboys defense shut things down enough for Oklahoma State to take firm control in the team’s 41-24 victory.

“I think us going back to a little bit more of what we know and play a little faster and not think as much. … Just settling everybody down and doing something they’ve repped a million times,” Morris said when asked about second-half improvements. “And going out there and letting it loose and play extremely fast. I think it allowed us to play a lot more free as a defense and see it and play by the rules. That was a good adjustment by Coach (Skyler) Cassity.”

Morris said the Cowboys started the night off in a three-down front in an attempt to put an extra guy in space to help on the perimeter.

Linebacker Ethan Wesloski felt that decision helped in the second half even if the Cowboys didn’t execute as well early.

“We wanted to show them a new look,” Wesloski said. “And we continued to show that look sporadically throughout the game trying to keep them off rhythm, off their playbook. … We were able to settle in a little bit and play a little faster.”

Wesloski criticized his own play, mentioning there were at least five or six plays he left out on the field. He still left Morgantown with a game-high 17 tackles, seven of them solo, and a half sack.

“Those guys play a lot of football,” Morris said. “Between Ethan, and (Isaiah) Chisom and Tate Romney, I mean those guys are out there, and they’re fighting for one another. Proud of their performance in the second half.”

Romney finished second in tackles with 12 total, including six solo, a sack, two tackles for loss and a pass breakup. Chisom added seven total tackles, including three solo, to finish fifth among the Cowboys.

After giving up eight of 11 conversions on third down through the first half of the third quarter, Oklahoma State’s nation-leading defense finally showed up.

Nickel Christian Bodnar stopped Hawkins Jr. at the line of scrimmage on 3rd-and-4, forcing WVU to settle for a field goal. Then safety Quinton Hammonds and nose tackle Jerry Lawson stopped Hawkins Jr. on 3rd-and-1. This set up Keviyan Huddleston and Saadiq Clements to come up with a 2-yard tackle for loss on 4th-and-1 against WVU backup running back Amari Latimer in the final minute of the third quarter.

“The fourth-down stop was huge, right?” Morris said. “And I think, at that moment in the game, the crowd was still into it, and I thought that was where you could kind of see them deflate a little bit and our guys kind of go and take it at that point.”

Oklahoma State stopped the Mountaineers two more times on fourth down to seal the win. The plays came on somewhat manageable situations, 4th-and-5 and 4th-and-3, considering the Mountaineers ranked first nationally on fourth down (2-for-2) and 15th nationally on third down (53%) when the game began.

“Coach Cassity called a couple really key blitz, timed blitzes where we got them down,” Morris said. “Another big fourth-down stop where we hadn’t blitzed a ton, and he sent the house one time, and we were able to get them down and turned the ball over on downs.”

OSU Bullets

• The Cowboys got a big road win to start Big 12 play. You should start your debriefing, as always, with Marshall’s 10 Thoughts. [PFB]

• OSU’s new Big 3 put the Big 12 on notice. I loved this from Eric Morris on gaudy numbers.

“I don’t care if they have 200, we’re gonna call the plays that we think are gonna help us win the game. And those guys are a big part of it. I love those guys, and I don’t think they get mad at me for having those stats today.” [PFB]

• A crazy nugget.

Since Alan Bowman led Oklahoma State to a win against BYU on Nov. 25, 2023. six different Cowboys have started at quarterback… None have one a Big 12 game until Drew Mestemaker. [The Oklahoman]

• Lol. 

Hang it in the Louvre. pic.twitter.com/N8NJWSRCJ0

— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) September 27, 2026

• I’m here for all of this.

Drew Mestemaker said it was Eric Morris who decided to sing “Take Me Home Country Roads” in the locker room after the win:

“He said, they’re playing it if they win, but if we win, we’re playing it in the locker room.” pic.twitter.com/KMKxIfGEyX

— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) September 27, 2026

• More accolades for Carson Benge.

Carson Benge just became the 18th rookie in Major League history — and the first Met — to post a 20-20 season. It’s an impressive list, including names like names like Bobby Witt Jr., Mike Trout and Carlos Beltrán. pic.twitter.com/FMOrI3FpVL

— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) September 26, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

• Oh.

More than ever before, I am convinced:

Lincoln Riley will never fix his Defense problem

Brent Venables will never fix his Offense problem

— Cayden McFarland (@caydenmc) September 27, 2026

• Oof.

If you thought the John Mateer experience couldn’t get any worse…

It can pic.twitter.com/NN4Y1ysrg6 — Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 26, 2026

The Cowboys went on a country road trip and earned their first Big 12 win in nearly two years.

But even though Oklahoma State got the win, it wasn’t all pretty. I won’t belabor the negative after such a fun win, but there are a couple things to point out.

Let’s take a look at some superlatives from OSU’s comeback win over West Virginia starting with the most encouraging thing about this team.

The Good: The Cowboys’ Resiliency

It starts from the top down, but the one thing I can say about this group, is that through four games, they’ve not shown any sign of giving up. That’s a culture thing.

The Cowboys stumble in the red zone repeatedly. What happens? Drew Mestemaker rallies his troops on the sidelines. He throws a pick. Then the Cowboys rattle off five-straight scoring drives. The defense gets torched on the ground and on third downs in the first half. Then they find a way to get off the field and make Michael Hawkins look human. This has been the trend for the new-look OSU in 2026. I’ll take it.

The Bad: Red Zone Woes

OSU settled for field goals on three of the Cowboys’ trips to the red zone. It’s something Marshall mentioned in his 10 Thoughts, but it’s been a trend for OSU this season so far.

The Cowboys came in ranked 15th in score percentage in the Big 12 inside the 20-yard line. Even worse, they rank 122nd (and last in the league) with just 47% over those red zone trips ending in the end zone. That played out again on Saturday.

It’s not such a big deal if you can hit Wyatt Young for back-to-back 48-yard pass plays. But at some point, the Cowboys are going to need to reliably get six instead of three. So, I’m sure that will be at the top of Eric Morris’ whiteboard over the off week.

The Ugly: Season-High Penalties

It probably won’t make the drive-time radio banter since they survived it, but the Cowboys had a season-high nine penalties on Saturday. They came into the game with 11 total in three games. That’s too many and several were very avoidable and happened at inopportune times.

OSU had an illegal snap that turned a fourth-and-2 to a fourth-and-7, killing a chance to continue its first drive. They also had two false start penalties. One of those was on third-and-6, which made the Pokes settle for a field goal attempt to start the fourth quarter.

There was a hold on punt return that backed OSU up and then another on an illegal block in the back on another punt return. Those field position plays could really matter in a closer game.

Again, they survived them, but those are the types of things that can come back to bite you. Especially the avoidable ones.

You can check out the full album here.

Somewhere in the final five minutes of the game, Eric Morris got mad at one of his staffers on the sidelines.

The Cowboys were up between 14 and 17 points on then-unbeaten West Virginia, and the game looked all but done. You know the time, most coaches are at least thinking about breaking out into a grin at the very least.

“I actually got mad at one of our coaches because he said Wyatt (Young) and Caleb (Hawkins) were close to 200, maybe,” Morris said. “… I told him I didn’t care.

“I don’t care if they have 200, we’re gonna call the plays that we think are gonna help us win the game. And those guys are a big part of it. I love those guys, and I don’t think they get mad at me for having those stats today.”

Young finished with eight receptions for 192 yards and a touchdown in Oklahoma State’s 41-24 victory over the Mountaineers.

Hawkins rumbled his way to a 180-yard performance that saw him average 5.8 yards per carry and included a touchdown of his own.

As a team, the Cowboys finished with 609 yards of total offense, the most against a Big 12 opponent since 2021 and the most in a conference road game since 2018. It also marked the first time OSU put up 500-plus yards of total offense in three consecutive games since the beginning of 2019.

The best part of it for OSU fans just might be that none of these numbers mean a thing to the mastermind behind all the fireworks.

“I’m so over numbers right now,” Morris said. “… I’m so happy to walk out of this thing with a victory and get on the plane and celebrate with these guys and hopefully take a nap. But yeah, we’ve had explosive offenses for a long time.”

Been there, done that, and that attitude is exactly why Morris got the job. Speaking of which, since his announcement, three names dominated the discussion surrounding Cowboy football.

Hawkins, Young and quarterback Drew Mestemaker.

“They came from nothing, really,” Morris said. “All those guys had one offer or no offers out of high school, and they’ve earned everything that they’ve gotten.

“In this world of portal and NIL and all the cool things that they’ve earned over the course of time, they still have the mentality like they have nothing and they’re going to earn something and prove something every day.”

According to 247Sports records, Young was the only member of the trio with a scholarship offer anywhere besides UNT, which Mestemaker didn’t even get, but even the receiver had only one to a power conference school (Arizona).

All three were heroes against Oregon two weeks ago, combining for 340 yards from scrimmage (rushing and receiving) and three touchdowns (not counting passing touchdowns) in the upset of the then-No. 6 Ducks.

On Saturday night in Morgantown, West Virginia, that trio might as well have burned their tapes against Oregon up along with every couch within five miles of the stadium. They were just that good.

Not to be outdone by the other two, Mestemaker finished 20-of-27 (74%) for 389 yards and three touchdowns and one pick in a game that saw him hit 7-of-9 throws traveling at least 15 yards through the air.

Four of those throws came in a five-pass sequence that immediately followed Mestemaker’s interception, and the only pass attempt that interrupted the chain of dominance over WVU’s secondary was a 4-yard touchdown pass.

“His response was phenomenal,” Morris said. “He was great in the huddle, and I talked to him on the sideline. Sometimes quarterbacks with what we do offensively get a little bit impatient when the defense comes out and they play an umbrella defense. Where I say this is what they’re giving us, we’re going to have to commit to the run and continue to do that and get these safeties up in the fits. So, (he) handled the whole game like a professional. Like, Drew is going to play football for a long time.”

Mestemaker said the last 2-plus years with Morris helped him sense when those big-time play calls would come. Until Morris gave them, Mestemaker was content to watch his running back run all over the Mountaineers.

“At the beginning of the game they were kind of scared of our speed and playing back and giving us those light boxes,” Mestemaker said. “And you know, whenever you got a guy like Caleb, we’ll take those light boxes all day, keep running it. And then you know once they get tired of Caleb, you know running all over them and come down and start to be greedy, that’s whenever we hit them over the top.”

Which is pretty much exactly what happened. Mestemaker only had 115 passing yards in the first half, and Young’s second-half bump was even more impressive as the nearly 200-yard receiver only had three receptions for 22 yards when OSU headed into the locker room down one point.

Mestemaker, Hawkins, Young, with Morris at the controls, it all clicks together like one big puzzle. Even on a night when OSU’s other weapons were relegated to extremely efficient supporting roles, West Virginia showed it was no match for the trio that headlined UNT’s blistering offense last season.

“Wyatt has great ball skills,” Morris said. “He’s able to adjust to balls in the air as good as anybody I’ve every coached. Some of those deep posts, he does an incredible job with his body control and placing himself in front of the DB, which is hard to do 55, 60 yards down the field and be able to catch that thing.

“That’s the way this offense works.”

Good luck to the Big 12 defensive coordinators tasked with stopping it. If Saturday night is any indication, they’ll need it.

MORGANTOWN, West Virginia — The contingent of players that made the journey up I-35 from North Texas to Oklahoma State this offseason have played a lot of good football, but they did something Saturday night that they didn’t necessarily have to do a ton of in Denton — play in an overly hostile environment.

Oklahoma State beat West Virginia 41-24 on Saturday night in front of a crowd of 57,756 at Milan Puskar Stadium. The biggest road crowd North Texas faced last season was less than half of that — 28,446 at Army.

“Most hostile, for sure,” OSU quarterback Drew Mestemaker said. “Whenever you win in a game like that and whenever you make those big plays and everything goes quiet, it feels good running down the field. That was definitely the best away game environment I’ve ever played in.”

Mestemaker made plenty of crowd-silencing plays, with 10 passing plays of at least 20 yards, including four of at least 40 yards.

I’m not sure anyone enjoyed playing in enemy territory more than the guy who was on the end of a lot of those big plays: Wyatt Young.

Young had eight catches for 192 yards and a touchdown, and he wasn’t afraid to let defensive backs or fans know just how well he was playing.

“I love away games,” Young said. “Don’t get me wrong, I love playing at Boone Pickens, of course. There’s no other stadium like it, but playing in a road, hostile environment definitely gets the juices flowing, for sure.”

The Cowboys have played in front of loud crowds in Boone Pickens Stadium in recent weeks, but it’s been loud when the OSU defense was on the field. It was flipped in Morgantown.

Rather than trying to juice up a crowd, Ethan Wesloski made 17 tackles in front of a fanbase trying to will its offense forward.

Winning this game was obviously a big step for the program at large, but it was also a big feather in the cap of a group of guys who hadn’t necessarily been tested in a Power Conference road environment.

“It was awesome,” Wesloski said. “I think I was telling (Harrison) Dempsey on the sideline, I said, ‘Man, this is probably my favorite away game so far.’ The energy there, we knew it was gonna be a loud environment, we knew it was gonna be awesome, so to go in there and to take someone’s will, take someone’s soul was awesome for us. Gives us a lot of confidence going to Week 2 of conference.”

MORGANTOWN, West Virginia — After a two-year slumber, it’s feeling more and more like Cowboy football is back.

Oklahoma State beat West Virginia 41-24 on Saturday night in Morgantown, with the Cowboys picking up their first Big 12 win of the season (and of the past 1,000-plus days).

Here are 10 Thoughts on the game.

1. Mestemaker, OSU Offense Explode in Second Half

The Cowboys had a fine first half offensively, but Drew Mestemaker came out slinging in the second.

Of his 389 passing yards, 274 came in the second half.

The Cowboys looked like they were at a WVU tailgate taking shot after shot in the final 30 minutes, with Mestemaker completing six passes of at least 27 yards in the second half alone.

Eric Morris praised Mestemaker’s patience in the first half, as the Mountaineers were playing a little umbrella coverage, leading to Caleb Hawkins getting rolling (which we’re about to get to). But then from the jump in the second half, Mestemaker was out for blood.

On OSU’s first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, Mestemaker checked to a go-ball to Chris Barnes for a 52-yard gain, and he’d go on to complete three more passes of at least 40 yards in the half.

He’s an incredible quarterback. I’m not ready to start ranking OSU’s QBs after four games, but it’s him, Brandon Weeden and Mason Rudolph in some order — it just is.

2. Caleb Hawkins Feasted

We came into this game talking about the WVU run game. Although that was potent on Saturday night, so was Caleb Hawkins.

The Cowboys’ star back ran for a season-high 180 yards and a touchdown on 31 carries. I’m excited to see the PFF breakdown, but it seemed like Hawkins particularly had success running to the left.

His innate ability to fall forward needs to be studied because it seemingly gets him an extra two or three yards on every run,

He runs similarly to Ollie Gordon, but it looks quite a bit different (no offense to Hawkins, but Gordon is a physical specimen). Both guys are patient until its time to plant your foot in the ground and go north and south, and then it can get violent from then on.

This was a season breakout game for a handful of guys, with Hawkins chief among them.

3. Wyatt Young Is a Dawg

Wyatt Young was again massive for the Cowboys, and he’s got an attitude to him.

He caught eight passes on Saturday, and after seemingly every one of them, he let whichever Mountaineer that was guarding him know about it. Those catches went for 192 yards and a Moss of a touchdown to put the Cowboys up by two scores late.

Just absolutely slingin’ it rn

📺: FS1 pic.twitter.com/ak2i7HBLLH

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) September 27, 2026

This is an elite receiving unit, as through four games it feels like it goes back and forth between Young and Justin Bowick as to whom is the Cowboys’ best receiver. And if one of those two are your best guys, then Chris Barnes, Terrence Lewis and Miles Coleman are elite depth options.

4. The Cowboys Defense Locked in During the Second Half

The first half was probably the roughest stretch of football the Cowboy defense has had this season, but the second half might’ve been its best.

The Mountaineers technically gained more yards in the second, gaining 229 in the first and 237 in the second, but the Cowboys held WVU to only 10 second.

The unit made two game-defining plays, one in each half.

The first was Mose Phillips’ interception off a tip when the Mountaineers were driving deep into OSU territory. WVU had a 14-6 lead at the time, but Phillips returned that INT 30 yards the other direction to set up the touchdown that made it 14-13 going into the half, a huge swing.

The big play in the second half was OSU’s fourth-down stop late in the third quarter.

The Cowboys had a 28-24 lead at the time, and WVU had a 4th-and-1 on the OSU 40-yard line. The Mountaineers didn’t have much trouble picking up a yard on the ground all night, but the defense bowed up then and got the big stop, setting up the field goal that made it 31-24.

5. Have A Day, Ethan Wesloski

The Cowboys’ defense has been good through three games, but there hadn’t necessarily been a breakout individual performance … until Saturday night.

In a game where OSU’s linebackers needed to show out with the rushing attack of the Mountaineers, Wesloski made 17 tackles, tying a career-high.

It’s a game where you knew OSU’s linebackers needed to have a big day against that rushing attack, and Wesloski answered the challenge.

But he wasn’t the only one. Tate Romney (12), Quinton Hammonds (12) and Phillips (11) all reached double-digit tackles.

6. The Third-Down Stats Took a Hit

When we wake up Sunday morning, the Cowboys will no longer have the best third-down defense in the country, as the Mountaineers converted 9-for-17.

That was, to an extent, expected given West Virginia’s offensive philosophy, as eight of the Mountaineers’ third-down attempts came with 4 or fewer yards to gain. WVU set up third down with positive first and second downs.

Like everything on Saturday, OSU’s defense got better in the second half, where WVU was 4-for-9 on third. But if the Cowboys want to get back to being the third-down champs, they’ll have to climb a bit back up the ladder.

7. Inside the 5

The Cowboys’ short-yardage offense has been put under a microscope early this season.

They got inside the WVU 5-yard line twice on Saturday, settling for a field goal on the first occasion and getting in the end zone on the second.

The touchdown, like last week, came on some horizontal movement, with Mestemaker throwing a ball out to Terrence Lewis for his second touchdown in as many weeks. He also converted a 2-point attempt immediately following.

fight through contact 💪

got ourselves a tie game

📺: FS1 pic.twitter.com/GT5ZJjwb0R

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) September 27, 2026

It’s a little worrying the Cowboys haven’t been able to just push a team into the end zone consistently, but the other guys get paid, too. It was something Morris harped on in his postgame again.

Thus far this season, the Cowboys are averaging 4 points (not including PATs) on their nine trips inside the 5-yard line. That’s four touchdowns, four field goals and one fourth-down stop (the first drive of the season). If this team is going to have the ceiling it wants to have, that’s still going to need to get cleaned up a bit.

8. West Virginia Is a Fun Team

Michael Hawkins is like water.

There were times you were just certain the Cowboys had him, and he slipped out of a tackle or nimbly got to the corner.

It’s what makes college football better than the NFL, in my opinion, that a style like this is still functional.

The Mountaineers’ unique style of play is going to give some teams some issues this season. They might not win every game, but tuning into WVU will be a fun watch all season.

9. Another Gross Streak Comes to an End

The Cowboys’ conference losing streak could legally vote (in games, not years, though it felt like years), but at last, that streak is over.

It had been 1,037 days since Oklahoma State had won a Big 12 game, a number Morris couldn’t help but chuckle at when he heard it in the postgame.

And there have been brutal losses and brutal football played in that stretch. If you’re reading this, congratulations on making it to the other side because …

10. Football Is Fun Again

Midway through the second half, I had an epiphany that win or lose, watching this team play football is just head and shoulders more enjoyable than anything we were subjected to the past two seasons.

For the first time in a long time, it felt like this Big 12 game actually meant something rather than being the means to an end of a season.

The Cowboys are back to throwing it around the yard, scoring points and playing meaningful football. And after the past two seasons, I refuse to take that for granted again.

Let’s take a look through the timeline and see what fans, former Cowboys and talking heads had to say during and after the win.

The ESPN GameDay crew unanimously predicted the Pokes to fall in Morgantown. They were just asking for this.

.@OldTakesExposed pic.twitter.com/Imx9m1jwSt

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) September 27, 2026

Nice job boys, fading the Cowboys h/t @PistolRick pic.twitter.com/az8eAEvouT

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) September 27, 2026

I took Pete and his enormous melon. They’re good.

