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Four-Star Guard Parker Robinson Commits to Oklahoma State 1:08 PM (6 hours ago)

Steve Lutz’s 2026 recruiting class is up to No. 4 in the country.

Parker Robinson, a four-star guard who plays in the Overtime Elite League, announced his commitment to Oklahoma State on Friday afternoon. He joins Jalen Montonati and Latrell Allmond in a class that trails only Kansas, Missouri and Ohio State in 247Sports’ national rankings.

 

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Robinson is a 6-foot-5, 196-pound guard from Maryland. He’s a four-star prospect who the 247Sports Composite ranking lists as the No. 116 player in the 2026 cycle. He chose OSU over offers from Illinois, West Virginia, Providence and others.

He’s somewhat of a veteran in the Overtime Elite league, playing with RWE (Real Wild Energy). He averaged 14.1 points per game last season to go with 4.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists a game while shooting 55% from the field and 33% from 3. He scored in the 20s four times during the regular season, including a 26-point, six-rebound performance against Jelly Fam last November.

In three preseason games this year, he’s averaging 12.7 points, 1.3 assists, 1.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals a game while shooting 40% from deep.

Robinson played AAU ball with Team Takeover on Nike’s EYBL circuit. In 15 games played between late April and mid July, he averaged 12.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists a game while shooting 36% from 3.

Pistols Firing Podcast Ep. 673: Coaching Search Latest, Tech Preview 12:29 PM (6 hours ago)

Carson Cunningham and Colby Powell discuss the latest with the OSU coaching search, including what Carson’s hearing about Alex Golesh and his candidacy. Plus, the guys preview this weekend’s game at Texas Tech.

You know what helps the show and helps us make more shows? When you rate us on Apple Podcasts or subscribe to our pod: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | SoundCloud.

As always, we appreciate our sponsors Chris’ University Spirit, Brewster Consulting Group and Wulf Corporation.

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‘I Came Here for a Purpose’: Mantzoukas Brings Professional Mindset to Cowboys 10:22 AM (8 hours ago)

STILLWATER –Lefteris Mantzoukas became a professional basketball player at just 14 years old, the youngest player to start a Greek Basketball League game. And when he was just 14, he said he had a teammate who was 39.

That’ll help you grow up quickly.

Mantzoukas is 22 now and in his first season at Oklahoma State. Despite still being relatively young, there is a sense of the maturity about a guy who has been as serious about basketball as long as Mantzoukas has. He said this move to the United States puts him in a more goal-oriented culture.

“People here are more determined to one goal,” Mantzoukas said. “They’re focusing more on their goal than the distractions, if that makes sense. They’re more focused to, for example here, basketball, or academics. I think the system is structured for you to succeed a little bit more.”

“I know from the beginning if I want to make the decision to come over here, it’s gonna be tough, the schedule and all this kind of stuff, but I really wanted to be a part of something like this. That’s why I made the decision.”

Further speaking to that maturity, OSU coach Steve Lutz said Mantzoukas and Israeli point guard Daniel Guetta have a strong sense of professionalism in their work.

“I think those two guys are fantastic,” Lutz said. “You know that they’re going to come in to the gym every single day, they’re gonna get their work in. Not that this team has as many highs and lows as last year’s team, but those two in particular, they’re very even. There’s not a lot of peaks and valleys with them. They’re very good at doing their job every day.”

Mantzoukas was asked a lot this week about the transition from Greece to the States.

His mom made the move with him, which has helped, and he keeps his father close to win by the jersey he wears. There aren’t a lot of No. 72s on basketball roster, but Mantzoukas picked the number because his father was born in 1972.

Listed at 6-foot-9, 230 pounds, Mantzoukas was one of four Cowboys to foul out of the exhibition win against Auburn, but in 23 minutes on the floor, he scored seven points, brought in four rebounds and dished a pair of assists.

He hit one of his three 3-point attempts, something that is a strong piece of his game. In the GBL last season, he averaged 7.4 points a game while going 40-for-95 (42%) from 3 in 28 games with Maroussi.

Despite having played professional ball, Mantzoukas said his first practice in Stillwater was the hardest practice he’s ever taken part in.

Some of that probably has to do with the American style. Mantzoukas, from Greece, discussed how playing in transition is a bigger part of American basketball than it is European. But there’s transition basketball, and then there’s Lutz transition basketball. Lutz’s 2023-24 Western Kentucky team led the nation in adjusted tempo, and his first OSU squad finished 12th nationally in the stat last season.

Guetta said he couldn’t breathe and that he drank six bottles of water afterward. But for what it’s worth, it wasn’t just the foreign players feeling it. Green Bay transfer Anthony Roy also discussed just how hard Lutz-led practices are.