— Scott Van Pelt (@notthefakeSVP) September 27, 2026

Post the College Gameday screenshot @CowboyFB

— Clint Chelf (@Cchelf10) September 27, 2026

How are you doing? @PatMcAfeeShow 😂🍊

— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) September 27, 2026

https://t.co/TpTZ4IxjBI pic.twitter.com/hYnFvr2E1m

— Adam Lunt (@AdamLunt817) September 27, 2026

Oklahoma State becoming very scary. https://t.co/rk8hgjdxQC

— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) September 27, 2026

Vintage Oklahoma State football is back. pic.twitter.com/ivIOuUC7tU

— Carson Cunningham (@Carson_OKC) September 27, 2026

The offense absolutely lit up this WV defense but what Coach Cassity and this defensive staff have done this 2H is superb.

— Clint Chelf (@Cchelf10) September 27, 2026

The Caleb Hawkins dance
In my khaki pants
There’s nothing better…
Do you like my sweater pic.twitter.com/SRZvRXjqLx

— Southwell (@JustinSouthwell) September 27, 2026

Wyatt Young is the Justin Blackmons of Dillon Stoners

— Matt Altick (@MattAltick) September 27, 2026

@CowboyFB 👍🏾👍🏾💪🏾💪🏾 Nice Win

— Thurman Thomas (@thurmanthomas) September 27, 2026

How it feels to be back pic.twitter.com/yvovPYuMn3

— Southwell (@JustinSouthwell) September 27, 2026

Loyal and True

— Doug Gottlieb (@GottliebShow) September 27, 2026

If you listen closely, you can hear the #OkState players singing Country Roads in the postgame locker room. pic.twitter.com/SkBVNelefA

— Eric Bailey (@EricBaileyTW) September 27, 2026

Man whoever coached John Mateer at Wazzu to play out of his mind just to transfer to OU and shit the bed and ruin their season from within is a GENIUS.

*checks notes*… pic.twitter.com/6JuvyWLj6O

— 𝑰𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝑶𝒌𝒍𝒂𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒂 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒆 (@InsideOKST) September 26, 2026

Oklahoma State looked ready to get run over by West Virginia’s stout run game, but the Cowboys took advantage of a major momentum swing and never looked back, defeating West Virginia 41-24 in Morgantown.

After digging an early hole, the Pokes’ defense found a way to contain West Virginia’s stout run game and Drew Mestemaker and Co. finished the game on five-straight scoring drives.

It was a strength-on-strength battle of the QBs. Mestemaker went 20-for-27 for 389 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. He completed 10 passes of at least 20 yards. West Virginia’s Michael Hawkins Jr. came in leading all FBS quarterbacks in rushing. He carried it 27 times for 102 yards and three rushing TDs.

The Mountaineers hit the ground running, just like everyone expected. It says something when the other team knows exactly what you want to do, and you can do it anyway. It says even more when the other team can adjust in a hostile environment and make that team one-dimensional.

The Mountaineers outrushed the Cowboys 131-84 in the first quarter. They were up 14-3 early in the second quarter. That’s when the Cowboys’ defense made a big play and the tide started to turn.

West Virginia was threatening to go up 21-6 late in the second quarter when OSU defensive end Keviyan Huddleston batted a pass by Michael Hawkins Jr. and Cowboy safety Mose Phillips III plucked it from the air and returned it 30 yards. A few plays later, Mestemaker found receiver Justin Bowick for a 21-yard touchdown to make it 14-13.

The Cowboys came out of halftime hitting big play after big play down the field, but that momentum was stolen when Mestemaker threw a pick in the red zone. Seven players later, Michael Hawkins Jr. walked in for his third rushing TD of the game to make it 21-13.

But just like he did against Oregon, Mestemaker walked out on the field after throwing a pick with his memory wiped clean. He led OSU on a four-play, 75-yard TD drive. He went 3-for-3 and then found receiver Terrence Lewis for a score and then hit him again for the two-point conversion to tie it up at 21-all early in the third quarter.

The Cowboys came in tied for first in the nation in third-down defense, but the Mountaineers got most of what they wanted on the money down early. WVU was 5-of-8 on third down in the first half and finished 9-of-17. But the Cowboys clamped down when they needed to and got three fourth-down stops in the second half.

OSU got another big stop thanks to a big-time play for Christian Bodnar to stop Hawkins on third-and-goal from the five. WVU had to settle for a field goal and went up 24-21.

The Cowboys answered quickly. Mestemaker found receiver Wyatt Young for a 48-yard strike across the middle and then Caleb Hawkins capped the drive with a 22-yard touchdown to go up 28-24. The Pokes had their first lead of the game with 2:40 to go in the third.

Once again, the Cowboys’ offense took advantage of a defensive momentum play.

After taking that 28-24 lead, OSU created a turnover on downs. The next play, Mestemaker found Young for ANOTHER 48-yard reception to get to WVU’s 35-yard line. The Cowboys stalled in the red zone after a false start and settled for a field goal to go up a full touchdown 31-24 with 13:58 to go.

Then early in the fourth, defensive end Malik Charles sacked Hawkins for a loss of eight on third down to force the Mountaineers to punt and give OSU the ball up seven with 10 minutes to go. Then it was the Cowboys’ run game that took over.

Every previous OSU drive in the second half had been under two minutes. This time the Pokes slowed it down and took 4:27 to score a TD and go up 38-24 with 5:42 to go. The Cowboys got another big stop, sacking Hawkins on fourth-and-5 to effectively seal it.

OSU kicker Sam Keltner is perfect on the year and was a perfect 4-for-4 on the day, capping it with a 47-yard field goal to push OSU’s lead to 41-24.

Running back Caleb Hawkins was the workhorse that let the Cowboys take control. He took 31 handoffs for 180 yards and a score. He had seven runs on first down that went for at least seven yards. That just takes the soul out of a defense.

Wyatt Young continues to be the Cowboys go-to playmaker. He finished with eight catches on nine targets for 192 yards and a score. He had consecutive receptions of 21, 40, 48, 48 and 28 yards.

Four Cowboys had double digit tackle numbers. Ethan Wesloski was all over the place with 16 tackles (seven solo) and a 0.5 sack. Tate Romney and Quinton Hammonds each had a dozen takedowns. Mose Phillips had 11 plus an interception.

With the win, OSU improves to 3-1 and 1-0 in Big 12 play. Next up, the Cowboys head into an early bye week on a positive note. They’ll return home to host UCF Saturday Oct. 10.

The Cowboys went from potentially going down 21-6 on the road, to pulling within 14-13.

Red zone weapon

📺: FS1 pic.twitter.com/wZmwtrCbVJ

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) September 27, 2026

The Cowboys have found themselves in a slugfest in Morgantown, but they hit on a nice momentum play late in the first half.

West Virginia quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. was in the red zone, threatening to pick up his third TD of the game when OSU defensive end Keviyan Huddleston got two mitts on the ball and then safety Mose Phillips III picked it off and returned it for 30 yards.

TIP DRILL 🚨 pic.twitter.com/Txyq9Ed1fW

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) September 27, 2026

To get things started, Desmond Howard said he likes “what Rich Rod is doing in Morgantown” and is picking West Virginia “in a close one.”

Nick Saban claimed ball control as a reason he picked the Mountaineers.

It was no surprise that WVU alum Pat McAfee went against the Pokes. He lauded a great atmosphere in Morgantown at night and called for his team to get “a monumental Big 12 unranked win.”

Celebrity guest picker Johnny Knoxville might have been the closest to picking the Pokes. “I may think that Oklahoma State is going to win but half my family is from West Virginia.”

Kirk Herbstreit brought it home with a clean sweep. He thinks the Mountaineers are just more physical. “I’m nervous. I’m worried for [OSU].” Herbie says he’s still unsure if OSU has a complete team.

The Cowboys and Mountaineers will duke out at 6 p.m. CST in Morgantown.

Three Thoughts

• ESPN’s Bill Connelly calls OSU-WVU one of “Saturday’s most aesthetically pleasing games” and points out how these two teams have the most credibility based on wins outside of the conference.

• It’s reasonable to assume the Cowboy offense gets even better with their best pass-catching tight end and a starting guard back, right? (PFB)

• If this isn’t “loyal and true” personified, I don’t know what is.

One year after the firing of Mike Gundy, and after the Cowboy program had become a rock-bottom punching bag, Oklahoma State officially is sold out on all 2026 football tickets. [TulsaWorld]

Everything gets better when a program is strong at the QB position, and (Drew) Mestemaker is OSU’s best quarterback since Mason Rudolph. [TulsaWorld]

Two Quotes

• Gosh I love the passion West Virginia fans have for college football. 

The old rowdy Mountaineer fans are back. https://t.co/JkxjT0ARtO

— Christopher Lambert (@CFB_Signals) September 25, 2026

• Pokes really do lead the way in ranked wins – one of the few with a winning record against ranked teams. 

What a cherry picked stat. How is that relevant?

By this chart, Utah and BYU look identical.

So I counted every win over a team that was ranked when you actually played them, since 2010.

Utah: 20 (T-25 nationally)
BYU: 13 (44th)

Big 12 fans, find your team 👇 https://t.co/o5IWpo9G0t pic.twitter.com/heep6kYXQu

— Top Tier Utah (@TopTierUtes) September 25, 2026

One Question

• Will O

Non-OSU Bullets

• The new John Madden movie looks amazing • Solid (faith-based) take from John Piper on facing temptation

Got any favorites on the NYT list of top TV shows? Big FNL fan over here.

The New York Times ha finalizado su lista de las mejores series del siglo. Breaking Bad tomó el primer puesto. pic.twitter.com/Ci6Xn7wU3L

— Miguel Araiza (@miguelaraizac) September 25, 2026

Tyler Waldrep: To start off our conversation today, I wanted to know which side of the ball y’all think Oklahoma State is better on? Because as much as I like what Drew can be/has done, the defense has played really well through three games.

Kyle Cox: That is tough. I think a case could be more for either, but I’ll go with the angle that the offense has the potential to be the better of the two. I think I saw enough good things up front against Oregon (and with them getting some pieces back) to say the offense will end up being the strength of this team. Just too many playmakers.

Marshall Scott: I think right now, I’m still going to lean offense. Sort of seems like justification for early polls in that because I thought OSU’s offense would be better coming into the year, I still think that now. But we’re one or two weeks away from enough of a sample size being met for it to become a conversation. But I think at the top end of what’s possible, I still lean offense right now.

Tyler: I maintain that Drew Mestemaker looks like a guy who can and will get a legit NFL shot and the receivers and Caleb Hawkins have played well, but I think the defense has impressed me more through three games and it’s not particularly close.

That side ranks No. 1 on third down and has suffocated all three opponents. Success against Oregon on fourth down impressed me too. I think LaDainian Fields and Mose Phillips have looked absolutely dynamic at times already. Both Ethan Wesloski and Tate Romney seem to do a good job reacting and positioning well in the open field to limit explosive plays.

Plus, if I’m being honest. I worry that Oklahoma State’s offensive line has a few more “Tulsa’s” in it this year and I think that could prove to cripple the offense a bit while I haven’t yet seen a clear Kryptonite for the defense yet.

Marshall: I think the offensive line is a fair concern. But I’ve spent my entire adult life worried about OSU’s offensive line, and there have still been plenty of good offenses in that time (just not the past two years).

Tyler: That’s fair, it’s possible I’m still suffering from the underachieving 2024 group (which also absolutely stunk on third down defense).

In the press box last week, Marshall warned me I might have to fight Wyatt Young just for asking this question. Who is Oklahoma State’s No. 1 WR (not by talent just who is the focal point)?

Kyle: I think I will still go with Wyatt Young since he’s got the history of playmaking and the consistency. Maybe Bowick is the freak, but Young is a first-down machine and I think he’s going to be Target numero uno until proven otherwise.

Marshall: Having thought about it a little more, I think I’m willing to say that it’ll average out to being Justin Bowick, but sort of like Eric Morris mentioned on Tuesday, I think it could be one of four or five guys week-to-week among Bowick, Young, Barnes, Lewis and Coleman. Whenever a team decides it’s going to try to take away Bowick, I think another one of those guys has a big day. But it is seeming more obvious that the 6-foot-5 guy that teammates and coaches say runs a 4.3 is quite the weapon.

Tyler: I was a Chris Barnes guy in the preseason. Game 1, he had a miscommunication or he might have finished as the top guy that day. Game 2 he gets hurt causing him to miss Game 3… I might regret bailing on him now, but Justin Bowick’s big game against Murray State wasn’t a fluke. He is the guy Drew is looking for first and that’s even more so true in the red zone.

Marshall: I just know Barnes is going to go nuclear at some point and our preseason hype will be justified.

Tyler: I agree with Marshall (who is sort of agreeing with Morris) that there will probably be games where all of those guys top 100 yards with at least five catches and one or two touchdowns.

Tyler: Despite Texas Tech’s slow start, I’d still have that as the hardest game left. Based solely on how they played Tech, Houston has a great case to be second and Arizona State played Texas A&M closer than the score reflects.

But I think I’m going to put West Virginia second. I think Morgantown is going to be nuts and the Mountaineers have every reason to show up confident after beating a barely ranked (but still counts) Virginia last week. I also think even though the offensive line is getting guys off the injury report, that group might actually be healthier for the other tough games of the season than it is right now.

My list is probably Texas Tech then at West Virginia then at Arizona State (mostly where it falls on schedule and my respect for Kenny Dillingham) with Houston fourth for me.

Marshall: I thought Houston looked quite good in Lubbock last week. Did everything but win the game.

Tyler: Agreed. If Texas Tech had looked better so far, that would probably be second. Also, this could be the bias of growing up in Alabama showing, but even people in the south talked about how tough Morgantown could be when those folks believed. I’ve never heard anyone talk about how tough it is to play at Houston.

Since I’ll make that trip, I hope I’m wrong and that place is tearing itself apart for what might be a Top 25 showdown if OSU wins this weekend.

We’re not even fully into Big 12 play yet, and parity is already reigning supreme in the league.

Here are my Big 12 Power Rankings heading into Week 4 of the 2026 college football season.

1. BYU (+1)

Record: 3-0
Week 3 Result: W, 41-23 at Colorado State
Week 4 Matchup: Bye

The Cougars were sort of on upset alert headed to what had been a good Colorado State squad, but BYU took care of business and makes its first appearance in the No. 1 spot of our rankings.

2. Texas Tech (+1)

Record: 3-0
Week 3 Result: W, 28-26 vs. Houston
Week 4 Matchup: vs. Sam Houston

Following their win against Houston, I pondered moving Texas Tech back up to the top spot and leaving the Red Raiders at No. 3, where they were last week. In the end, I split the difference.

It was a dreadful start to the game for Texas Tech, but as the game went on, quarterback Will Hammond looked better and better as Tech found a way.

With all that being said, Tech still doesn’t appear to be the dominant force it was last season.

3. Utah (-2)

Record: 3-0
Week 3 Result: W, 33-0 vs. Utah State
Week 4 Matchup: at Iowa State

The margins are thin up here with there not being a ton of games played yet, so it feels gross dropped Utah two spots after beating a team 33-0. But that says more about the wins from BYU and Tech.

4. Houston

Record: 2-1
Week 3 Result: L, 28-26 at Texas Tech
Week 4 Matchup: at Georgia Southern

Given it’s effort in Lubbock, Houston remains in the No. 4 spot and is the highest-ranked team with a loss in these here power rankings.

Conner Weigman was probably the MVP of that game against Tech despite the loss. If he keeps playing like that, the Cougars will be in contention for the league come the end of the season.

5. West Virginia (+7)

Record: 3-0
Week 3 Result: W, 38-27 vs. Virginia
Week 4 Matchup: vs. Oklahoma State

The biggest risers of the week, the Mountaineers went to a neutral site and took it to what was a ranked Virginia squad.

Stylistically, this team is unlike anything else in the Big 12, as quarterback Michael Hawkins and running back Cam Cook are each in the Top 4 in the league in rushing yards.

6. Kansas State (-1)

Record: 3-0
Week 3 Result: W, 31-20 vs. Tulane
Week 4 Matchup: at Cincinnati

Despite remaining unbeaten, the Wildcats slide one spot given West Virginia has a better win. The Wildcats have looked good this season but haven’t ran into a big test quite yet. Their trip to Cincy should be a fun one.

7. Oklahoma State

Record: 2-1
Week 3 Result: W, 59-0 vs. Murray State
Week 4 Matchup: at West Vriginia

The Cowboys remain the most difficult team to rank because what do you do with a team that has a three-game sample size that includes a loss to Tulsa and a win against Oregon?

I have OSU clumped with the Arizona schools, as all are 2-1, but I’m giving the Cowboys the nod for now because they have the best win.

8. Arizona State (-2)

Record: 2-1
Week 3 Result: W, 24-17 vs. Kansas
Week 4 Matchup: Bye

It wasn’t the prettiest of games, but the Sun Devils went across the pond and got home with a win, which isn’t always the easiest thing to do.

9. Arizona (-1)

Record: 2-1
Week 3 Result: W, 42-17 vs. Northern Illinois
Week 4 Matchup: at Washington State

Arizona is a hard team to place because the Wildcats have played one team with a pulse in BYU. They lost that game, but it was a tight contest in Provo. This week’s trip to Washington State will give Arizona a common opponent with Texas Tech and Houston.

10. Baylor

Record: 2-1
Week 3 Result: W, 36-19 vs. Louisiana Tech
Week 4 Matchup: vs. Colorado

The Bears’ win against Louisiana Tech was nothing to write home about, and their loss to Auburn took a bit of a hit this past weekend when the Tigers fell to Florida. For now, the Bears maintain the No. 10 spot because of how tight that Auburn game was, but that close-loss credit won’t last forever.

11. Cincinnati (-2)

Record: 3-0
Week 3 Result: W, 35-31 vs. Miami (OH)
Week 4 Matchup: vs. Kansas State

Cincy took the scenic route to 3-0, trialing Miami (OH) by 21 points at halftime before coming back and winning that game. The Bearcats have a real shot and climbing this ranking this weekend when K-State comes to town.

12. TCU (+3)

Record: 2-1
Week 3 Result: W, 31-7 vs. Arkansas State
Week 4 Matchup: at UCF

After publicly laying an egg against North Carolina to start the year, TCU has done just about all you could ask in games against Grambling and Arkansas State. Jaden Craig leads the conference in passing yards, and we’ll learn something about these Horned Frogs as they hop down to Orlando.

13. Iowa State (+3)

Record: 2-1
Week 3 Result: W, 55-7 vs. Bowling Green
Week 4 Matchup: vs. Utah

After an emotional loss in the Cy-Hawk game, the Cyclones came back and thumped Bowling Green last weekend. We’ll find out just how good Iowa State is this week when Utah comes to town.

14. UCF (-1)

Record: 2-1
Week 3 Result: W, 44-30 vs. Georgia State
Week 4 Matchup: vs. TCU

Georgia State didn’t go quietly into the night last week, but UCF managed to rebound from scoring 7 points on a rainy day in Pittsburgh to putting up 44 this past weekend.

This game against TCU this weekend could be big for either teams’ attempt at bowl eligibility.

15. Kansas (-1)

Record: 1-2
Week 3 Result: L, 24-17 vs. Arizona State
Week 4 Matchup: Bye

The Jayhawks have played two Power Conference teams relatively close the past two weekends but won neither of those games. They get an opportunity to regroup before hosting Middle Tennessee State next week.

16. Colorado (-5)

Record: 2-1
Week 3 Result: L, 41-7 vs. Northwestern
Week 4 Matchup: at Baylor

Last week was a less-than-ideal one to be a Buffalo. CU got hammered by Northwestern, and Coach Prime dismissed several players in the fallout. The Buffaloes have to manage that while traveling to Waco.

For what feels like the first time in some time, the Cowboys are set to play a meaningful Big 12 game on Saturday.

Oklahoma State heads to Morgantown for a game against unbeaten West Virginia. Before the game gets kicked off, here are some stats, TV info and more about the matchup.