But no matter how hard it was getting through that first practice, Mantzoukas wasn’t questioning his decision to move halfway across the world for the game he loves.

“I came here for a purpose,” Mantzouakas said. “I came here to be a better player. I came here to grab the experience and give 100% of what I’m supposed to do.”

PFB Picks: Predictions for Oklahoma State’s Trip to Lubbock 8:24 AM (10 hours ago)

The Cowboys are headed to West Texas as major underdogs.

Oklahoma State plays Texas Tech at 3 p.m. Saturday in Lubbock. OSU has hovered around a five-touchdown underdog for much of the week (sitting at Tech -36.5 as of writing). Tech is 6-1 coming off its only loss of the season while the Cowboys are the inverse of that at 1-6, having not won a game since the opening week of the season.

Here is how we see Saturday’s game playing out.

Marshall Scott

Score: Texas Tech 45, Oklahoma State 10

OSU Player of the Game: Wendell Gregory

Uniform: White (Cursive Cowboys) — White — White

Thoughts: Texas Tech ranks first in the Big 12 in scoring offense and scoring defense while the Cowboys rank at the bottom of the Big 12 barrel in both of those categories. Needless to say, this could be a little (or a lottle) rough. I’ll lean on Wendell Gregory as OSU’s MVP because I think he’s probably the best player on the team right now.

Kyle Cox

Score: Texas Tech 35, Oklahoma State 13

OSU Player of the Game: Trent Howland

Uniform:  Orange (Brand) — White — Orange

Thoughts: With Rodney Fields questionable, you could probably roll the dice on which RB gets the most action. I’ll go with Howland since I think it’s his turn. The Red Raiders going W-R-W, I think an O-W-O makes sense. The Cowboys are walking into a buzzsaw against a talented Tech team that has a ton to play for and is desperate to bounce back.

Tyler Waldrep

Score: Texas Tech 41, Oklahoma State 6

OSU Player of the Game: Gavin Freeman

Uniform: Black (brand) — White — Black

Thoughts: Better things are ahead for Oklahoma State, especially on offense, just don’t expect to see much or any of that this weekend. It’s really hard to find a weakness in Tech’s defense. OSU’s best chance of scoring probably relies heavily on the Cowboy defense forcing turnovers and short drives to win the field position battle. Freeman gets the MVP nod because Tech has a great run defense and the slot receiver seems to do his best work when plays fall apart, especially on third down.

OSU A&M Board of Regents Approves New Contract for Athletic Director Chad Weiberg 8:11 AM (10 hours ago)

Chad Weiberg had been working without a contract since the end of June, leading some to question the future of the athletic department, but Weiberg now has a new deal.

The Oklahoma State University/A&M Board of Regents on Friday approved a four-year contract for Weiberg.

“Chad is providing strong, steady leadership during one of the most transformative periods in college athletics history,” OSU President Jim Hess said in the release. “He has the ability to navigate complex challenges and keep our student-athletes and programs at the forefront.”

Weiberg stepped into the role in 2021, taking over for Mike Holder. The landscape has evolved massively since the takeover, with conference realignment, NIL and the transfer portal all growing in prominence.

He graduated from OSU in 1994 with a degree in business administration and worked as OSU Athletics’ director of corporate sales and donor relations from 1994 to 1999. He was in various roles at OSU until 2004 when he left for Kansas State, working his way up to a K-State associate AD in 2009. Weiberg served as Texas Tech’s deputy athletic director from 2015 through 2017 before he moved back to Stillwater to serve as Holder’s deputy AD until Holder retired in 2021.

Weiberg and OSU are in the middle of their first football coaching search in two decades after the University fired Mike Gundy in September. This will mark the fifth head coach Weiberg has hired, as he has already made hires in women’s basketball (Jacie Hoyt), wrestling (David Taylor), men’s basketball (Steve Lutz) and women’s golf (Annie Young).

Under Weiberg’s watch, OSU was won three national titles: equestrian (2022), men’s cross country (2023) and men’s golf (2025).

“I thank the Board of Regents and President Hess for their continued confidence in our leadership and vision for OSU Athletics,” Weiberg said. “Oklahoma State is a special place, and our coaches and staff are committed to ensuring our student-athletes have every resource and opportunity to compete at the highest level. The future is bright for Cowboy and Cowgirl Athletics.”

Game Preview: Kick Time, TV Info, Stats for Oklahoma State-Texas Tech 7:46 AM (11 hours ago)

The Oklahoma State-Texas Tech series is one defined by a lot of points and high-powered offense.

Even last year when the Cowboys were limping to the end of the season, they rattled off 48 points in a loss to the Red Raiders. But this isn’t necessarily last season’s Tech squad.