Viewing Info

Time: 6 p.m. (Central) Saturday
Location: Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia
Watch: FS1 (Eric Collins and Spencer Tillman)

Betting Info (via FanDuel)

Spread: West Virginia -1.5
Over/under: 61.5
OSU money line: +105

Team Stats

Statistical Leaders

Passing:
OSU — Drew Mestemaker — 75-for-114 (66%)/882 yards/8 touchdowns/4 interceptions
WVU — Michael Hawkins Jr. — 26-for-38 (68%)/477  yards/5 touchdowns/0 interceptions

Rushing:
OSU — Caleb Hawkins — 52 carries/261 yards/1 touchdown
WVU— Michael Hawkins Jr. — 44 carries/322 yards/6 touchdowns

Receiving:
OSU — Justin Bowick — 16 catches/281 yards/3 touchdowns
WVU — DJ Epps — 8 catches/240 yards/3 touchdowns

Tackling:
OSU — Ethan Wesloski — 19 total tackles
WVU — Isaiah Patterson — 26 total tackles

Sacks:
OSU — Malik Charles, Keviyan Huddleston and Jaleel Johnson — 1 sack each
WVU — Ashton Woods — 2 sacks

Series History (OSU Leads 10-6)

Further Reading

Predicting OSU’s trip to Morgantown
Three things to know about the matchup
Uniforms unveiled
Hanson, Hammond set to return
How Mose Phillips is making an impact
OSU’s defense has been elite on third down
Best OSU receiver room since 2017?
Three things WVU coach Rich Rodriguez said
OSU DT Enai White on his first start
‘Tough and gritty” Miles Coleman
What makes WVU’s ground game so electric and how can OSU stop it?

The Cowboys hit the country roads this weekend to kick off their Big 12 season, and it might be one of the tougher trips they have all year.

Oklahoma State will square off with a West Virginia team fresh off a win over then-No. 25 Virginia. The Cowboys have been dominant in Morgantown of late, but they’ll have their work cut out for them against these Mountaineers.

Let’s take a look at three things to know before kickoff.

1. West Virginia’s Been Dominant on the Ground

The Mountaineers come in ranked sixth nationally (atop the Big 12 by a decent margin), averaging 281 rushing yards per game and a big part of that comes down to the QB run game.

Michael Hawkins Jr. is the third-leading rusher in the Big 12 despite taking snaps. He leads all QBs in the nation with 332 yards. That’s more than 107 yards per game on the ground at 7.3 yards per attempt. This presents obvious issues when it comes to your defensive game plan.

The Cowboys have been encouragingly good on that side of the ball so far this year. They currently are tied for the best third-down defense in the country with Penn State (16.22%), but they have not had to account for an extra set of wheels like Hawkins’ so far — and may not all year.

If the Pokes want to come out of Saturday with a win, they’ll need to figure out how to at least slow down the Mountaineers on the ground.

2. The Mountaineers Get After the QB

West Virginia is second in the league with 10 sacks, has logged multiple in every game this season and they’re doing it by committee. Of those 10 sacks, only linebacker Ashton Woods has multiple sacks (just two) with the other eight Mountaineers logging one each.

Maybe that’s due to a lack of a big-time edge or maybe it’s indicative of a good scheme.

Drew Mestemaker has been sacked only three times with two of those coming in the season opener against Tulsa. The other was against Murray State when a ball he attempted to toss forward was called a fumble and logged as a strip-sack.

Something’s got to give on this front and that will go a long way to determining the outcome of this one. The Cowboys’ offensive line has been banged up and less consistent over three games than you’d like to see, but they are hanging their hat on the Oregon game in which they kept a really talented defensive front at arm’s length.

3. West Virginia Has Given Up Some Big Plays

The Cowboys have thrived on getting their playmakers out in space in their two wins, and — if WVU’s first three games are any indication — there may be more opportunities for that in Morgantown.

West Virginia has given up 13 plays of at least 20 yards so far. Only Colorado and Houston (each with 15) have allowed more. When it comes to plays of at least 30 yards, the Mountaineers are dead last in the league, and T-1ooth nationally, having given up seven.

The Cowboys, conversely, lead the Big 12 with 20 plays of over 20 yards and have nine over 30. And that’s including the Tulsa game in which they only had two over 20 yards.

It’s a small sample size, but it’s pretty apparent that for the Cowboys to have their best chance to win, their playmakers need to make plays. (Deep analysis I know).

The Cowboys and Mountaineers face off at 6 p.m. CST Saturday in Morgantown.

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Big 12 play is here, and the Cowboys will start their conference grind in Morgantown.

Oklahoma State plays West Virginia at 6 p.m. (Central) Saturday at Milan Puskar Stadium. But before the Big 12 action gets rolling, we need to make our picks for how we see it going.

What We’re Predicting

Uniforms: OSU has been releasing these early, but know our predictions were made before that drop. Nathan Gilsleider actually nailed the uni on The Reload. You get one point for each aspect of the uniform you correctly predict, with points on the table this week for helmet, decal, jersey number color and pants color.

Justin Bowick over/under 60 receiving yards: Bowick has surpassed this total in the Cowboys’ past two games, going for 80 yards against Oregon and 178 against Murray State. Entering a hostile environment in Big 12 play, will he be able to do it again? Or will West Virginia learn from the past two weeks and send some extra help his way?

Will OSU’s defense hold WVU over/under 35% on Third Downs: The Cowboys’ defense is the best in the country at getting off the field on third downs, with offenses converting at just a 16.2% clip. But the Mountaineers have converted 53.3% of their third downs this season. Something has to give.

TD Parlay: You can name as many players who you think will score a touchdown (passing TDs don’t count), and you get two points for each player you name. However if you name a guy who doesn’t score a touchdown, you get no points in this section.

Score: Three points are up for grabs here: one for guessing the correct winner, one for being on the right side of the spread (WVU -1.5) and one to whichever one of us gets closest to the actual score.

Marshall Scott

Uniform: Black (Cursive Cowboys)-White (Black)-Orange

Justin Bowick over/under 60 receiving yards: Under

With Bowick going nuclear against Murray State this past weekend, I think he’ll get a little extra attention from the Mountaineers, leaving the door open for another Cowboy receiver or two to step up.

Will OSU’s defense hold WVU over/under 35% on Third Downs: Under

This has been where OSU’s defense has been at its best, but West Virginia provides a unique challenge here in that the Mountaineers are so efficient at moving the ball on the ground. I think the Cowboys’ defense gets it done, but it’ll be a lot closer to 35% than the 0% Murray State mustered last weekend.

TD Parlay: Caleb Hawkins/Wyatt Young

I’m hoping this is akin to getting you 3-wood out and just keeping the ball on the fairway. Hawkins is a touchdown-scoring machine, and with me thinking Bowick will get some extra attention from the Mountaineers, give me Young to have a big game in Morgantown.

Score: Oklahoma State 38, West Virginia 31

This is the most excited I’ve been going into an Oklahoma State game in a while. It’s cool to have a big, meaningful matchup again. I think both offenses are good and will have some success, but I think the difference in the game will be the Cowboys’ defense.

Kyle Cox

Uniform: White (Cursive Cowboys)-White (Orange)-Black

Justin Bowick over/under 60 receiving yards: Over

Will OSU’s defense hold WVU over/under 35% on Third Downs: Over

TD Parlay: Justin Bowick/Caleb Hawkins

Score: Oklahoma State 35, West Virginia 31

I think the Cowboys are able to corral Michael Hawkins Jr. a bit and somewhat contain the Mountaineers’ running game. Mestemaker announces himself to the Big 12 in style with a big outing.

Tyler Waldrep

Uniform: Black (Cursive Cowboys)-White (Black)-Black

Justin Bowick over/under 60 receiving yards: Over

I firmly believe Justin Bowick is Oklahoma State’s true No. 1 receiver. I expect him to lead the team in targets most nights and think he will be the primary read more often than Wyatt Young. With all that said, it feels obvious to predict OSU will have a receiver top 60.

Will OSU’s defense hold WVU over/under 35% on Third Downs: Over

West Virginia went three-and-out five times last week against Virginia. I expect the Cowboys to force a similar amount this week, but I do think West Virginia’s offense moves so fast the Mountaineers will just have more drives than most teams, and I think they capitalize on enough third-and-mediums to hit the over here.

TD Parlay: Caleb Hawkins/Justin Bowick/Carson Kolb

Last week West Virginia allowed a running back and tight end to catch touchdown passes in the red zone and another tight end and another running back led UVA in receiving yards. I was close to picking Ayo Adeyi here, so watch him score this week. I’m fading OSU’s talented slot receivers in part because I believe West Virginia slot corner Geimere Latimer is one of the team’s strengths. However, Morris has proven he can scheme these guys up with favorable matchups. Cards on the table, I covered Latimer when he dominated at Jax State in 2023, so I could be biased.

Score: Oklahoma State 27, West Virginia 20

I think Oklahoma State’s offensive line will struggle here somewhat similar to the Tulsa game, but I also expect a better pocket presence from quarterback Drew Mestemaker. As my score indicates I’m predicting a little bit more of a defensive slugfest this weekend. I do think OSU’s defense does a solid job inside and the Cowboys typically do a good job responding to stuff on the perimeter. So I think Oklahoma State gets it done on defense and Mestemaker and the offense do enough to leave a rowdy Morgantown with the team’s first Big 12 win since 2023.

Scoreboard

Kyle went from outhouse to penthouse last week when he was the only one of us to nail his touchdown parlay.

Nathan is already in a good spot this week nailing the uniform pick, but those parlays have already proven they can make big swings in momentum.

1. Kyle Cox — 14 points
T2. Justin Southwell — 12 points
T2. Nathan Gilsleider — 12 points
T4. Tyler Waldrep — 11 points
T4. Marshall Scott — 11 points

OSU Bullets

• OSU’s uniforms released for West Virginia game (PFB)

• Chuba Hubbard is on a fantasy football (and regular football) heater to start the season – Chuba and Jaylen Warren could be in line for more reps too (CBS Sports + PFB)

• This OSU-West Virginia matchup is super interesting:

It’s the best passing offense in the Big 12 (Oklahoma State) against the best rushing offense in the Big 12 (West Virginia). It’s a team that has shown crazy highs and harsh lows (Oklahoma State) against a mostly steady team (West Virginia). It’s an elite pocket passer with better-than-expected legs (OSU’s Drew Mestemaker) against an elite scrambler with a better-than-expected arm (WVU’s Michael Hawkins Jr.). [Open for Business]

Important stat leading into WVU’s contest on Saturday against Oklahoma State. #WVU

WVU’s offense is No. 15 nationally in 3rd down percentage, converting 53.33% of their 3rd downs. OSU’s defense is t-No. 1 nationally in 3rd down defense, holding their opponents to 16.22%. pic.twitter.com/gOsXtlaqwi — Taylor Kennedy (@Taylor_Kennedy7) September 24, 2026

• Check out the West Virginia-OSU series over time – Pokes have won most of the recent meetings. Preview the game here too (PFB + HCS)

• Fun to see a Cowboy on the list of exciting freshmen:

Our top 30 impact freshmen in College Basketball 👦 pic.twitter.com/SefduE0PBe

— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) September 22, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

• The homes that stick with us – defining a sticky place • Could SGA be up for playing off the ball more? • 18 things for men to do in the fall – football obviously included

“Mental toughness immediately increases when you find the right subject. You’re more likely to stick with things when you’re genuinely interested.” James Clear

Gallagher-Iba Arena is playing host to Flo’s Who’s Number One on Saturday, with girls matches starting at 2 p.m. and the boys getting going at 5:30 p.m. The event sees two of the top high school wrestlers in the country at each weight class square off to decide … well, who is number one.

This year’s lineup features one Oklahoma State commit in Michael Romero. Romero will take on Nebraska commit Mac Crosson at 157 pounds. The two wrestled at Fargo last year, with Romero winning that bout 5-3.

Out of California, Romero pledged to the Pokes in April. He’s the No. 17 overall prospect on Flo’s Big Board for the 2027 class. He won a Doc Buchanan title this year at 153 pounds, beating Joe Bachmann — the No. 11 overall wrestler on that big board — in the finals.

Here’s the full lineup of boys matches with their weight rankings and college commitments if applicable:

113: No. 1 Analu Woode vs. No. 2 Evan Restivo
144: No. 1 Jesse Grajeda (Ohio State) vs. No. 2 Braylon Reynolds (North Carolina)
215: No. 2 Jimmy Mastny (Iowa State) vs. No. 4 Mick Moylan (North Carolina)
120: No. 1 Brayden Wenrich vs. No. 2 Michael Batista (Maryland)
106: No. 1 Kooper Deputy vs. No. 2 Luke Loren
138: No. 1 Dean Anderson (Northern Iowa) vs. No. 2 Gavin Mangano (Penn State)
150: No. 1 Jason Dube vs. No. 2 Clinton Shepherd (Penn State)
190: No. 1 Mario Carini (Virginia Tech) vs. No. 2 Salah Tsarni (Air Force)
157: No. 1 Michael Romero (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 2 Mac Crosson (Nebraska)
175: No. 1 Jayden O’Farrill vs. No. 2 Zack Aquila (Little Rock)
132: No. 1 Grey Burnett (Penn State) vs. No. 2 Paul Kenny (Iowa)
126: No. 1 Sammy Sanchez vs. No. 2 Landon Sidun (Penn State)
165: No. 1 Melvin Miller (Virginia Tech) vs. No. 2 Camryn Howard

To get a little more familiar with the event, Flo released a two-hour long video of current Cowboys competing at Who’s Number One over the years.

STILLWATER — In the modern landscape of college athletics, it’s probably easier for a fanbase to get excited about a transfer class, but Steve Lutz put together a traditional recruiting class that should have Cowboy fans pumped up for years to come.

The four-man class of Anthony Felesi, Parker Robinson, Latrell Allmond and Jalen Montonati ranked eighth nationally, according to 247Sports. That puts the class third in the Big 12 behind only Kansas and Arizona.

“Competitiveness,” said Lutz on what his freshmen have brought. “That’s huge to say that. All four of those guys, they’re in different positions, right? I think Jalen, for example, he’s been the best player in the state for the last couple years, and you come here and everybody’s got you by 20 to 30 pounds. So, he’s competing, but man, it’s just hard when you’re going against a guy that’s got 30 pounds on you.

“But not a single one of them has taken a backseat to any of these returners and these transfers. And those freshmen are gonna have a chance to play. I told each and every one of them and I’ve said it ad nauseam probably to you guys, I don’t care what grade you’re in or where you’re from or what your accolades are, my job is to put a winning product on the floor, and whoever is gonna help us win is gonna play. Practices are much, much more competitive, and that’s been fun.”

Robinson and Felesi met with OSU reporters for the first time Tuesday.

Felesi, listed at 6-foot-5, was the latest addition to the class. He initially signed with Pitt last November, but but come April he committed to the Cowboys and made it to campus. 247Sports considered Felesi the No. 35 player in the 2026 class.

He made an impact during the Cowboys’ three-game summer stint in Puerto Rico, where Felesi averaged 6.7 points, six rebounds, an assist and 1.3 steals in about 14 minutes a game.

Athleticism is something that stands out in his game. Returning point guard Kanye Clary said Felesi might be the best athlete he’s ever seen in person.

Felesi is roommates with Sam Houston transfer Kashie Natt, which is rather fitting. The two play a similar style and could make for a formidable set of guards on the defensive end of the floor.

“I don’t know that I’ve had two guys on a team blessed with that much athleticism, blessed with that much humility and blessed with that much competitiveness,” Lutz said. “It’s fun. It’s really fun.”

A 6-4 guard, Robinson joins the Cowboys from the coveted Overtime Elite league. His basketball IQ was a topic of Tuesday, with Lutz noting that Robinson had the highest cognitive test score in OTE’s history — a history that includes myriad NBA players.

Robinson played about 14 minutes a game in Puerto Rico and averaged 11 points, 1.7 boards and 2.3 assists a contest.

He played a little point guard in the Caribbean, which was somewhat new for him. The Cowboys have the likes of Clary, Jacob Walker (Sam Houston) and Luka Bogavac (North Carolina) who could run the point, but Lutz noted that with how fast he likes his team to play, you can never have too many ball-handlers.

“I’m still learning how to play the one (point guard),” Robinson said. “Never really played a whole lot of one in high school, playing with other talented guards. So, coming here, just trying to dive into film, ask a lot of questions, try to understand where everyone should be offensively and defensively.”

How much of an impact the Cowboys’ freshmen will make in Year 1 — with the best overall roster Lutz has put together to this point — remains to be seen, but it certainly doesn’t sound as if they are backing down for the competition.

“As a group, the four of us are all great basketball players,” Robinson said. “So, we definitely have a little bit of, like, iron sharpens iron. Like, we all think that we’re good enough to play, so going at each other every day in practice has been big for us.

“And then also, trying to prove to ourselves that we belong as freshmen. Nowadays in the college basketball world, it’s hard to be a freshman and get minutes and make an impact. So, I think keeping that in mind and just also knowing that we’re gonna hold each other accountable, we’re gonna come in and battle it out every day. It’s definitely like a group mindset that the four of us have.”

Oklahoma State unveiled its uniforms for their game against the Mountaineers at 6 p.m. (Central) Saturday: black-white-black with the modern OSU brand on the lid.

Week 4️⃣ uni drop pic.twitter.com/S8hyln65lY

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) September 24, 2026

Heard y’all wanted helmet content pic.twitter.com/jBbgcpVtF6

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) September 25, 2026

The Mountaineers have also released their unis. It’ll be a Gold Rush at Milan Puskar Stadium, but WVU will go blue-gold-blue.

𝙂𝙊𝙇𝘿 𝙍𝙐𝙎𝙃

Game 4: 🔵🟡🔵@GoMartStores pic.twitter.com/G9ey805D5f

— West Virginia Football (@WVUfootball) September 24, 2026

OSU is 7-8 since 2011 in black-white-black, and the Cowboys are on a four-game losing streak in the combo.

But the last win was a sweet one: OSU’s 2021 win against Texas in Austin. The game Jason Taylor housed that interception and the Longhorns couldn’t tackle Jaylen Warren.

The Cowboys will be a bit healthier heading down the country roads.

On his radio show on Thursday, Oklahoma State coach Eric Morris announced that Joseph Hanson and Oscar Hammond are set to return for the Cowboys’ game against West Virginia on Saturday.

“Yup, Joseph’s back, had a great week of practice,” Morris told Dave Hunziker. “Excited to get him back. Got banged up in the Oregon game and wanted to come back. He was not very happy with trainers, doctors, me on the sideline because they wouldn’t allow him to go back in. So, yeah excited to get him back. …

“Super excited to get (Hammond) back. By far our most athletic tight end, and somebody that you can use in the passing game, and our best route-runner, our best pass-catcher out there at tight end. Excited to get him back in the lineup this week.”

Hammond is in his second season at Oklahoma State, but the last time he played in a game he was playing under Morris at North Texas.

Listed at 6-foot-3, 243 pounds, Hammond transferred to OSU from North Texas ahead of last season, but a preseason injury saw him miss the entire year. Then Morris moved up to Stillwater.

In his lone season at UNT after transferring from UCO, Hammond was the Mean Green’s primary tight end, catching 19 passes for 238 yards and a touchdown.

Hanson started the Cowboys’ first two games at right guard but an injury suffered against the Ducks saw him miss most of that game and all of the Murray State game.

Listed at 6-foot-4, 302 pounds, Hanson came to Oklahoma State this offseason from Coastal Carolina. In three seasons with the Chanticleers, Hanson played in 32 games with all 920 offensive snaps he played coming at right tackle, but he moved to guard with the move up to the Big 12.

When he went down, Oklahoma State moved veteran North Texas transfer Johnny Dickson III from left guard over to right guard, as UNT transfer Desmond Magiya took over at left guard.

It sounds as if there’s a possibility even more help comes to the Cowboys’ offensive front.

Braydon Nelson has yet to play this season after suffering an injury in fall camp, but he has been practicing with the team.

“We’ll kind of test everything out (Friday) morning and make a final decision,” Morris said. “I don’t know, but for sure, I mean, he practiced the whole week. He did everything with us. Did the majority of everything. Running with the two offense right now just to get him into shape and get him back into playing condition.”

A 6-foot-4, 327-pound true junior, Nelson played 1,836 snaps for Morris at North Texas across his first two seasons of college football, mostly at left tackle.

Nelson’s absence was further magnified just six plays into the Cowboys’ season when starting left tackle Jacob Sexton went down with a season-ending injury.

Portland State transfer Shaun Torgeson was battling for OSU’s right tackle spot with Michigan State transfer Ashton Lepo, but Torgeson then flipped over to left tackle and has been playing there since.

STILLWATER — Oklahoma State safety Mose Phillips’ career took a surprising turn last year.

After playing 298 snaps as a freshman and 703 as a sophomore at Virginia Tech, Phillips found himself standing on the sideline at Missouri.

“When I got to Mizzou, it was weird not playing,” Phillips said. “Because that was the first time in my life I just wasn’t playing. So as the season went on I got more time, but I made it a point to stay true to my process and not feel like my current situation defined me.”

His role increased in the final weeks of the season, but he still finished with only 149 snaps played. According to PFF, he graded out as the Tigers’ 10th-best defender, finishing with a career-high score of 77.3.

When Oklahoma State opened the season as Tulsa, he once again found himself back in a reserve role, playing only 38% of defensive snaps.

It seems like he probably channeled the same mindset that got him through his time at Missouri.

“I just feel like everything is for my good,” Phillips said of his time as a Tiger. “Everything is happening for me, not to me. … So I also think it helped me be resilient in those times and tell me how to prepare now. So now I’m in a situation where my role has went up. I’m still comfortable, still prepared just like I was my sophomore year and my freshman year to play a lot of snaps.”

That certainly paid off as Phillips stood out both live and on rewatch for his play in the opener, highlighted by back-to-back plays in the red zone to prevent a first down or touchdown.

Oklahoma State coaches seemed to see the same thing because he played 93% of defensive snaps vs Oregon, which more than doubled the next-highest increase on the team.

Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity praised his trustworthiness following that bump in playing time.

“He understands all our coverage adjustments that we’re asking those guys,” Cassity said. “He communicates at a high level. He’s tackled pretty well in open field. He just continues to get better as he gets more and more comfortable in our system, and he’s going to continue to progress all season long. And so he got a good really good game on Saturday (vs. Oregon).”

On Tuesday, coach Eric Morris included Phillips as one of the team’s best practice players. The other four players mentioned were all somewhat obvious: Drew Mestemaker, Caleb Hawkins, Justin Bowick and Jaleel Johnson.

The safety is definitely the odd man out on that list considering the others cemented their status as Cowboy stars before the season began. However, it lines up with a quote from Morris during the first week of fall camp.

“Mose Phillips is a guy coming in that physically has all the tools, played in the SEC, smart kid,” Morris said. “He’s on the front row of meetings. He’s taking notes. He’s got a veteran mentality about himself.”

That same mentality was at play when Phillips entered the portal. At the time, he likely expected this to be his final season. However, the move to five-for-five should give him the option to play in 2027, provided he meets the age requirements.

He said he chose Oklahoma State because of his relationship with the coaches, but also because he was betting on the Cowboys defying the odds this fall.

“Trying to come somewhere and win now,” Phillips said. “Not trying to go somewhere where it is going to be like we got to wait until we get back to the top because I’m an older guy. So I kinda seen the trajectory of this program.”

There’s a long way to go before anyone can call this season a winner, but Oklahoma State’s win against Oregon makes it tough to put a ceiling on what this group could accomplish.

On Saturday night, Oklahoma State will take the field seeking the program’s first Big 12 win since 2023. Phillips said he’s not taking this trip for granted, considering that as an older guy he won’t “get to do this forever.”

He’s also expecting a night game in Morgantown to produce a “rocking” atmosphere.

“I think you just got to live for it,” Phillips said. “That’s the stuff you dream of as a kid. When you’re in your room by yourself, you’re like, ‘Ah yeah, hostile environment. Go make a play.’ Like, I think those are the best games, especially when you go on the road and you shut them up. So we’re gonna try to go in there. It’s gonna be an electric crowd. They’ve got a great fanbase, and I feel honored and blessed to play there at this type of game.”

Here’s a breakdown of the Big 12 schedule and a look at other big games from around the country this weekend.

Big 12 Schedule

Colorado (2-1) at Baylor (2-1) — 11 a.m. Saturday on ESPN2
Sam Houston (1-2) at No. 11 Texas Tech (3-0) — 11 a.m. Saturday on TNT
TCU (2-1) at UCF (2-1) — 2:30 p.m. Saturday on FS1
No. 15 Utah (3-0) at Iowa State (2-1) — 2:30 p.m. Saturday on FOX
No. 25 Houston (2-1) at Georgia Southern (1-2) — 3 p.m. Saturday on ESPNU
Kansas State (3-0) at Cincinnati (3-0) — 6 p.m. Saturday on ESPN2
Oklahoma State (2-1) at West Virginia (3-0) — 6 p.m. Saturday on FS1
Arizona (2-1) at Washington State (1-2) — 6:30 p.m. Saturday on CBS

There are fewer games to preview this week, as much of the league enters conference play and Arizona State, BYU and Kansas all have the week off.

K-State-Cincy: Aside from the Cowboys’ trip to Morgantown, the premier game of the weekend in the league is this battle of unbeatens in Ohio.

The Wildcats have won all of their games by double digits this season after besting Tulane 31-20 last weekend. The Bearcats had to claw one out against Miami (OH) last week, winning 35-31 after the RedHawks led by 21 at the half.

TCU-UCF: In some ways, these teams’ first three games have mirrored each other. Both have lost a tight game to an ACC team and beaten teams from the Sun Belt and FCS.

After having a rough opener against North Carolina, TCU quarterback Jaden Craig leads the Big 12 through three games with 903 passing yards, throwing seven touchdowns and one INT in that stretch. Ed Small has been his primary target, as Small ranks second in the Big 12 in receiving yards with 330.

Colorado-Baylor: The Buffaloes are in need of a bounce-back, while the Bears likely need a win here if they’re going to be the team they wanted to be going into the year.

Colorado went to Northwestern and got throttled 41-7 last week, leading Deion Sanders to dismiss several players for conduct detrimental to the team.

Former Cowboy Gavin Freeman has been a stud for the Bears, as he ranks third in the Big 12 with 305 receiving yards through three games.

Other Games to Watch

Northwestern (2-0) at No. 5 Indiana (3-0) — 7 p.m. Thursday on FOX
Clemson (2-1) at Cal (2-1) — 9:30 p.m. Friday on ESPN
No. 1 Texas (3-0) at No. 14 Tennessee (3-0) — 11 a.m. Saturday on ABC
Oklahoma (2-1) at No. 2 Georgia (3-0) — 2:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN
No. 4 Ole Miss (3-0) at No. 21 Florida (3-0) — 2:30 p.m. Saturday on ABC
No. 17 Iowa (3-0) at No. 18 Michigan (3-0*) — 2:30 p.m. Saturday on CBS
Boise State (2-1) at Western Michigan (2-1*) — 2:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN2
No. 23 Texas A&M (2-1) at No. 10 LSU (2-1) — 6:30 p.m. Saturday on ABC
No. 20 Oregon (2-1) at No. 12 USC (4-0) — 6:30 p.m. Saturday on NBC
No. 19 Missouri (3-0) at No. 24 Mississippi State (3-0) — 6:45 p.m. Saturday on SEC Network
Tulsa (3-0) at Arkansas (1-2) — 7 p.m. Saturday on SECN+

Texas-Tennessee: Arch Manning is headed to where Peyton Manning played college ball.

The Longhorns passed their big nonconference test against Ohio State, but their SEC slate is unforgiving. Of Texas’ remaining nine games, seven opponents are currently ranked in the AP Poll.

The Vols’ schedule hasn’t exactly tested them to this point, but we’ll know a lot after Saturday.

Boise State-Western Michigan: This game could be massive as it pertains to the Group of Six’s spot in the College Football Playoff.

Per FanDuel, Boise State has the best odds among the Group of Six to make the CFP at +240, while Western Michigan ranks ninth in CFP odds among the Group of Six at +2,500 — highest among MAC schools.

In every way but the documented result, Western Michigan beat Michigan. If the Mustangs go unbeaten from here on out, that’s going to be hard to ignore. Meanwhile Boise State’s only loss was by a touchdown to Oregon, and the Broncos have already taken out Memphis, another G6 team with CFP aspirations.

How Big Is the Hangover?: LSU and Ole Miss played one of the more emotionally charged college football games in recent memory last week, and now both teams have to come off that high (or low) and play a ranked squad.

Florida is actually favored against Ole Miss, somehow. The Rebels are coming off beating their former coach, while Florida won a big game against Auburn last weekend.

Coming off the loss, LSU is hosting a Texas A&M team that is also coming off a loss to Kentucky, so both of these teams’ margin for error is already slim.

Oklahoma State released its full 2026-27 schedule on Thursday with a fun video:

Everyone is Wanted.

Hunting season begins in November ⏳#GoPokes pic.twitter.com/g4h5QlGobI

— OSU Cowboy Wrestling (@CowboyWrestling) September 24, 2026

Here is the schedule in full:

The schedule kicks off with the recently announced OSU Invite, where Little Rock, Gardner Webb and SIU-Edwardsville will come to Stillwater for an individual tournament that could feature multiple Cowboys per bracket.

Dual action gets rolling a week later when Drexel comes to Stillwater.

OSU’s Nov. 13 dual against Nebraska will be a big one. The Cornhuskers finished third at NCAAs last season, a spot behind the Cowboys, and Nebraska added some pieces this offseason that could make that dual all the more competitive. Former NC State 125-pounder Vincent Robinson transferred to Lincoln. Robinson beat Troy Spratley in the 2025 NCAA final, and Robinson is 4-1 against Spratley in college. The Huskers also added Anthony Echemendia from Iowa State, who gave Sergio Vega tough matches in the dual and the Big 12 final last season.

The Arizona State dual kicks off Big 12 action and comes at a cool time, as it is the night before the two schools play football in Tempe. That means Cowboy fans who make the trip for the football game could see their wrestling team as well.

Bedlam will be in Norman this year. The Sooners also did some work in the portal, brining in Jersey Robb (Oklahoma State), Paddy Gallagher (Ohio State) and others.

OSU will spend a lot of time in the state of Iowa this season, as the Pokes will travel up for duals against Northern Iowa and Iowa State before making a return trip less than a month later to square off with the Hawkeyes.

Taylor returns three national champions from last season in Jax Forrest, Vega and Landon Robideau. The Cowboys also have five other All-Americans returning while also bringing in the No. 1 recruiting class and two transfers expected to compete for starting spots.

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OSU Bullets

An even bigger problem for the Ducks was that their offensive line, especially their tackles, got whipped by the Cowboys’ defensive front. Oregon’s tackles set shallow, and Oklahoma State’s edge rushers were able to turn the corner on them and get to Moore. They got after Moore, and that seemed to speed up his process. Three of Oklahoma State’s four sacks actually came on three-man rushes. The Cowboys also benefited from a deep D-line rotation that enabled them to stay fresh and made it hard for the Ducks to sustain drives. [The Athletic]

Game 4️⃣ 🟡 𝙂𝙊𝙇𝘿 𝙍𝙐𝙎𝙃 🆚 Oklahoma State 🏟️ Milan Puskar Stadium ⏰ 7 PM 📺 FS1 🎟️ https://t.co/8A6PDMVAqB pic.twitter.com/n3o6vpmfUy

— West Virginia Football (@WVUfootball) September 21, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

The Big 12’s released its first Availability Report on Wednesday and the Cowboys fared a little better than the Mountaineers.

Oklahoma State offensive linemen Braydon Nelson and Joseph Hanson and defensive tackle Iman Oates were listed as “questionable” while three Cowboys were listed as probable. Those are wide receiver Chris Barnes, OL Johnny Dickson III and defensive tackle Braylon Rigsby.

OSU defensive tackle Iman Oates, right guard Joseph Hanson and Barnes all went down in the Oregon game, but it looks like Barnes is in a better spot to return. Head coach Eric Morris mentioned that he was “excited” to get Barnes back earlier this week.

Hanson was the Cowboys starting right tackle to enter the season. In his absences, OSU moved Dickson from left guard to right guard and slid Desmond Magiya at left guard.

Nelson started all of North Texas’ games at tackle last season but hasn’t played as a Cowboy yet because of an injury suffered in fall camp. When he gets healthy, he’s likely to compete for a spot there.

Also of note, tight end Oscar Hammond wasn’t on the injury report. He hasn’t played this season but has experience with Morris. He caught 19 passes for 238 yards and a touchdown for North Texas in 2024. He then transferred to OSU ahead of last season but missed the year with injury.

Three Mountaineers were ruled out:

Emory Snyder (N/S)
Andre Devine (RB)
Darius Wiley (DL)

Running back Chris Talley is listed as “questionable” while the following were listed as “probable.”

Jaden Bray (WR)
Cam Ball (TE)
Prince Strachan (WR)
Martavious Boswell (RB)
Nick Krahe (OL)

Cowboy fans will remember Bray for his three years in Stillwater. He’s the Mountaineers’ current second-leading receiver with six catches for 96 yards in three games so far this year. WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez also stated Bray should be good to go.

STILLWATER — Last week, Oklahoma State ranked 10th in the country on third-down defense after holding Oregon to 5-of-14.

When asked about that, defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity only saw one thing.

“There’s always room for improvement, right?” Cassity said. “There’s a couple we would like to have back that we thought we could get off the field, and we’re in advantageous situations for us defensively.”

It’s going to be tough for Cassity to keep saying that because this week, the Cowboys rank No. 1 in the country in third-down defense, allowing a first down only 16% of the time.

“That is something we take pride in,” safety Mose Phillips said. “We feel like it should be that way, how we practice and how we prepare.

“I feel like when you play in Cassity’s defense, you learn how important situational football is and knowing the stakes and knowing what calls to make with certain situations, so I think that is huge for us and we’re going to try to keep that going for sure.”

OSU’s third-down defense is currently in a tie with Penn State, while SMU (18%) is the only other team below fourth-place Oregon (22%).

The Nittany Lions have yet to play a power conference team, while SMU has faced two (Louisville and Florida State).

This is a huge improvement from the last three seasons when Oklahoma State ranked 113th (2025), 119th (2024) and 99th (2023). The Cowboys have three top-five finishes in the stat, claiming the top spot in 2010 and finishing third and fourth in 2022 and 2021, respectively.

This week, the Cowboys face another stiff test as West Virginia’s offense ranks 15th nationally in third-down conversions, moving the chains 53% of the time.

Not that OSU hasn’t faced similarly talented offenses already. Oregon’s third-down offense ranked 26th with a 50% success rate. If you remove their game in Stillwater, the Ducks rank ninth, converting 58% of the time.

Tulsa’s offense isn’t great on third down, but is moving the chains 30% of the time against everyone else this season. Oklahoma State held TU to 1-of-11 (9%).

Comparing Murray State might be a bit unfair, but the Racers ranked 67th in the FCS with a third-down success rate of 36%. The Cowboys held them 0-of-12 on Saturday.

“I think it is all about having your mind on the right stuff,” Phillips said. “I think you can get lost in the flow of the game, but we got a lot of veteran guys who are able to be comfortable on the field. So when you’re comfortable on the field, played a lot of ball, you less are thinking about the offense and moreso you can think about the situation and eliminate certain stuff.

“And I think that is what we’ve been great at. Is like with our vets talking, ‘OK, they need 4, they need 4 right here,’ let’s make this certain call so we can be on our Ps and Qs, so I think that has been big with us having an older group who played a lot of ball.”

ESPN’s efficiency ratings score offenses and defenses ability to impact the scoring margin of the game on a per-play basis, factoring in quality of opponent. The Cowboys defense ranks 21st overall and fifth in the Big 12.

Oregon’s offense ranks 44th and Tulsa’s ranks 74th, so nothing to sneeze at.

From a pure numbers standpoint, Oklahoma State’s defense also ranks third in the red zone and 34th on fourth down, which translates into a 26th ranking in yards allowed (267 on average) and 48th in scoring defense (18.3 points).

Several Cowboy defenders this season said those high-leverage moments in games aren’t being handled differently schematically, but the focus on those plays might be better.

“I don’t know if anything necessarily changes,” linebacker Isaiah Chisom said. “I just think we understand the level of execution has to go up in those type of situations.”

STILLWATER — Kasey Dunn’s 2017 receiver room had so many dudes in it that future NFL guys had to stand on the sideline.

Time will tell just how many in Oklahoma State’s 2026 receiver room make it to the league, but through three games there has been a lot to get excited about as it pertains to this group.

First, let’s take a look at the major players of that 2017 room:

As you can see, that’s a lot for the current crop to live up to.

It’s honestly sort of crazy that with all those mouths to feed, Washington was still able to win the Biletnikoff that season. This feels like a good time to share the video OSU released a while back of every Rudolph-to-Washington touchdown. When I close my eyes, I sometimes still see Washington streaking down the field on a post route.

But in looking at the Cowboys’ modern receivers, if you have eyeballs, you probably think Justin Bowick has pro potential. It helps that he’s apparently already acting like a pro.

“He practices at one speed, and it’s translating to the games right now,” Eric Morris said Tuesday. “I come up here on a Thursday night during the summer, bring my kids to the indoor to throw the football around and Bowick’s in there by himself catching Jugs. Just someone that’s put in a ton of time and effort. You go downstairs right now, he’s probably in the training room right now, even though he’s not banged up — just because he’s always preparing and doing things the right way.”

A 6-foot-5 athletic anomaly, Bowick had nine catches against Murray State this past weekend for 178 yards and two touchdowns. Among the seven receivers listed above from OSU’s 2017 team, only Washington (x4), Stoner and Wallace (x4) have had that many receiving yards in a game in their entire college careers.

It was at a different school with a different level of regular competition, but Wyatt Young’s 1,264 receiving yards from last season are more than all but Washington (x2) and Wallace have had in a season in their careers. And three games into his OSU career, Young is averaging 72.7 receiving yards a game. In a full 12-game regular season, he’s on pace to finish with 872 receiving yards, which would have ranked third in the Big 12 last season.

It’s fair to question, and potentially even doubt, that the current OSU room has the depth of that 2017 room, but already this season Chris Barnes has raised some eyebrows, Miles Coleman scored a touchdown and looked good in the return game this week, and Terrence Lewis has looked good in some limited work. And Morris on Tuesday pointed out some other guys who haven’t had as many opportunities so far this year.

“There’s five guys we feel really comfortable with and with a rotation,” Morris said. “Got some playing time last week from the other guys. Kam Powell’s a guy that kinda stepped up and played really fast and did some really nice things, so I think he’ll continue to earn a role. I think Izzy (Israel Polk) did a couple things here and there. He’s playing some special teams for us. Give him a chance to get out there and provide some depth for our team and show us what he can do in that regard.

“But those top five I think have done a phenomenal job for us right now. And, obviously, Bowick kinda coming along and a big target, and when people start taking him away, I mean, that’s just kinda the way the offensive works. One week, you might have one or two targets. The next week all of a sudden, you’ve got 10 targets, depending on what they do.”

STILLWATER — Steve Lutz likes the team he has assembled, and he isn’t afraid to say it.

Lutz’s third Oklahoma State team officially, technically kicked off its practice schedule this week, but in reality, the group has felt together for a while now. The Cowboys took a trip to Puerto Rico this summer, which came with 10 practices and a chance for the group — five returners and 10 newcomers — to mesh.

“These guys are so much further along than any other team we’ve had here,” Lutz said Tuesday. “Sometimes as a coach, you don’t necessarily recognize it, but especially as an assistant coach, they’re constantly saying, ‘Hey, we’re further along than we were last year,’ which is good. Then I’ve had a couple people come to practice that have watched practice over our tenure here, and they said the same thing, like, ‘You’re not having to teach some of the fundamentals that you’d had to teach in years past. You’re not having to really get them to be a team.’

“They move the ball so much better. There’s less animosity. There’s less selfishness. They’re just a better team at this point thus far.”

Lutz’s first OSU team was put together late in the transfer cycle, as he wasn’t hired until after the portal was already opened. That team was good defensively but struggled to score.