Outside of a 4-point loss to Arizona State last week, the Red Raiders have looked like the Big 12’s best team. A struggling OSU squad travels to Lubbock this weekend. Here are stats and other info to get you ready for the game.

PFB+ Sale: PFB+ subscriptions are 25% off when using this link

Viewing Info

Time: 3 p.m. Saturday
Location: Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas
Watch: ESPNU (Justin Kutcher and Dustin Fox)

Betting Info (via FanDuel)

Spread: Texas Tech -36.5
Over/under: 54.5

Thursday Availability Report

Oklahoma State

OUT — Hauss Hejny (QB), Kale Smith (CB)

DOUBTFUL — Noah McKinney (OL)

QUESTIONABLE — Rodney Fields Jr. (RB), Matrail Lopez (WR)

PROBABLE — Brandon Rawls (LB)

Texas Tech

OUT — Skyler Gill-Howard (DL), T.J. West (WR)

DOUBTFUL — Terrance Carter Jr. (TE), Bryson Jones (WR)

QUESTIONABLE — Behren Morton (QB), Roy Alexander (WR), Chapman Lewis (S), Hunter Zambrano (OL)

PROBABLE — John Curry (LB), Romello Height (OLB), Jacob Rodriguez (LB), Mikal Harrison-Pilot (S)

Team Stats

Statistical Leaders

Passing:
OSU — Zane Flores — 77-for-140 (55%)/696 yards/0 touchdowns/3 interceptions
TTU — Behren Morton — 104-for-152 (68%)/1,501 yards/13 touchdowns/3 interceptions

Rushing:
OSU — Rodney Fields Jr. — 76 carries/420 yards/1 touchdown
TTU — Cameron Dickey — 100 carries/631 yards/8 touchdowns

Receiving:
OSU — Gavin Freeman — 23 catches/233 yards/2 touchdowns
TTU — Caleb Douglas — 28 catches/414 yards/1 touchdown

Tackling:
OSU — Bryan McCoy and Brandon Rawls — 45 total tackles each
TTU — Jacob Rodriguez — 62 total tackles

Sacks:
OSU — Wendell Gregory — 3 sacks
TTU — David Bailey — 10.5 sacks

Series History (Series Tied 24-24-3)

Big 12 Standings

Quarterback to Back: Zane Flores Available, Will Hammond to Start for OSU-Texas Tech 6:47 AM (12 hours ago)

The Big 12’s availability report was released on Wednesday, and it created even more questions for this weekend’s quarterback matchup.

Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton is listed as Questionable after missing the Red Raiders’ last game with a leg injury. According a report, Will Hammond will make his second-straight start though Morton will be available.

But the wrinkle, which could go at least a little ways in evening the score for the Cowboys, is that Zane Flores was not included on the report, meaning he would be available for the first time in three weeks.

Flores became OSU’s starter after Hauss Hejny broke his foot in the first quarter of the season. Flores has not quite set secondaries on fire, but he is an actual rostered quarterback. Let’s repeat that information. Oklahoma State has not started a “quarterback” since Oct. 3.

Ahead of this announcement, interim head coach Doug Meacham alluded to a potential “two-quarterback platoon,” meaning we could expect both Flores and Sam Jackson V, who has been the starter the last two weeks.

So it looks like it will be backups on both sides. Before we get into the who’s and what’s, let’s look their numbers. I included both Flores’ and Jacksons’ stats.

We know that Flores and Jackson haven’t combined for a great showing at QB, but let’s see what the Tech’s freshman has done.

Hammond actually got his first start in the Red Raiders’ AutoZone Liberty Bowl loss to Arkansas last year. He went 20-for-34 for 280 yards and a score with three INTs. In his lone start this season, he flipped that, going 2-for-1 in the air and rushing for another score. He can do that.

Last Saturday, when handed the reins due to Morton’s injury, he was effective, even if the Red Raiders’ win streak came to an end. Tech’s offense sputtered for the first three quarters, but Hammond hit another level in the fourth and almost pulled out the win.

Hammond led Tech on back-to-back touchdown drives late in the fourth to take a 22-19 lead with two minutes to go. He completed eight consecutive passes during that stretch and rushed for the final score and the two-point conversion.

Arizona State scored again late, and Hammond and the Tech offense ran out of clock at the edge of the red zone. A last-second shot to the endzone was broken up.

Despite limited touches, Hammond is second on his team with five rushing TDs and third on rushing yards. He’s averaging over seven yards per attempt and that’s on 39 tries. He had 47 yards and that late score against ASU, so expect more of that on Saturday.

Although the Cowboys’ QB room has been depleted this year, the Red Raiders have an embarrassment of riches, at least in comparison.