This past season, Lutz’s team could score. The Cowboys finished second in the Big 12 by averaging 83.7 points a game. But they could not keep other teams from scoring, as OSU ranked last in the Big 12 in points allowed per game (84.2).

“I think that we have a better combination of both (offense and defense),” Lutz said. “We certainly have more length and more athleticism as a general rule, just from top to bottom. But I think that we can be a good defensive team, I really do.

“Now with that being said, I still think this team’s a little bit wired to score. That’s part of the recruiting philosophy and those sorts of things from our staff, but I think we should be much more balanced. If we decide that we’re gonna be a great defensive team, then I think we have a fantastic season.”

OSU’s portal class ranked 12th (Rivals) and 30th (247Sports) nationally.

The haul includes Jordan Burks (UCF), Julius Halaifonua (Georgetown), Luka Bogavac (North Carolina), Andrija Grbovic (Arizona State) and Kashie Natt (Sam Houston), who were all considered four-star transfers by at least one of the recruiting services.

On top of that, OSU’s high school recruiting class ranked eighth (247Sports) and ninth (Rivals) nationally, with all four additions being four-star prospects. Lutz said that freshman group has been competitive in practice.

In the modern world, collecting such a roster takes funding, something OSU basketball has seemingly had an issue with going back to when Mike Boynton was the coach. But Lutz and his staff have gotten in front of the right people.

“We were more selective in the recruiting process, and when you have more money, in terms of NIL and those sorts of things, you can be more selective,” Lutz said. “And I’ve not shied away from that, and I think that everybody should understand that. It’s just where we’re at today.

“But I also think that these guys just naturally play the game a little bit differently — and maybe better is a way to say it — because we do. It’s natural to share the ball, and maybe we don’t have as many guys looking to, say, increase their scoring or prove to the world they’re an NBA Draft pick as much as these guys are wanting to play basketball the right way and make sure that we have a great season.”

Lutz said he hasn’t had to define roles with this group to this point because the players know their skillsets and what they are capable of. He also noted that this group seems more aware that their future opportunities are more closely tied to OSU’s wins and losses than it is tied to their particular stats.

“There’s a different pressure as a player if you think you have to come in here — you’ve been at A, B and C — and you gotta come here and you gotta put up 16 a game in the Big 12 so you can hopefully get drafted,” Lutz said, “vs. I have the confidence in myself to know that I’m a good player, and as long as I play the right way and do what I’m capable of, then it’s gonna translate into me getting to where I want to be professionally.

“But as I tell them all the time, there’s not a single one of you that’s going to get drafted because you scored 20 points and we go 8-22. Now, we go 22-8, you score 15, 18 points, the whole world is gonna know who you are just because of the success of the program and us making a run in the NCAA Tournament. That’s just the facts.”

With the Cowboys now cooking after a historic upset over Oregon and then a big win over Murray State, it looks like we could be in for a marque Big 12 matchup on Saturday. But first, let’s take a look back at the history between the Pokes and the Country Roaders.

Capsule

Overall record: OSU leads 10-6
Neutral site meetings: OSU leads 1-0
Meetings in Stillwater: Tied 4-4
Meetings in Morgantown: OSU leads 5-2
Past 10 meetings: OSU leads 8-2
First meeting (1928): West Virginia won 32-6 in Morgantown
Most recent meeting (2024): WVU beat OSU 38-14 in Stillwater

Every time I look at the history between the two, I’m for some reason surprised that it has only been 16 times. But they have only been conference mates for 14 years.

How It Started

The Cowboys and Mountaineers first met as a home-and-home agreement with Oklahoma A&M losing both, a road game in 1928 32-6 and then falling 9-6 at home in 1929. The Cowboys were in a transition year with head coach Pappy Waldorf taking over in 1929. The Mountaineers went 8-2 in 1928 and 4-3-3 in 1929.

Sun Bowl

The two teams didn’t meet again for almost six decades before squaring off in the 1987 Sun Bowl.

Mike Gundy went 12-for-18 for 161 yards, one TD and two picks (including a pick-six) in the snow on Christmas Day. But when the weather gets tough, it pays to have a couple of future Hall of Fame running backs on the roster. In ’87, it was the Thurman show. He went for 157 yards and four touchdowns, and the Cowboys squeaked out a 35-33 win.

The two teams wouldn’t meet again until West Virginia joined the Big 12 in 2012.

Road Pokes

The Cowboys do better inside Milan Puskar Stadium than they do at BPS when it comes to the Mountaineers. OSU is 5-2 all-time in Morgantown and comes in having won on the past five trips. The Cowboys lost their first meeting in 1928 and on their first road trip after WVU joined the league, but it’s been all Ws in M-Town since. The Cowboys, however are 4-4 against the Mountaineers in Stillwater, losing the last two times they hosted.

The last time OSU went to Morgantown, Ollie Gordon II turned in his career game, punishing the Mountaineers to the tune of 29 carries for 282 yards and four touchdowns. He averaged 9.7 yards per carry and the Pokes won 48-34.

Maybe Caleb Hawkins can channel his inner Ollie.

The last time Oklahoma State visited Morgantown, Ollie Gordon carried the ball 29 times for 282 yards and 4TD.

After the game, WVU head coach Neal Brown said “I don’t think I’ve ever seen that… I don’t know if we tackled him in the fourth quarter.” pic.twitter.com/8WY9TQK1Aw

— ERIC MORRIS 7-5 SZN🏈 (@coenbroscowpoke) September 21, 2026

Let’s take a look at some highlights from across the leage.

Chuba Finds the End Zone

The former Cowboy found the end zone for the third time this season in the Panthers’ 34-3 blowout win over Atlanta. He’s now had two by air and one score in the ground game.

Chuba Hubbard gets six on the board for the Panthers!

CARvsATL on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/d6bQZxQQl8

— NFL (@NFL) September 20, 2026

Hubbard carried the ball 12 times for 53 yards and caught both passes thrown his way including that score. But you can expect those numbers to go up moving forward.

Fellow Carolina running back Jonathan Brooks is set to undergo surgery and be out extended time after leaving the game on Sunday. He’ll be placed on the injured reserved list. That means the brunt of the RB reps will revert back to Hubbard, who has been in a competition with Brooks throughout the past two seasons.

Warren Is the Outlet

The Steelers suffered a tough loss to the Patriots this past weekend, but Jaylen Warren at least made a nice play on this checkdown.

Rather fitting that the longest pass play of the day for the #Steelers was a quick checkdown from Aaron Rodgers to Jaylen Warren.

Veteran running back is so dynamic. 26-yarder on a pass that barely traveled 5 yards in the air. Get him the ball more, please, McCarthy. pic.twitter.com/DrjExiIlAT

— Josh Carney (@ByJoshCarney) September 21, 2026

Warren amassed 43 yards on 11 carries and caught two passes for 34 including that 26-yard play. Like Hubbard’s, Warren’s usage might also go up due to injury.

Fellow Pittsburgh RB Rico Dowdle left Sunday’s game with a toe injury and is currently listed as day-to-day.

Other Numbers

• Tyler Lacy had two tackles in the Lions’ 41-31 loss to the Bills.

• Malcolm Rodriguez had one tackle in the game as well.

• Justice Hill had two carries for six yards and caught two passes for 12 yards in the Ravens’ 24-17 loss to the Saints.

• Ollie Gordon II had three carries for seven yards in the Dolphins’ 35-13 loss to the 49ers.

OSU Bullets

• Former four-star defensive lineman Enai White talked about making his first college start as a fifth-year, but his quote on what it’s like to be a part of a field storming was awesome (PFB)

• Press conferences for the coaches were yesterday – see here for Eric Morris’ 28-minutes of comments and what RichRod had to say here (YouTube + PFB)

• When OSU hired Eric Morris, no one thought “massive defensive turnaround incoming”. Conference play will tell if it’s real or fool’s gold, but it sure looks like a rise from worst to middle of the pack is in line. 

One of the better stories of the early season has been the huge improvement of Oklahoma State’s defense. Last year the Cowboys ranked No. 115 in 3rd down D. This year under new 32-year old DC Skyler Cassity, they are No. 1 in the country [X]

Going up 📈 pic.twitter.com/LAyd88QyNK

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) September 22, 2026

• How can OSU shut down the West Virginia rushing attack? (PFB)

• If Parsa Fallah gets to play, doesn’t it feel like this is the most Big 12-level players OSU has had on their roster in years?

👀👀👀 https://t.co/F5UNCTjMxV pic.twitter.com/qaCu9w8mrT

— Boone Pickens State (@BP_State) September 22, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

• The tool people are using to keep themselves from doomscrolling • He always holds the shears (faith-based)

Rich Rodriguez is back at West Virginia, but these past two years have been his first in the Big 12.

Oklahoma State travels to Morgantown this weekend for a game at 6 p.m. (Central) Saturday against Rodriguez’s Mountaineers.

Rodriguez met with the media on Tuesday to preview the game. Here are three things he said.

1. On OSU Thus Far

The Cowboys’ young season has already had a peak (Oregon) and a valley (Tulsa), but what stands out about OSU to Rodriguez is what stands out to a lot of coaches — Drew Mestemaker.

“The quarterback is a great player,” Rodriguez said. “There was a lot of hype coming into the season, and he shown that. He gets rid of the ball so quickly. It’s like an average of 1.8 seconds or something. So, it’s hard to sack him, whether it’s RPO game or their pass game, he doesn’t take sacks, he gets rid of the football.”

Rodriguez then shared with the West Virginia media what Oregon coach Dan Lanning shared after the Cowboys’ big win over the Ducks, that OSU’s win was not an accident.

“If you watched the Oregon game, it was not one of these, like, got a couple breaks and won the game,” Rodriguez said. “They kinda dominated the deal from start to finish.”

Later the Tulsa game was circled back to with the duality of beating Oregon but losing to Tulsa.

No stranger to building a program, Rodriguez emphasized that first games can be tough.

“I think the first game is always the hardest, especially if you got — like they did — a whole bunch of new players,” Rodriguez said. “You’re still figuring out what you got and what you did, and to their credit, after they lost the first game and you’re thinking, ‘Golly, what’s going on?’ And they come out the next game and just from the jump, jump all over Oregon. It tells you a lot about how they’ve turned that program into where it is.”

2. Rodriguez Has Had a Run-In with Skyler Cassity

This game will be the first time Rodriguez has crossed paths with Eric Morris, but back in 2024, he ran into an even younger Skyler Cassity while OSU’s defensive coordinator was at Sam Houston.

Rodriguez was coaching Jax State then, and his Gamecocks beat Sam Houston 21-11. It marked Jax State’s third-lowest scoring game of the season, trailing only the 14 points the Gamecocks scored against Louisville and 17 they scored against Western Kentucky. Jax State averaged 36 points a game that season.

“Very, very sound,” Rodriguez said of Cassity’s defense. “They don’t make any mistakes. They’re in the right spot. Well coached. They always have a good plan for every, kind of, scheme you’re doing. They’ll know your quarterback run game and all that. He’s always done a really good job everywhere he’s been as a coordinator and did a good job against us a few years ago when we played them.”

Although he hasn’t had a run-in with Morris, it sounds like Rodriguez has liked what he’s done from afar.

“I don’t know that we’ve ever competed against each other from a game standpoint, but got a lot of respect for what he’s done,” Rodriguez said. “He’s won everywhere he’s been. They’ve done a great job of putting this team together in a short period of time that he’s been there. I think they’re doing a fabulous job.”

3. Injury Update

The Mountaineers got a little banged up this past weekend in their big win against Virginia, but it sounds like a lot of those guys should be good to go by the time the weekend rolls around.

Former Oklahoma State receiver Jaden Bray was one of the guys who went down, coming off after a big grab on third down. Rodriguez said Bray, who was at OSU from 2021 through 2023, should be good to go by Wednesday.

“Jaden is such a competitive guy, too,” Rodriguez said. “And is kind of the leader in there. He made a couple of really big plays, and got banged up. But he’s a tough guy.”

Nick Krahe, WVU’s starting left guard, exited after 36 plays on Saturday, but Rodriguez said he should be good to go.

Prince Strachan, another big-bodied receiver, made his season debut against the Cavilers, returning from injury. The 6-foot-5 USC transfer played only seven offensive snaps, but look for that to increase Saturday.

“Last week was kind of the first week back fully, and he played a bit,” Rodriguez said. “But he’ll have a full week to practice this week and expect him to be in there a little bit more. He’s a big, physical guy and a good football player. That was kind of the first game for him, and I think he’ll keep getting better. And his role is going to increase, of course, I think starting this weekend.”

STILLWATER — Lost in the madness of Saturday’s shutout win over Murray State, defensive tackle Enai White, a fifth-year senior, hit a major college milestone when he started the first game of his career.

“Throughout the week, like you kind of know, but you really don’t,” White said. “So like just when I see my name on (the) big screen in warmups I’m like okay, but I was just trying to stay focused and like try to just do my job and stuff, like not get too overwhelmed. But it was my first start. It felt good.”

White is one of a few guys whose role has been increasing since the opener. He played a season-high 38% of snaps against Oregon, which more than doubled his role from the Tulsa loss.

Then against Murray State, White played only 28% of snaps but that’s almost certainly because so many young guys were getting to rotate in given the score.

That start didn’t go unnoticed by his younger brother.

“Man, after the game, my little brother, he don’t miss a game,” White said, flashing a huge grin. “So when he seen me out there the first play, when I got back to my phone after the game, there was just texts. He’s so hyped. He’s going crazy. Got so many videos of me in the game, and just me like going out there every day, making him happy. That’s just, that is my why. That’s what I do for him.”

White grades out as the Cowboys’ seventh-best player overall against the run (73.7), and he’s OSU’s top defensive tackle averaging double-digit snaps. Oklahoma State’s ability to stop West Virginia’s potent running attack could be game-deciding this weekend.

White’s emergence as a starter for Oklahoma State is rather remarkable considering he’s never played more than 90 snaps in a season, a record he’s well on pace to crush this season as he has already played just over half that (46) in only three games.

Secondly, he’s still relatively new to the position.

“I was bobbling from defensive tackle back at Penn State (in 2025),” White said. “I was making that adjustment from D-end, and then when I came here, it was full-time. So I would say like a year-and-a-half. So this is my first full year playing D-tackle. I love it, though.”

247Sports ranked White as the No. 4 edge and the No. 28th overall prospect in the country when he signed with Texas A&M as a four-star prospect in 2022. He suffered a season-ending injury midway through his sophomore season and took a redshirt the following year.

White transferred to Penn State in 2025, where he played eight games for the Nittany Lions. Between that and his experiences with the Aggies, it’s safe to say he’s seen his fair share of bucket-list college football events.

“I’m not gonna lie, I’ve been blessed to experience all those experiences, for sure,” White said. “The white-out definitely was fun against Oregon last year. We went into overtime. That was fun. Actually, Kyle Field, we played Texas the first time, that was a great experience.

“And just being here at Boone Pickens, first game, home game, we get the upset win against Oregon, man, that was unbelievable. I’ve been blessed to be part of all three of those experiences. I just enjoyed every last one of them.”

Although some players might have expressed regret that their role in those games wasn’t larger, that wasn’t the case for White, who just seemed legitimately happy to be here playing for the Cowboys this season.

When discussing the Cowboys victory over the Ducks, White said he’s claustrophobic. It sounds like that came up during the postgame madness, but it also seems like the joy from winning that game and the support from OSU fans more than outweighed any discomfort he felt.

“All the fans all coming to me at one time, I was just crazy,” White said. “I was just jumping with them, I was just hyped. It felt good that we got people that feel that way about football, about us winning a game. We got people that really care, and they really love us. We felt that. It was felt, for sure.”

STILLWATER — Miles Coleman thinks the fearlessness it takes to be a punt returner came naturally to him.

Every weekend, Coleman — all 5-foot-6, 158 pounds of him — signs up to look up in the sky tracking a ball as other Division-I athletes sprint at him with bad intentions.

“You have to have confidence back there,” Coleman said Tuesday. “You gotta be smart. You have to make fast, quick decisions. I think that’s kinda been born into me, and I think it’s gonna help me a lot to get to that next level. So, I think it was just kind of born, instilled into me, just going out there and making plays every week.”

Coleman made plenty of plays in the return game this past weekend as part of Oklahoma State’s 59-0 win against Murray State.

He returned five punts for 115 yards, ripping off a 55-yard return that he was just a block away from housing. Through three games as a Cowboy, he’s returned eight punts for 123 yards.

That’s already the most punt return yards a Cowboy has had since Dillon Stoner had 164 in 2019. The last Cowboy to crack 100 punt return yards was Brennan Presley in 2022 when he returned 14 punts for 111 yards.

Coleman perhaps should have fewer punt return yards this year if he called a few more fair catches, but that’s where that fearlessness comes into play.

“Yeah, coach has kinda got onto be about that, but every time I have the ball in my hands, I like to make a play,” Coleman said. “But just making smart decisions back there has helped me, and Coach (Drew) Svoboda has helped me a lot. So, I think just making smarter decisions and knowing when to fair catch and when to be aggressive has helped me a lot.”

Coleman’s big day returning punts added to a solid day as a pass-catcher. Against Murray State, he also caught three passes for 53 yards and the first touchdown of his Cowboy career.

Little trickery to @Milescoleman14 for the first score 🤠 pic.twitter.com/RkebQurAAZ

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) September 19, 2026

Coleman’s journey to Stillwater intersects with a lot of other journeys to becoming Cowboys.

The obvious one is that he was part of the group that went from North Texas to OSU with head coach Eric Morris.

But before that, Coleman was childhood friends with Drew Mestemaker in Austin, with the two sharing a Pop Warner football team where Mestemaker was the quarterback and Coleman was the running back.

Coleman got his foot in the door with North Texas first, as it wasn’t until after he signed that Morris said he spoke with Coleman to get the rundown on Mestemaker.

“I still vividly remember when Drew and his mom came and kinda sat down when we started recruiting him and thinking there was a spot for him to be our fifth quarterback there,” Morris said. “It was something that Coach (Sean) Brophy and I sat down with him and his mom and had a great conversation. And after that, we were able to sit down and talk to Miles and just get some background and what type of human being moreso than playing football, what kind of kid he was, what kind of person he was. So, everything checked out.”

But there was a time that even Coleman’s spot on the UNT roster had some question marks around it. Coleman earned his scholarship offer by showing out at a camp in the summer going into his senior year.

Coleman committed to North Texas on June 27, 2023 — two days after another twitchy receiver committed: Chris Barnes.

“Ironically, Chris Barnes was committed to us for that spot when we were at North Texas,” Morris said. “So, didn’t know if we were gonna have a spot to take Miles at the time.”

In the end, Barnes flipped late to Washington State. Coleman made it to Denton and made an instant impact as a true freshman, catching 36 balls for 378 yards and two touchdowns while also totaling 172 yards in the kick return game. Across his two seasons at UNT, Coleman caught 83 passes for 928 yards and five touchdowns.

Then when he got to Stillwater, Coleman and Barnes were sharing a receiver room.

“It was awesome,” Coleman said. “He’s an explosive player, too. I actually thought they were gonna bring both of us there to UNT, but unfortunately Chris committed to Washington State. But seeing him come here, it’s been a blessing. Like I said, (we can be) like that Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle combination. I think that’s kinda the explosiveness we bring each and every week.”

When Coleman announced he was set to visit Oklahoma State out of the transfer portal, he did so with a picture of Tyreek Hill.

Twenty years ago or so, Coleman’s height would’ve seen a lot of coaches look over him, but guys like Hill and Waddle have brought the shorter, speedy receivers back into play. Coleman’s speed and fearlessness have made up for anything he’s lacked in terms of stature.

“Just tough and gritty, and just the ultimate — I don’t want to say underdog story,” Morris said. “I mean, he’s got speed, and I wouldn’t even say over-achiever. But always has had a chip on his shoulder.”

STILLWATER — On Saturday, Oklahoma State will attempt to slow down the country’s top rushing quarterback-running back duo as West Virginia QB Michael Hawkins and RB Cam Cook rank 12th and 13th in rushing yards this season, combining for 639 yards and nine touchdowns.

For context, only 33 teams have more rushing yards and only 19 have more rushing touchdowns than that duo.

“That’s something that we haven’t faced this year, really, is just being able to get that extra blocker into run schemes, right,” coach Eric Morris said. “We have to do a nice job of communication, and whenever we do get a chance to get him (Hawkins) on the ground. Misses will kill you when you’re fitting this run game up. It’s not just Hawkins. Cook is a really, really dynamic back there that will punish you as well. So we got to communicate, we got to tackle, we got to all be on the same page, all 11 of us.”

For the most part, Hawkins’ runs are by design, as WVU incorporates a lot of read-option concepts into the offense. They’re pretty effective too, considering the former Sooner ranks 11th in yards per carry, averaging 7.3 per attempt.

“We’ve really been working on the mesh point, staying on the quarterback’s top shoulder, making sure we keep him contained,” defensive tackle Enai White said. “Because he’s a fast guy. He definitely can run. We’re really just focused on keeping him contained, keeping him inside the box and making him uncomfortable.”

White said the goal is to make Hawkins uncomfortable while keeping him in the pocket. So, maintaining their rush lanes to prevent him from breaking a big one will be key.

“If the slide comes to you, get into the slide,” White said of the game plan for defensive tackles this week. “If the slide goes away from you, get out of it. So basically just following our rules and following our coaching and we’ll be fine.”

According to Pro Football Focus, Hawkins didn’t scramble at all in the first two games, but he proved he still has that ability to make the most of broken plays on Saturday night vs. then-No. 25 Virginia when he scrambled six times for 71 yards.

“Man, he’s just a playmaker,” safety Mose Phillips said. “I mean, he can play ball. Like the moment’s not too big for him. He goes out there. He can make you miss. He can make you pay with his arms and his legs. But the most important thing is just his competitive spirit. I think he really believes in his guys, and he leans on them, and they lean on him as well, so that’s what kind of impresses me about them.”

He’s not just a runner. According to PFF, Hawkins graded out as the nation’s top passer against Virginia, and he ranks sixth (among QBs with 15-plus dropbacks) with an average depth of target of 13.1.

None of which surprises the Cowboys head coach.

“I watched Hawkins in high school,” Morris said. “I think he could do whatever. He’s really talented. I’ve watched him throw the football, and he’s got it. That’s one thing. Some of these guys that are great athletes and great runners, they might have a fault and not be able to throw the football down the field, whereas he can. I think he’s a true dual-threat quarterback, and that’s what makes him so difficult when you have a guy that can do both so well.”

Although his numbers don’t pop the same way, the Cowboys can’t lose sight of the fact that Cook led the nation in rushing with 1,659 yards last season at Jax State. This season he ranks third in the country in missed tackles forced (23) and seventh in yards after contact (251).

No wonder Phillips started with Cook when asked what stands out about the Mountaineers.

“He gets his shoulder squared to the line of scrimmage,” Phillips said. “He gets down here. He got great contact balance. He knows how to take a hit. He knows how to shrug people off of them, spin off contact, different stuff like that. So we gotta get multiple hats to the ball. But also, they got a good receiving core that blocks really hard. Offensive line blocks hard. They know how to position block. They do a great job in their scheme. They know what they need to do in order to create seams. But also on the perimeter, they block good as well.”

STILLWATER — It sounds as if the Cowboys are trending to get some guys back soon, but just how soon remains a bit of a mystery.

Oklahoma State coach Eric Morris listed a few injury updates at his regular news conference on Tuesday.

The first came when Morris was asked about his receiving corps.

“Excited to get Chris Barnes back this week,” Morris said.

Barnes went down with an apparent shoulder injury in the Oregon game and missed the Cowboys’ game against Murray State this past weekend. Barnes went through warmups for that game but ended up not going, and the Cowboys didn’t need him in truth, as they still won 59-0.

A transfer from Wake Forest, Barnes has caught seven balls in his first two games as a Cowboy, gaining 87 yards on those receptions.

OSU starting right guard Joseph Hanson also went down in that Oregon game and didn’t play against the Racers this past weekend.

Morris said on Tuesday that Hanson has returned to practice. Hanson played 122 offensive snaps across the Cowboys’ first two games.

He started 13 games across three seasons at Coastal Carolina and was named to an All-Sun Belt second team last season. With him out, the Cowboys moved Johnny Dickson III from left guard to right guard and replaced him with Desmond Magiya.

Morris again noted that North Texas transfer tackle Braydon Nelson and tight end Oscar Hammond are practicing. Neither guys has played this season because of injuries suffered in fall camp.

Nelson started all of UNT’s games at tackle last season, and Hammond transferred to OSU from North Texas ahead of last season but missed the entire year with injury.

On his radio show last week, it sounded like Morris was targeting a return for Nelson after OSU’s bye (which is after this week’s game against West Virginia). But in his rundown on Tuesday, it sort of sounded as if Morris was leaving the door open.

“Hanson is practicing right now,” Morris said. “Braydon Nelson is practicing right now. Oscar Hammond’s practicing a little bit right now.

“So, hopefully be able to get some guys back going into conference.”

The first Big 12 injury report of OSU’s season will release Wednesday night.

Jordan Young, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound DB out of Florida, announced an Oklahoma State offer on Monday. Young has been committed to Pitt since May after previously announcing offers to Florida State, Nebraska, UCF, Georgia Tech and others.

After a great conversation with @JWilson_2

I’m blessed to receive a offer from oklahoma state university @polk_way @coachhenn12 @DylanOliver23 @LHSNaughts @Kelvin_Broome @GregBiggins @adamgorney pic.twitter.com/SxA12AGwLb

— Jordan “Jyoung” Young 4⭐️ (@jordanyoung_05) September 21, 2026

Young is the No. 941 player in the 247Sports Composite ranking for the 2027 class. That ranking tabs him as the No. 90 corner in the class and the No. 89 player from the state of Florida.

He plays at Lakeland High School in Florida. As a junior last season, he made 18 tackles, a tackle for loss, an interception and 16 pass breakups.

The Cowboys have a pair of defensive backs committed in their 2027 class in Bryson Brown (Broken Arrow) and Chayce Davis (Euless, Texas). But it seems as if OSU has been on the hunt for at least one other DB to add to the class with recent offers going out to Young, Cincinnati commit Noah Willis and junior college All-American Coaleon Johnson.

OSU’s 2027 Commits

Oklahoma State opens its Big 12 schedule this week with a game against West Virginia at 6 p.m. (Central) Saturday.

The depth chart’s tweaks include Missouri transfer safety Mose Phillips III being listed as the top free safety after initially being listed as a backup at a different safety spot. Louisville transfer Jerry Lawson is now listed as the solo NT1.

On offense, Ayo Adeyi was also listed as an “OR” for RB2 after Tre Page initially stood alone there. Shaun Torgeson is now listed as the top left tackle after sharing an “OR” with Desmond Magiya, who is now shares an “OR” with Johnny Dickson at left guard. Joseph Hanson, who missed the Murray State game, is still listed as the starting right guard.

Here’s the depth chart in full.

Quarterback

QB1: Drew Mestemaker (R-So., 6-3, 215, North Texas)
QB2: Grant Jordan (R-Sr., 6-2, 217, UMass) OR Brodie Vehrs (Fr., 5-11, 205)

Running Back

RB1: Caleb Hawkins (So., 6-0, 219, North Texas)
RB2: Tre Page (R-So., 5-8, 184, Tarleton State) OR Ayo Adeyi (R-Sr., 5-7, 194 , James Madison)

Wide Receiver

Z1: Chris Barnes (R-So., 5-7, 169, Wake Forest)
Z2: Terrence Lewis (So., 5-11, 170, North Texas)

X1: Justin Bowick (R-Sr., 6-5, 209, Illinois)
X2: Rodney Harris II (R-Sr., 6-1, 207, Ohio)

Y1: Miles Coleman (Jr., 5-6, 158, North Texas) OR Wyatt Young (Jr., 6-0, 199, North Texas)

Tight End

TE1: Carson Kolb (R-So., 6-4, 243, Oregon State) OR Morgan McPhaul (R-Sr., 6-2, 265, VMI)

TE2: Bodie Boydstun (R-Jr., 6-5, 239, SWOSU) OR Donovan Green (R-Sr., 6-3, 238, LSU) OR Oscar Hammond (R-Sr., 6-3, 243, returner)

Offensive Line

LT1: Shaun Torgeson (R-So., 6-4, 302, Portland State)
LT2:  Desmond Magiya (R-Jr., 6-4, 333, North Texas)

LG1: Johnny Dickson III (R-Sr., 6-2, 317, North Texas) OR Desmond Magiya (R-Jr., 6-4, 333, North Texas)

C1: Tyler Mercer (R-So., 6-4, 300, Kansas)
C2: Louie Canepa (R-Sr., 6-3, 299, returner)

RG1: Joseph Hanson (Sr., 6-4, 302, Coastal Carolina)
RG2: Jakobe Sanders (R-Jr. 6-2, 327, returner)

RT1: Ashton Lepo (R-Sr., 6-7, 320, Michigan State)
RT2: Ja’Qwon Evans (Fr., 6-5, 295)

Defensive End

END1: Jaleel Johnson (R-Sr., 6-4, 270, returner)
END2: Malik Charles (R-Sr., 6-3, 284, returner) OR Keviyan Huddleston (R-Jr., 6-4, 269, North Texas)

RUSH1: James Williams (R-Sr., 6-5, 256, Florida State)
RUSH2: DeSean Brown (R-Sr., 6-2, 266, returner) OR DJ Jackson (Sr., 6-4, 243, Troy) OR Billy Walton III (R-So., 6-3, 253, SMU)

Defensive Tackle

NT1: Jerry Lawson (Sr., 6-1, 312, Louisville) 
NT2: Saadiq Clements (R-Jr., 6-4, 310, North Texas) OR Luke Webb (R-So., 6-3, 311, returner)

DT1: Iman Oates (R-Sr., 6-3, 317, returner) OR Braylon Rigsby (R-Jr., 6-3, 283, Texas Tech)
DT2: Landon Dean (R-Sr., 6-5, 290, returner) OR Enai White (R-Sr., 6-5, 300, Penn State)

Linebacker

SAM1: Ethan Wesloski (R-Sr., 6-1, 234, North Texas)
SAM2: Trip White (R-Sr., 6-3, 234, returner)

MIKE1: Tate Romney (R-Sr., 6-1, 223, Arizona State)
MIKE2: Taurean Davis (Jr., 6-1, 231, Miss. Gulf Coast)

WILL1: Isaiah Chisom (R-Jr., 6-0, 234, UCLA)
WILL2: Gunnar Wilson (R-So., 6-2, 217, returner)

Cornerback

CB: LaDainian Fields (R-So., 6-1, 176, returner) OR Kobi Foreman (So., 5-10, 175, returner)

CB: Trudell Berry (6-1, 196, Vanderbilt) OR R-Sr., Mo Horn (R-Sr., 5-11, 183, Texas Tech) OR Kollin Lewis (R-Jr., 5-10, 188, North Texas)

Safety

FS1: Mose Phillips III (Sr., 6-2, 196, Missouri)
FS2: Evan Jackson (Sr., 5-11, 188, North Texas)

BS1: Quinton Hammonds (Jr., 6-1, 206, North Texas)
BS2: Markeith Williams (R-Sr., 6-2, 175, Miami)

N1: Christian Bodnar (R-Jr., 6-0, 188, Liberty)
N2: Cameron Epps (R-Sr., 6-2, 207, returner) OR Vincent Holmes (R-Jr., 6-2, 175, Washington)

Kicker

K1: Sam Keltner (R-So., 5-10, 185, SMU)
K2: Joseph Kim (R-Jr., 5-9, 196, UCO)

Punter

P1: Lachie Pozzobon (So., 6-4, 182, Stephen F. Austin)
P2: Nate Ost (R-Sr., 6-2, 198, Robert Morris)

Kickoff

KO1: Joseph Kim (R-Jr., 5-9, 196, UCO)
KO2: Sam Keltner (R-So., 5-10, 185, SMU)

Long Snapper

LS1: Caden Yates (R-Jr., 6-1, 223, North Texas)
LS2: Nolan Akins (R-Fr., 6-1, 198, SMU)

Holder

H1: Nate Ost (R-Sr., 6-2, 198, Robert Morris) OR Lachie Pozzobon (So., 6-4, 182, Stephen F. Austin)

Kick Return

KR1: Chris Barnes (R-So., 5-7, 169, Wake Forest)
KR2: Miles Coleman (Jr., 5-6, 158, North Texas)

Punt Return

PR1: Miles Coleman (Jr., 5-6, 158, North Texas)
PR2: Bobby Deal Jr. (R-Jr., 6-1, 190, Coffeyville CC)

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OSU Bullets

• Couple of golf updates – the Cowboys finished fifth at Olympia Fields, Cowgirls finished sixth at the Schooner Classic (OKState.com + Clipp’d)

• The OSU-West Virginia game will feature a touted quarterback battle -West Virginia’s Michael Hawkins has hit his stride in Rich Rodriguez’s offense.

With West Virginia starting 3-0 and OSU proving it is capable of beating Oregon, this Week 4 tilt is a lot more interesting than it was initially anticipated to be, and that extends to the quarterback matchup. [PFB]

• OSU announced a Nov. 1st wrestling tournament this year in Stillwater – a first look at the squad (PFB)

Last year Oklahoma State had closed door wrestle offs. This year on Nov 1st the Cowboys welcome 3 other teams to GIA where we will get our first look at the Cowboys and the current depth chart pecking order. Im PUMPED.

— Christian Pyles (@CPyles8) September 21, 2026

• Cowboy Hockey released their schedule yesterday:

The final 26-27 Schedule for Cowboy Hockey! #gopokes | #okstatehockey pic.twitter.com/U8zgYAW1lF

— OSU Cowboy Hockey (@okstatehockey) September 21, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

• 24 rules for succeeding at work

• The 77 and 31 year old female roommates with an intergenerational friendship

Oklahoma State on Monday announced the OSU Invitational Tournament, a four-team wrestling event scheduled to take place at 10 a.m. Nov. 1 in Gallagher-Iba Arena. The other teams in attendance will be Gardner Webb, Little Rock and SIU-Edwardsville.

The event will feature three mats going concurrently in GIA with double-elimination brackets. OSU’s release wasn’t clear on whether teams could have multiple entries per weight, but that’s how it is at similar invitational tournaments. The Black Knight Invitational, for example, is usually where Penn State sends guys when the Nittany Lions need a spot worked out.

David Taylor’s third squad looks to be his deepest to date, as he returns national champs Jax Forrest, Sergio Vega and Landon Robideau, while also returning All-Americans Troy Spratley, Casey Swiderski, Zack Ryder, Cody Merrill and Konner Doucet. On top of that, Taylor has brought in the top recruiting class of the cycle with guys like Dreshaun Ross, Jayden Raney, Jordyn Raney and others.

There will be some solid competition coming from the other squads, as well.

OSU alum Neil Erisman has done an excellent job building up the Little Rock program even in years where he has to replace outgoing transfers.

Stephen Little, a 197-pounder, is Little Rock’s star wrestler entering the season. He’s a three-time All-American after taking third this past season, losing to Merrill in tiebreakers at the NCAA Championships. Little went 20-3 last season.

The Trojans also added Iowa transfer Massoma Endene this offseason. Endene wrestled seven matches for the Hawkeyes last season at 197 pounds but looks to be making the move up to heavyweight this season. Endene beat Merrill 4-3 at National Duals last season.

Gardner Webb 133-poiunder TK Davis is a two-time national qualifier, who bowed out in the Round of 16 last season. Forrest beat him 16-1 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

SIU-Edwardsville 165-pounder Brock Woodcock qualified for NCAAs last season and finished the year at 26-9

Although this win doesn’t really change anything we think about the Cowboys, it is a small sign that the win over Oregon was more suggestive of who this team will be than the Tulsa loss, which is slowly starting to resemble an anomaly.

It’s always tough to know how good, or bad, anyone is until conference play kicks off, and Oklahoma State gets to start things off with a West Virginia squad, which also finds itself just outside the AP Top 25.

This one could be for a spot in the poll.

Today’s Final Draw will examine:

• One last look back at Justin Bowick’s big night.
• Why the running game remains a work in progress and what that means for upcoming Big 12 games.
• Some Cowboys currently buried on the depth chart who might have moved up following their play on Saturday.

But first, in the portal era, it’s always risky to get attached to young backups, but freshman Broderick Vehrs guided the offense to three consecutive touchdown drives once he took the field for the first time ever.

It’s safe to say he’s the way-too-early frontrunner to replace Mestemaker whenever he decides to leave for the NFL.

Vehrs completed 6-of-6 passes for 37 yards and a touchdown to go with eight rushing yards (on three carries). All of that adds up to one heck of a debut, but let’s go a little deeper on those nine plays.

1. 12-yard completion to WR Israel Polk: It’s Verhs’ third play, and the ball is well thrown. However, he stares Polk down all the way on this one. No big deal, it’s his first college pass ever. As long as this doesn’t become a crutch.
2. Scramble for four yards: Vehrs has a good pocket, but he doesn’t like his first read and bolts. On the positive side, he shows good speed and gets out of bounds without taking an unnecessary hit.
3. 10-yard touchdown pass to TE Carson Kolb: He is decisive, and the RPO is well-thrown here.
4. 6-yard completion to WR Kam Powell: Hits his first read quickly.
5. 1-yard completion to WR Jabarie Thornton: Another quick decision on what looks like an RPO.
6. 6-yard completion to TE Morgan McPhaul: For the first time, Vehrs checks down to his second (possibly third) read, and he converts on third down.
7. Scramble for three yards: He shows patience here, going through at least two progressions before taking off this time.
8. 2-yard completion to Powell: Quick RPO screen.
9. Rush for one yard: This time he called his own number on an RPO play. Interestingly enough, he looked like he was debating throwing the ball back to a receiver near the sideline just before he passed the line of scrimmage. Pretty sure that would have gone terribly given his speed and angle, so not throwing it was the right call. I wonder if that play has that option built into it or if it was just one of those backyard-football type instincts kicking in for the freshman.

Early on, Vehrs is so reliant on his first read that he seems more comfortable scrambling out of a relatively clean pocket instead of looking for anyone else.

That feels like such a normal response for someone in his position, so I have zero issues with it. In fact, the patience he shows later to work through his progressions more as he gets more comfortable makes me feel even better about his efficient debut.

Either the coaches nudged him to be that way, or he calmed down and started to remember that stuff on his own. Either way, it shows Vehrs can settle in and really work the field to his benefit without feeling the need to force anything.

Looking Back at Bowick’s Big Night

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Here are recaps of how Oklahoma State’s 2027 recruiting class performed this past weekend.

Carson White / QB / Hightower (2-2) / Texas

Height: 6-2
Weight: 205
247Sports Composite Ranking: No. 467

Carson White’s Fort Bend Hightower Hurricanes took out crosstown rivals Fort Bend Elkins 40-0 this past weekend.

White was 7-for-9 through the air for 121 yards, but he was unstoppable on the ground, running for 203 yards and three touchdowns on just 10 carries.

Four games into his senior season, White has 485 passing yards, 419 rushing yards and is responsible for eight touchdowns.

The Hurricanes travel to Strake Jesuit (0-4) this weekend.

Ake O’Neal / WR / Argyle (3-1) / Texas

Height: 6-3
Weight: 195
247Sports Composite Ranking: No. 1,494

For the second straight week, Argyle hung 70 points on its opponent, this time tearing through Highland Park 70-37. Through four games, O’Neal’s offense is averaging 55.3 points a contest.

O’Neal caught five passes for 35 yards and a touchdown. Through four games, he has 19 catches for 248 yards and three scores.

Argyle hosts Grapevine (2-2) this weekend.

TJ Lewis / RB / Bolingbrook (4-1) / Illinois

Height: 6-0
Weight: 225
247Sports Composite Ranking: No. 1,087

Bolingbrook shutout Plainfield Central 62-0.

Lewis and his Raiders will travel to Oswego East (3-2) this weekend.

Jake Baker / OL / Ensworth (3-2) / Tennessee

Height: 6-6
Weight: 295
247Sports Composite Ranking: No. 1,581

Ensworth fell to Lipscomb Academy 49-14.

Baker updated his season highlights through five games.

Ensworth hosts Brentwood Academy (3-2) this weekend.

Cooper Hooker / WR / Pryor (2-1) / Oklahoma

Height: 5-9
Weight: 165
247Sports Composite Ranking: No. 1,055

The Tigers had the week off but host Tulsa Edison (3-0) this weekend.

Hooker released a highlight reel from his first three games last week.

Israel Hammons / LB / Choctaw (2-2) / Oklahoma

Height: 6-3
Weight: 230
247Sports Composite Ranking: No. 172

The Yellowjackets are back up to .500 after walloping Muskogee 37-6.

Choctaw travels to Norman (2-2) this weekend.

Bryson Brown / DB / Broken Arrow (3-0) / Oklahoma

Height: 6-1
Weight: 190
247Sports Composite Ranking: No. 1,126

Broken Arrow had the week off but will travel to Norman North (3-0) this weekend for a battle of unbeatens.

Brown released a highlight reel of his first three games.

Talan Scott / TE / ALA-Queen Creek (1-3) / Arizona

Height: 6-4
Weight: 225
247Sports Composite Ranking: No. 1,285

ALA-Queen Creek fell to Chandler 37-21.

The Patriots hosts Liberty (3-1) this week.

Jayden Vessell / EDGE / Baton Rouge Catholic (1-2) / Louisiana

Height: 6-2
Weight: 230
247Sports Composite Ranking: No. 1,286

Jayden Vessell’s Bears fell to St. Thomas More in a barn-burner, with St. Thomas More taking it 43-42.

Baton Rouge Catholic travels to Ruston (2-1) this weekend.

Odaefe Oruru / OL / Jenks (1-2) / Oklahoma

Height: 6-6
Weight: 310
247Sports Composite Ranking: No. 486

Jenks had an open week but travels to Union (0-3) for the Backyard Bowl this week.

Sonny Mullen / OL / Troy (3-0) / Texas

Height: 6-7
Weight: 285
247Sports Composite Ranking: No. 1,261

Troy had the week off, but the Trojans travel to Rockdale (0-3) this weekend.

Chayce Davis / DB / Trinity (1-2) / Texas

Height: 6-0
Weight: 173
247Sports Composite Ranking: No. 550

Trinity also had an open week ahead of a game against Irving (0-3) this weekend.

Oklahoma State unveiled its full 2027 Cowboy baseball schedule on Monday. Here’s a look with some notes to follow:

The Cowboys are set to play 30 regular season games in the comfort of O’Brate Stadium, which includes five Big 12 series.

March 23 is a date many will circle, as it will mark Bedlam against the reigning national champion Sooners in Stillwater. OSU and OU played twice last season but at neither team’s home venue. OU beat the Pokes 10-1 at Globe Life Field in Arlington at the beginning of the season before the Cowboys beat the Sooners 7-3 at OneOK Field in April in Tulsa.

That game against OU is one of many marquee nonconference matchups the Pokes have scheduled.

OSU opens the season in Los Angeles against USC for what will be just the 10th, 11th and 12th meetings between the two programs all-time.

An event in Arlington always provides the Cowboys a tough early measuring stick, and that’ll be no different in 2027 with OSU playing Iowa, Oregon and Oregon State in the home of the Texas Rangers.

OSU opens Big 12 play in Stillwater on March 19 against Kansas State, and the Cowboys will also close the regular season at home with a series against Houston.

The Big 12 Tournament is headed back to Arizona next spring, where it was this past season, as OSU will hope to be in the business of securing a home NCAA Regional, which would be somewhere between June 4 through June 7.

Well, this weekend Mestemaker will be in a quarterback duel against PFF’s highest-graded QB from college football’s Week 3.

When the dust settled from the weekend, Pro Football Focus graded West Virginia’s Michael Hawkins as the best quarterback for the weekend, tabbing the Mountaineer at a 94.1. Mestemaker was just two spots back, grading out at 93.1 behind Hawkins and Georgia’s Gunner Stockton (93.5).

Highest Graded Quarterbacks from Week 3🎯 pic.twitter.com/CRoIn8i422

— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 21, 2026

Hawkins looked like he was playing a video game as he led West Virginia to a 38-27 win against then-No. 25 Virginia. Hawkins threw for 190 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another 123 yards and three scores, including a graceful hurdle into the end zone to get the scoring started.

MICHAEL HAWKINS JR. WENT AIRBORNE FOR THE TD ✈️

📺 ACCN pic.twitter.com/CacPhVfEr9

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) September 20, 2026

He has looked like the perfect guy to run Rich Rodriguez’s offense through his first three games as a Mountaineer. Hawkins has thrown for 477 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions and ran for another 322 yards and six scores.

Twice already this season Hawkins has thrown for 100 yards and ran for 100 yards in the same game. In the only game he didn’t do that, he threw for 155 yards and ran for 96 yards.

“Mike, he’s a dynamic player, and I think he’s gonna keep getting better,” said Rodriguez after the Virginia game. “It’s just his third game in the system. Obviously the plays he made, but his composure and seeing what was out there. Even on certain other plays that maybe didn’t hit the way we wanted to, he knew exactly what was going on. I think he grew a lot, I think our offense grew a lot today in certain moments. But Mike, he’s electric and I think he showed today he’s got a lot of really good football in front of him, too.”

People in the state of Oklahoma likely remember Hawkins being underwhelming as a Sooner, but recent results might point to that being more on the Sooners. He took part in nine games across two seasons at OU, where he threw for 950 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions while running for 262 yards and two touchdowns. He’s already ran for more yards in a third of the games as a Mountaineer.

This was the type of success many saw Hawkins achieving at the college level, as he was a four-star prospect in the 2024 class and picked Oklahoma over offers from Alabama, Michigan and others.

The other side of Saturday’s quarterback matchup features a guy who wasn’t heralded coming out of high school but had more expectations on him entering this particular season than Hawkins did.

In two quarters and a drive, Mestemaker completed 91% of his 22 attempts for 324 yards, five touchdowns and no picks in the Cowboys’ dismantlement of FCS Murray State.

Although he’s not viewed as the runner that Hawkins is, Mestemaker is also no stranger to a 100-yard rushing game this season after he scooted for 109 yards on six carries against Oregon less than two weeks ago.

With West Virginia starting 3-0 and OSU proving it is capable of beating Oregon, this Week 4 tilt is a lot more interesting than it was initially anticipated to be, and that extends to the quarterback matchup.

OSU Bullets

• Pokes open as 2.5 point favorites over West Virginia, SP+ is picking the Cowboys 28-26 (X)

• Cowboys not ranked but still receiving votes in the AP (PFB)

• Drew Mestemaker set some big records on Saturday (PFB)

• Cowboy alum Carson Benge is setting New York Mets records and turning heads:

Carson Benge continued his breakout rookie season by making some history. The former Cowboy and No. 19th overall pick set a New York Mets rookie record with his 156th hit of the season in the Mets’ 154th game. He started his hitting with his 19th home run, bringing him within one hit of Pete Alonso’s record. [PFB]

“I think we should keep taking Oklahoma State kids” 😂

Andy Green talks about Carson Benge breaking the Mets’ rookie hits record: pic.twitter.com/5D7e2yYgRY — SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) September 19, 2026

• Hauss Hejny left the game against BYU with what appears to be a hamstring injury (Coloradoan)

• Three takeaways from a Murray State rewatch (PFB)

• Roger gets it.

i am 100% in on the Eric Morris era at Oklahoma State (do not look at Week 1. ignore. ignore) https://t.co/KfwhoAuFq7

— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) September 18, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

• Gosh I enjoyed the third book in this series – it may be intended for kids but terrific stuff

• Playful parents (faith-based)

Although there wasn’t quite an Oklahoma State beating Oregon moment in Week 3, there were still plenty of storylines to follow throughout the Big 12.

Here’s a roundup of the league’s games.

Texas Tech Comes Back to Beat Houston

For a quarter, it looked as if Houston might go to Lubbock and blow the Red Raiders out, but Texas Tech warmed up as the game went on and beat the Cougars 28-26.

The game came down to a 2-point conversion attempt from Houston, but no matter how far Conner Weigman stretched, he was oh, so short of the pylon. OSU fans know the pain.

Houston QB Conner Weigman was ruled down on this 2-pt conversion rush that would’ve tied the game, 28-28, with 49 seconds left 😱 pic.twitter.com/GGmha3HXB5

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) September 19, 2026

Late-arriving Florida State transfer Thomas Castellanos actually took the first snap at quarterback for the Red Raiders. It could have gone better.

HOUSTON PICKS OFF THOMAS CASTELLANOS ON TEXAS TECH’S FIRST OFFENSIVE PLAY👀

(via FOX) pic.twitter.com/9IsC6s37Fy

— On3 (@On3) September 19, 2026

That would be the only pass he threw.

After Houston went up 10-0, the Red Raiders scored back-to-back touchdowns to take their first lead, and the seesaw was on.

Will Hammond threw for 257 yards, a touchdown and a pick, while Weigman finished with 282 yards and three touchdowns. It was one of the rare instances where the player of the game was probably the guy on the losing team.

Whether this game says more about Tech or Houston, we’ll have to wait and see.

Best Virginia

The Mountaineers are 3-0 for the first time since 2018 after going down to Charlotte and upsetting No. 25 Virginia 38-27.

Although it was an upset, it wasn’t an accident. West Virginia was up 38-21 with less than a minute to play and outgained the Cavaliers 437-354.

OU transfer quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. did it all for the Mountaineers. He had 190 passing yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions and ran for another 123 yards and three scores. It’s already the second time this season Hawkins has thrown for 100 and ran for 100 in a game, and in the lone game he didn’t, he ran for 96 yards.

Hawkins’ biggest highlight from the game came when he did his best Drew Mestemaker impersonation (without the crash landing).

MICHAEL HAWKINS JR. WENT AIRBORNE FOR THE TD ✈️

📺 ACCN pic.twitter.com/CacPhVfEr9

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) September 20, 2026

The Cowboys’ run defense better be on its Ps and Qs next week because the tandem of Hawkins and Cam Cook (who ran for 123 yards against Virginia) will be quite the test.

Sun Devils Survive London

It cannot be easy to pack up your team in the middle of the season and take them across many time zones into a foreign country. And Arizona State and Kansas did that for their Big 12 opener, no less.

The Sun Devils beat the Jayhawks 24-17 at Wembley Stadium.

ASU was up 24-7 early in the fourth quarter, but the Jayhawks didn’t give up. A touchdown and a field goal later, and the game was down to one score. But Arizona State was able to pound out the final 3:44 on its next drive to end the comeback attempt.

Kansas actually outgained Arizona State 414-228, but the Jayhawks threw an interception and lost two fumbles.

Colorado, You Good?

After representing the Big 12 well in Week 1 with a win over the ACC, Colorado went to Big Ten territory this weekend and lost to Northwestern 41-7.

The Buffaloes had four turnovers to the Northwestern’s one, while the Wildcats outgained Colorado 423-348. Not great. Not great, at all.

Full Week 3 Results

Texas Tech 28, Houston 26
Oklahoma State 59, Murray State 0
BYU 41, Colorado State 23
Utah 33, Utah State 0
West Virginia 38, Virginia 27
Kansas State 31, Tulane 20
Iowa State 55, Bowling Green 7
Arizona State 24, Kansas 17
Cincinnati 35, Miami (OH) 31
Baylor 36, Louisiana Tech 19
UCF 44, Georgia State 30
Northwestern 41, Colorado 7
TCU 31, Arkansas State 7
Arizona 42, Northern Illinois 17

Next Weekend’s Schedule

Sam Houston at Texas Tech — 11 a.m. Saturday on TNT
Colorado at Baylor — 11 a.m. Saturday on ESPN2
Utah at Iowa State — 2:30 p.m. Saturday on FOX
TCU at UCF — 2:30 p.m. Saturday on FS1
Houston at Georgia Southern — 3 p.m. Saturday on ESPNU
Oklahoma State at West Virginia — 6 p.m. Saturday on FS1
Kansas State at Cincinnati — 6 p.m. Saturday on ESPN2
Arizona at Washington State — 6:30 p.m. Saturday on CBS

After a few years of an offensive drought, Saturday felt like drinking water through a firehose.

Oklahoma State blew past Murray State 59-0 on Saturday in Boone Pickens Stadium. I’ve already shared 10 thoughts in the immediate fallout of the game, but after going back and rewatching it, here are three more things I noticed.

1. OSU Showed Some Fun Formations on Its Second Drive

The highlight of Oklahoma State’s second drive from Saturday night is (and should be) Wyatt Young’s one-handed grab in the end zone, but before it got to that point, the Cowboys flashed some fun formations that might give opposing defensive coordinators something to think about.

The first came on the second play of the drive when the Cowboys hurried to the line and had Wyatt Young line up at running back and Justin Bowick at tight end (sorry for the potato-quality picture):

Drew Mestemaker tossed to Young, who played quarterback in high school, and Young ran for a gain of 8 yards.

Formations were fairly standard issue until the seventh play of the drive, when Caleb Hawkins lined up at quarterback, taking the snap and faking a toss to Mestemaker before plowing forward for an 8-yard gain.

At the least, those formations are something opposing teams will have to keep in mind. At the most, OSU could pull some wild trick play out of it.

2. I Think This Was My Favorite Mestemaker Throw

My Mestemaker dot of the day is going to be a ball he threw to Miles Coleman late in the first quarter.

Throwing from his own 16-yard line, Mestemaker hit Coleman 29 yards down field, dropping it in a bucket among three Racer defenders.

It ended up being a gain of 34, helping set up the Cowboys’ third touchdown of the day.

A close second favorite throw might’ve been when Mestemaker hit the breaks in the pocket to avoid the rush before flat-footing a ball in a bucket 30 yards down the field to Bowick.

It’s a level of arm talent Oklahoma State hasn’t had in quite some time (maybe ever?).

3. Morris Was Pumped About William Mason, Here’s Why

Perhaps the longest-lasting position battle of the OSU football season is RB2. And by the sounds of it, that battle gained another contestant Saturday night if anything.

“I thought William Mason did a phenomenal job when he came in,” Morris said. “… I’ll tell you, to be true, William Mason might’ve pushed for a little bit more playing time today just because the way that he played when he did get his reps. William has been phenomenal in special teams for us, plays almost all of them. Has been locked in and continues to grow as a player. So, yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised if after watching that tape if we give No. 22 a couple more chances.”

Depending on how in-deep you are with OSU football, you might be wondering, who is William Mason? And what was it that he did to earn such a glowing review from his head coach postgame? Let’s dive in.

First of all, Mason is a 5-foot-11, 226-pound senior who transferred to OSU from UCO this offseason. He played in 30 games with the Bronchos, where he took 280 carries and turned them into 1,627 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Mason played just eight offensive snaps on Saturday, but in that stretch he carried five times for 48 yards (9.2 yards per carry).

He had one carry that went for less than 9 yards, being a loss of one in which he was met by a few guys in the hole. Take that away, and he averaged 11.8 yards a rush.

Mason is the guy who set up KD Jones’ touchdown, running for 32 yards on that drive before Jones subbed in and paid it off. Then Jones did most of his work on the next series.

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Oklahoma State tallied 50 points in the poll, which put the Pokes as a would-be No. 30. That’s one spot behind Oklahoma (91 points) and two spots behind the Cowboys’ Week 4 opponent, West Virginia (93 points).

Here’s the poll in its entirety:

The Mountaineers knocked Virginia out of the poll this weekend when WVU beat the then-No. 25 Cavaliers 38-27 in Charlotte. West Virginia is 3-0 for the first time since 2018.

Oregon, who the Cowboys beat in Week 2, moved up one spot to No. 20 this week after the Ducks crushed Portland State 84-0.

Tulsa, who beat the Cowboys in Week 1, is also in the receiving votes category with 18 points. The Golden Hurricane thumped East Texas A&M 42-0 this weekend without starting quarterback Baylor Hayes.

The Big 12 has four ranked teams in No. 9 BYU, No. 11 Texas Tech, No. 15 Utah and No. 25 Houston, with the latter Cougars staying in despite their loss in Lubbock this weekend. Arizona (10 points) and Kansas State (3 points) join OSU and WVU in the receiving votes category.

BYE BYE BENGE!

Carson Benge ties the franchise rookie record for hits in a season with 155! 👏 pic.twitter.com/yruh6P1gdW

— New York Mets (@Mets) September 19, 2026

Carson Benge breaks the Mets’ rookie hit record! 👏 pic.twitter.com/2SUYHGKQBU

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 19, 2026

“I think we should keep taking Oklahoma State kids” 😂

Andy Green talks about Carson Benge breaking the Mets’ rookie hits record: pic.twitter.com/5D7e2yYgRY — SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) September 19, 2026

OSU Bullets

• Marshall’s 10 Thoughts should be your first stop to get the ins and outs of any OSU game. [PFB]

• Drew Mestemaker has already made his mark on OSU’s record books. [PFB]

• Ben Hutchens shared his takeaways from the game, including mentioning the “H” word when it comes to Mestemaker. [The Oklahoman]

• Several young Cowboys got some extended play on Saturday. These reps could pay off dividends in the future. (Excuse me while I go Google Brodie Vehrs HS highlights.) [PFB]

• Brett McMurphy as Oklahoma State as No. 18 in his AP Poll ballot for Sunday.

• New traditions everywhere.

pic.twitter.com/KD1bK7N66o

— no context college football (@nocontextcfb) September 20, 2026

Non-OSU Bullets

• We will be watching all season. The Golden Hurricane also shut out an FCS opponent. 

3-0 pic.twitter.com/acKDFNIHBI

— Jeremie Poplin (@jeremiepoplin) September 20, 2026

• Lol.

The local news is so good tonight.

Ole Miss 32, LSU 24 pic.twitter.com/xPg6RbcL7f

— Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) September 20, 2026

• This just defies logic or common sense.

🚨 VANDERBILT WALK-OFF FUMBLE RECOVERY IN THE END ZONE

NC STATE FUMBLED WHILE RUNNING OUT THE CLOCK 😳 pic.twitter.com/TrahtvSGmG

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 19, 2026

STILLWATER — For most of the first half, it looked like receiver Justin Bowick was fighting a one-man battle (with assistance from Drew Mestemaker) against Murray State.

When the final whistle sounded, the receiver won in resounding fashion. Murray State finished with 160 yards of total offense in the 59-0 loss to the Cowboys.

Meanwhile, Bowick put on a clinic hauling in nine receptions for 178 yards and two touchdowns despite spending most of the second half on the sidelines.

“That’s the reason I came here,” Bowick said. “To be explosive.”

Bowick believed he had that kind of game in him from the first snap he lined up against the Racers. Not on Saturday night, but back in 2022 when he was a freshman at Eastern Illinois.

“My freshman year I played Murray State, and then playing them now it was a cool moment just to see how much I’ve grown,” Bowick said.

In that 2022 meeting, Bowick was an afterthought, playing only four snaps on offense according to Pro Football Focus records.

“I feel like I’ve gotten a lot bigger, faster and stronger,” Bowick said. “My routes have gotten way better since freshman year.

“So, made an improvement.”

He can say that again.

Bowick’s response was super sincere on Saturday night, but his improvement seems so obvious that it’s almost laughable to see his quote written out.

His start at the FCS level, at least according to Bowick, wasn’t a lack of talent on his part, but a lack of opportunity.

Bowick missed his entire junior season after transferring high schools. According to MaxPreps, he caught 11 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown across three games late in his senior season, but he tore his Achilles completely off the bone before that season, which is why he didn’t play until the end.

“That was probably the most pain I’ve felt,” he said. “But it also gives me the drive I have now, sitting out, knowing what that feels like.”

When asked if that was a frustrating time in his life, Bowick said it’s important to have faith and know an opportunity is still coming.

That’s what Eastern Illinois represented to him.

It didn’t take long for him to begin standing out. Bowick broke out in the final game of his freshman season with a six-catch, 177-yard, two-touchdown effort.

He topped 100 receiving yards once in 2023, then twice in 2024 at Ball State, including a 171-yard performance. Despite playing 12 games at Illinois last season, Bowick never topped 50 yards, though he did tie the team lead with five receiving touchdowns.

“It feels like forever ago,” Bowick said. “It really does. That’s why I was super proud to get a 100-yard game again (tonight).”

Multiple times in the last nine months, coach Eric Morris and Cowboy players on both sides of the ball have attempted to explain the seemingly too-big-to-be-that-fast weapon that Bowick proved he could be behind closed doors this offseason.

Following his own impressive outing against Murray State, cornerback Mo Horn credited Bowick with preparing the defensive backs for this fall.

“You probably won’t face any receivers like Justin Bowick, man,” Horn said. “He one of a kind for sure.”

When asked about OSU’s 6-foot-5, 209-pound receiver, Morris didn’t focus on anything he did during Saturday’s game. Instead, Morris chose to praise Bowick for everything that came before.

“He practices like a professional,” Morris said. “He takes care of his body. He’s the first one here, last one to leave. Like always in the training room, not because he’s hurt, but just the way he prepares is phenomenal, right.

“And so I think he’s having fun playing in a wide-open offense, you know, in something where he’s getting targets.”

Bowick said that “pro” mindset is something he adopted last season at Illinois, but the seeds were planted back in high school when that devastating injury sidelined him during his last chance to make a real impression.

“I always kind of keep that in the back of my mind,” Bowick said. “And that’s why I always stay on my routine, just to be healthy throughout the season.”

STILLWATER — Saturday was a good day for Cowboy starters to get a little work in and then let the young guys take over.

Oklahoma State was also without a few contributors during Saturday’s 59-0 victory against Murray State.

Wide receiver Chris Barnes went through warmups but didn’t play in the game. He went down with an apparent shoulder injury in the Cowboys’ win against Oregon last week. After Saturday’s game, Morris called Barnes a “game-time decision” and said that he did practice this past week.

In his place, sophomore Terrence Lewis got some more run, and he made the most of it. Lewis caught two passes for 49 yards and his first touchdown as a Cowboy.

Terrence tuddy @terrencethee1 pic.twitter.com/hKvnfE7rKq

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) September 20, 2026

Other guys on the two-deep who didn’t play were offensive lineman Joseph Hanson, tight end Oscar Hammond, defensive tackle Iman Oates and defensive tackle Braylon Rigsby.

On Tuesday, Morris said Hammond has returned to practice. He hasn’t played as a Cowboy yet after missing all of last season and the beginning of this season with injury. The last time Hammond has played came under Morris at UNT in 2024, where the Collinsville alum was the Mean Green’s lead tight end, catching 19 balls for 238 yards and a touchdown.

Oates and Hanson both went down in the Oregon game.

Morris said Tuesday that Oates was mad they wouldn’t let him go back into the Oregon game, so that would lead us to believe him missing Saturday’s game was more precautionary than anything. The Cowboys defense managed without him against Murray State, holding the Racers to 3.3 yards a carry on 23 attempts.

A Coastal Carolina transfer, Hanson was the second starting offensive lineman to go down, joining Jacob Sexton. In his place, the Cowboys moved Johnny Dickson III from left guard to right guard and had Desmond Magiya slot in on the left side.

But it sounds as if both Oates and Hanson are trending to return soon.

“I think both of those guys should be up practicing next week,” Morris said. “Obviously they’ll have to prove throughout the week that they can manage a game load, and we’ll have to make a decision later in the week.”

STILLWATER — With the Cowboys running their FCS foe off the field, some young guys got their first tastes of college football on Saturday night in Boone Pickens Stadium.

As Oklahoma State crushed Murray State 59-0, eight true freshmen and four redshirt freshman played snaps on either offense or defense on Saturday.

The most anticipated of those guys among the OSU fanbase was former Jenks standout KD Jones.

On his first carry as a Cowboy, Jones rumbled in for a six-yard touchdown, and he later broke off a 25-yard gain to put the game on ice, finishing with seven carries for 54 yards and the score.

First touchdown as a Cowboy for the Oklahoma kid @kaydinjoness 🤠 pic.twitter.com/sZOfgxtSjh

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) September 20, 2026

“Yeah, so it was pretty awesome,” OSU coach Eric Morris said. “We scrimmaged those guys, all the young guys, on Thursdays, and they actually get to get out there and play some football, the guys that are kinda giving us some looks during the course of the week. Our challenge at the end of this week and Thursday football was they have four downs from the 10 to score — no blitzing and you couldn’t throw it. Just a little bit of a toughness drill. KD was the back in that, got all four carries and finally got in the end zone the very last play. It was just cool to see, like, that kinda came true for him today.

“I mean, he hit it. He was running behind his pads today, and obviously that’s a moment he’ll remember for the rest of his life, getting his first touchdown in Boone Pickens. And somebody that didn’t get a ton of reps with the offense this week. But I think that was awesome that that was a spot that he was in. It was in the same exact spot, same end zone that we did in practice that happened in the game.”

Jones took his handoffs from classmate Broderick Vehrs, who also played his first snaps of college football on Saturday night.

The freshman quarterback was 6-for-6 for 37 yards and a touchdown pass to tight end Carson Kolb.

First passing touchdown as a Cowboy @brodie_vehrs4 🤠 pic.twitter.com/geOVbxi7B6

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) September 20, 2026

Vehrs, listed at 5-foot-11, 205 pounds, is an interesting story and another example of Morris plucking a quarterback from where few are looking.

Out of Arizona, Vehrs was committed to Morris at North Texas and signed with the Cowboys shortly after Morris took the OSU job. Despite not being heavily recruiting, he has garnered a lot of praise since getting to campus in the spring, and he got to display why on Saturday.

“Yeah, he came to our camp (at UNT),” Morris said. “Super, super competitive. Probably, maybe has the strongest arm on our team. Really quick release. But the way he competed at camp, and his tape was really good from high school, too.

“I’m not afraid to have a short guy. He really reminds me of Case Keenum, a guy that we had at Houston a long time ago. And just his personality. Like, people are drawn to him. Like, he’s one of the leaders in that freshman group. He’s in our developmental group morning lifts right now. That’s pretty rare for a backup quarterback to be in that right now, but he just brings so much energy and keeps those guys together. I think it was a combination and saying, ‘Hey, we’re not scared of his size.’ 

Vehrs had shared an “OR” with UMass/Yale transfer Grant Jordan on OSU’s depth charts, but it was Vehrs who got the nod when an opportunity arose.

“He’s been great in practice,” Morris said. “He’s gotten so much better. He’s getting a ton of reps, and so I had a ton of confidence in him going in there and just executing the offense right now. Obviously we didn’t open it up. We wanted to take some time off at that time and run the football. But he did a really nice job. He was cool, calm and collected on the sideline. 

“He has such a great personality. He’s really good in the huddle. He directed the huddle. He had a lot of confidence there. He’s got a really, really strong arm, and I think he was able to showcase that a couple times. But I’m happy he’s out there able to do all the operations and hear their calls and operate.”

But it wasn’t just young skill guys who got to play Saturday.

The Cowboys played two true freshmen offensive linemen (Ja’Qwon Evans and Eli Holbrook), a redshirt freshman offensive lineman (Miguel Chavez), three true freshmen defensive linemen (Savion Barthelemy, Nygel Farsee and Landon Bland) and a redshirt freshman defensive lineman (Dominic Macon).

Evans raised a few eyebrows when he was listed on OSU’s first depth chart of the season, listed as a backup left tackle for Jacob Sexton. Evans played at right tackle when he got in Saturday.

He’s listed at 6-foot-5, 295 pounds and was another Morris find. He’s out of Shawnee, but none of the state schools were pursuing him until Morris got the OSU job. Evans was also committed to UNT but looks to be one to watch as his career continues.

“Yeah, I think it’s huge,” said Morris of young linemen playing. “You know, you never know nowadays — I say nowadays, I guess, just in football in general — when you get people injured, and so I thought there were some young offensive linemen that we got in there, two true freshmen that have really come on the last couple weeks. They’re getting reps with the twos right now, and so I think just for them to go out there and feel it for the first time, with the atmosphere, with the crowd, and being able to do it without a coach around them. So yeah, I thought that was huge for on both sides, offense and defense.”

STILLWATER — It only took Drew Mestemaker one half to do what no Oklahoma State passer could accomplish last season.

OSU’s QB1 walked into the locker room with 266 passing yards. That’s 31 more yards than any Cowboy had in an entire game last season.

Whoa, whoa, quiet down. Yes, OSU was plagued by severe question marks at quarterback last season. That’s likely a big reason athletic director Chad Weiberg went after Eric Morris in the first place.

But 266 passing yards would have topped OSU’s passing leader in 7-of-12 games in 2024.

And 7-of-14 times in 2023.

And 7-of-13 times in 2022.

And 11-of-14 times in 2021.

It goes on like that until 2018.​

Despite playing only one series in the second half, Mestemaker finished the game 20-of-22 for 324 yards and five touchdowns.

That was enough to break two single-game school records (with a minimum of 20 attempts). His 90.9% accuracy tops previous record holder J.W. Walsh, who hit 88.9% at UTSA in 2013, and runner-up Brandon Weeden, who completed 85.7% against Kansas in 2011.

Mestemaker also set a new record for pass efficiency (289.6) when he shattered Taylor Cornelius’ previous record day (262) against Kansas in 2018.

“I thought some of his layered throws today were phenomenal,” Eric Morris said. “That’s not easy to do. He had two balls on the second level – 30, 40 yards down the field – one with pressure to (Justin) Bowick that were pretty phenomenal throws. He just continues to take great pride in the way he prepares and goes out there and executes at a really high level.”

His big day doesn’t stop there. The last OSU quarterback to throw for five touchdowns in one game was Alan Bowman, who hit that mark against Tulsa in 2024. That was just before the team began its two-year slide to rock bottom, but even if you’re fortunate enough to erase those two seasons from your mind, five touchdowns in one game is still pretty rare for a Cowboy QB.

Before Bowman did it, Cornelius did so twice in 2018, and Mason Rudolph did so four times between 2015-17.

Then you go back to Weeden, who did so three times across 2010-11. That’s only eight times in 14 years in our alternate timeline.

Murray State doesn’t look like a Goliath at the FCS level, much less a team that can hang with a power conference team. But OSU has overmatched teams before, even if it’s been a while. And still, those quarterbacks rarely hit the mark Mestemaker did in less than 2.5 quarters of action.

Mestemaker has thrown for 882 passing yards this season, and he’s averaging 294 a game. That’s a 12-game pace of 3,528 yards.

Even just hitting that would put Mestemaker seventh on OSU’s single-season passing yards record book, and he could finish even higher if the Cowboys capitalize on this potential and return to the postseason.

Morris said, “He’s been the same guy since the day that he became the starter and went out and played the bowl game for us (at North Texas in 2024). … Is he getting better and continuing to grow? Absolutely. I mean, he takes great pride in what he does, and he’s his own worst critic, and he’ll be the first one to tell you.”

STILLWATER — The Cowboys were expected to dominate, and that’s what they did.

Oklahoma State took it to lowly Murray State on Saturday in Boone Pickens Stadium, beating the Racers 59-0. Here are 10 thoughts on the game.

1. The Bow Show

Murray State learned why Justin Bowick was on The Athletic’s “Freak List” in the preseason.

He’s 6-foot-5 and apparently among the fastest players on what is a fast OSU team. Bowick will be an issue for Power Five defensive backs. Now imagine being an FCS defensive back standing across from him.

Tyler made note in The Final Draw this week that Bowick was due for a breakout, and that came against the Racers. He caught nine passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns — and all of that came in the first half.

He’s bigger than you, he’s faster than you and he has a potential first-round pick throwing him the ball.

2. Mestemaker Was Uber-Efficient

OSU’s star quarterback got to play only one second-half drive, but it was enough to put a bow on a beautiful stat line.

In just over two quarters, Drew Mestemaker was 20-for-22 for 324 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. His only blunder was a second-quarter fumble deep in Murray State territory, but aside from that, you can’t ask for much more.

Sure, it was Murray State. And sure, OSU’s O-line gave him a lot of time because of the level of competition, but you’d rather that than him completing 60% of his passes for 250 yards, three TDs and a pick.

He had a couple of nice touch passes, including a 34-yard gain to Miles Coleman in the first quarter, where Mestemaker layered the ball over a few defenders and dropped it in a bucket to Coleman.

Mestemaker’s best ball was probably his touchdown to Wyatt Young in the first quarter. Young ran a fade from the slot, and Mestemaker threw a perfect ball that Young brought in with one hand.

For your viewing pleasure https://t.co/DwRaBLw9DP pic.twitter.com/mT9Udk9adk

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) September 19, 2026

After what was an admittedly rough game in Tulsa, Mestemaker has gone 46-for-65 (71%) for 641 yards and seven touchdowns while running for another 103 yards and a score.

Through three games, Mestemaker has thrown for more touchdowns this season (8) than OSU did all of last season (7).

3. Broderick Vehrs, QB2

Freshman Broderick Vehrs and UMass/Yale transfer Grant Jordan have shared an “OR” on the OSU depth chart, but when given the opportunity to get one on the field, Morris went with his youngster.

It makes sense. Most notably, Vehrs has more years to play, so getting him experience is only a good thing. And then also, basically anyone who has seen Vehrs for an extended period of time in practice has talked him up.

In his first bit of college action, Vehrs went 6-for-6 for 37 yards and a touchdown to Carson Kolb.

First passing touchdown as a Cowboy @brodie_vehrs4 🤠 pic.twitter.com/geOVbxi7B6

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) September 20, 2026

Should Vehrs develop into a good college quarterback, it’d be another example of Morris finding value where few others are looking.

Vehrs was committed to Morris and this staff at North Texas over an offer from Northern Arizona. Out of Basha High School (AZ), Vehrs was the No. 1,758 player in the 247Sports Composite ranking for his class, which listed him as the No. 97 QB in the cycle.

4. What Did We Learn about RB2?

With the lopsided score, we got a longer look at OSU running backs not named Caleb Hawkins.

Here’s how everyone else looked:

Ayo Adeyi — 7 carries, 67 yards
Tre Page III — 7 carries, 58 yards, 1 TD
KD Jones — 7 carries, 54 yards, 1 TD
William Mason — 5 carries, 46 yards

In conclusion, everyone looked good.

Adeyi again got RB2 duties, being the first guy off the bench. Five of his carries came in the first half. Page had one first-half run, with the rest of the group all playing in the second half.

Although he got the fewest carries, Morris was super complimentary of Mason after the game, saying he might’ve earned some more playing time based on his performance.

Mason is a 5-foot-11, 226-pound senior transfer from UCO. In 10 games with the Bronchos last season, Mason had 124 carries, 735 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.

It sounds like Jones is still developing, but those other three could continue to battle behind the Cowboys’ bell cow.

5. Another Salty Day for Skyler Cassity’s Defense

After two years of poor offense, it’s hard to not get caught up in all the gaudy offensive numbers, but in his third games as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator, Skyler Cassity pitched a shutout.

Sure, it was against a bad FCS team.

The Cowboys were again elite on the money downs, holding the Racers to 0-for-12 on third down and 1-for-2 on fourth.

Through three games — against a G6, Big Ten and FCS team — the Cowboys have held opponents to just 6-for-37 (16%) on third down. That’s frankly a little ridiculous.

A key to a good third-down defense is first down. Murray State averaged 5.2 yards on first down Saturday. The average distance for third downs was 6.5 yards, as the Racers were 0-for-3 on 3rd-and-9 or longer and 0-for-4 on 3rd-and-4 or shorter.

Murray worked the quick passing game in order to limit OSU’s pass rush, but the Cowboys still made a quartet of tackles behind the line of scrimmage, and 6-foot-3, 284-pound Malik Charles had an interception in the second half that led to just about the entire team celebrating with the OSU hockey team in an on-field suite and getting a penalty Morris wasn’t too fond of.

who says lineman can’t catch? @Malik_Charles_ 🤩 pic.twitter.com/S9TyPolDlk

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) September 20, 2026

6. Terrence Lewis Is Going to Be Really Good

With all the newness of OSU’s roster, it’s easy to forget that Terrence Lewis is only a true sophomore. With the five-for-five eligibility model, he could still play college football for three seasons after this year.

The 5-foot-11, 170-pound North Texas transfer caught two passes Saturday night for 49 yards and his first TD as a Cowboy.

Terrence tuddy @terrencethee1 pic.twitter.com/hKvnfE7rKq

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) September 20, 2026

The Cowboys’ receiving room appears stacked with Bowick, Young, Chris Barnes (who didn’t play Saturday) and Miles Coleman, but Lewis holds his own when he’s out there with that group.

In his first three games at OSU, Lewis has caught 10 balls for 106 yards and that score.

7. Have A Day, Mo Horn

Texas Tech transfer corner Mo Horn had three tackles for loss in 32 career games entering Saturday. He matched that total against Murray State in two quarters.

And they were forceful tackles. The first saw Horn’s own helmet fly off. Then he had another in the second that resembled a Bill Goldberg spear (or Roman Reigns if you’re a bit younger/or Edge if you’re somewhere in the middle).

HIT STICK @MaurionHorn 💥 pic.twitter.com/G9yzPUJWLD

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) September 20, 2026

I’m not sure if it was a scout thing that Murray State kept throwing screens to Horn’s side, but, like most things the Racers tried Saturday, it didn’t work.

He also had a nice pass breakup on a third down in the second quarter.

8. The Tight End Position Has Returned

Carson Kolb caught his second touchdown pass in as many weeks on Saturday, and with those, he becomes the first OSU tight end to have multiple touchdown catches in a season since Jelani Woods in 2018.

It’s been oft wondered if the tight end position would look different under Morris after many felt the position was underutilized by Mike Gundy, and while OSU tight ends haven’t been putting up ridiculous numbers by any means, it does certainly look like they’re a more threatening part of the Cowboy offense.

9. Coleman in the Return Game

Miles Coleman is a borderline psychopath catching some punts, but he proved Saturday that if he has some room, he’ll make you pay for it.

Along with his three catches for 53 yards and a touchdown, Coleman returned five punts for 115 yards, with returns of 55 yards and 25 yards.

It feels like there will be a point sometime this season where he’ll house one of those, and a special teams touchdown drastically increases a team’s chance of victory.

10. The Cowboys Left No Doubt

Some of these FCS games have been a little underwhelming in recent seasons, but a 59-0 win — covering a 55.5-point spread — is a show of dominance.

The most points OSU scored in a game last season was 27. The Cowboys more than doubled that Saturday.

The most yards OSU had in a game last season was 448. The Cowboys had 662 Saturday.

The last time OSU scored at least 59 points in a game was when the Cowboys hung 63 on Arkansas-Pine Bluff in 2022. The last time they had at least 662 yards of total offense was when they had 682 against TCU in 2021.

Domination.

Let’s take a look at what OSU fans, former players and talking heads had to say as the Pokes buried the Racers on Saturday night.

💪🏿🍊 https://t.co/gajZfNg6p8

— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) September 20, 2026

Justin B lookin like Justin B

— Southwell (@JustinSouthwell) September 20, 2026

So here for the Boone Baptisms.

The vibes are astronomically high 🚀 #GoPokes pic.twitter.com/DffbVvHOem

— Brendon Morris (@brendon_wm) September 20, 2026

Unsportsmanlike conduct for going to celebrate with @okstatehockey after that takeaway. Soft call, but worth it pic.twitter.com/J9E19jgfaF

— Tea Bag (@TylersTakes) September 20, 2026

This has got to be sweet.

#Tellit GOD is So good . My baby boi first carry touchdown let’s goooo https://t.co/WIuvlyBgRr

— DarealKjones20 (@DarealKjones20) September 20, 2026

How it feels to watch Oklahoma State score a sh*tload of points again pic.twitter.com/K2igD50RdA

— 𝙿𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚕 𝙿𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚛 🤠🍊 (@PistolPeterOSU) September 20, 2026

New tradition.

Turnovers = @dearingers & Cavender’s hat toss 🤠 pic.twitter.com/rBqTcoZ9cQ

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) September 20, 2026

And Cowboy fans wouldn’t be feeling good if they couldn’t dish something extra to the team down south.

OU in a slug fest with New Mexico😭 pic.twitter.com/YtKnXUQo1B

— 𝙋𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙡 𝙍𝙞𝙘𝙠 (@PistolRick) September 20, 2026