Hammond is an effective passer and dangerous when he decides to take off and run, and he’ll be making his first start at Jones AT&T Stadium in a crucial bounce-back opportunity for his Raiders and their Big 12 title hopes.

The Reload Ep. 15: Oklahoma State-Texas Tech Preview, Coaching Search Talk 6:34 AM (12 hours ago)

Justin Southwell, Nathan Gilsleider and Marshall Scott preview the Cowboys’ trip to Lubbock and answer listener questions.

Special thanks to our sponsor ⁠Brewster Consulting Group⁠.

We’re having some troubles with Spotify and Apple, but this pod will be available on those platforms once we get those kinds worked out.

PFB+ Sale: ⁠PFB+ subscriptions are 25% off when using this link

Daily Bullets (Oct. 24): Speculating on Mike Gundy’s Next Gig 2:00 AM (17 hours ago)

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

OSU Bullets

• Speculating on what jobs could be a fit for Mike Gundy (SportsRecap)

• Looking ahead to tomorrow – here’s a weekend watch guide for college football, looking at the injury report for the Tech game (PFB) 

• Super curious to see how OSU’s exhibition game at SMU tomorrow goes – will the Pokes start Ryan Crotty again? (OKState.com + PFB)

• ESPN ranked the OSU opening below Florida and above Virginia Tech and Arkansas – focusing on the Cowboys’ upside and opportunity. 

Why the job ranks here: If Oklahoma State has a strong plan, it should be able to rise fairly quickly in a league without behemoth brands. The team isn’t far removed from CFP

contention and can get there faster than other programs on this list. [ESPN]

• Receiver Jalen Lloyd, a Nebraska transfer, has entered the portal (On3)

•  We know who Texas Tech’s quarterback will be tomorrow – the backup who lost at Arizona State:

Source: Texas Tech will start QB Will Hammond against Oklahoma State, which will be his second-straight start. Behren Morton (leg) will be available for Texas Tech and is improving. pic.twitter.com/m8pTy2QcOP

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 23, 2025

Non-OSU Bullets

• On turning 40

• Other OKC fans are responding well to KD (other than the booing)

Troy Spratley Discusses His Mindset Coming off Runner-Up Finish 23 Oct 12:38 PM (yesterday, 12:38 pm)

STILLWATER — After entering the national tournament as the 7 seed last season, Troy Spratley was a point away from being a national champion.

Spratley is back for his redshirt junior season in Stillwater, which will be his third year as the Cowboys’ starter at 125 pounds.

“I just want to go out there and separate myself from the field,” Spratley said. “To be able to do that, you gotta be able to look to score points, and to do that, you gotta have a little bit behind the motor. You can’t just go out there and stand in front of a guy. You’re not gonna get the job done. So, I think that’s been the biggest thing for me is just, mentally not caring who it is in front of you.”

Although Spratley might not care who is in front of him, there’s a chance he gets a shot at the national final rematch fairly quickly. Spratley dropped his NCAA final to NC State’s Vince Robinson in tiebreakers. The Cowboys and Wolf Pack would meet in the second round of the National Duals Invitational should both teams win their first-round matchups.

Spratley was a redshirt sophomore last season, following up a redshirt freshman season that saw him finish a win shy of the podium. So, there’s only one more spot up Spratley can go, and he’s got the training partners to take that next step.

Richard Figueroa transferred to OSU this offseason. He won nationals at 125 pounds in 2024, Spratley’s freshman season, but Figueroa is expected to jump up to 133 pounds this season. Then on the Cowboy RTC side of things, Spratley has four-time national runner-up Daton Fix to train with, as well as two-time national champ Roman Bravo-Young. Oh, and then there’s Rin Sakamoto, who represented Japan at the World Championships in September. Sakamoto is also on the college team.

Spratley went on trips to Mongolia and Croatia this offseason to train with Bravo-Young as he prepped for events. Spratley said he got to watch how Bravo-Young process things and prepared for those high-level competitions.

“I wrestle the best guys in the world, so if I can sneak a takedown against those guys every once in a while, it’s like I know these guys (I’m training with) would go out there and smash the guys that I’m wrestling,” Spratley said. “So, why can’t I go out there and do the same thing to them? I’m wrestling with the best guys in the world every day. I think that’s just my mentality going into the season is going out there and dominating these guys.”

Spratley, who went 47-13 in his first two seasons, was one of the younger guys on OSU’s lineup the past two seasons. But now he might be the first active wrestler many will think of when they think OSU.

The only Cowboys who have wrestled more matches in the orange singlet than Spratley are Teague Travis, Carter Young and Konner Doucet. Those three are all entering at least their fifth year in Stillwater, though, while Spratley is entering his third.

“I’m a leader, but I think I’m more of a leader in the way that I work,” Spratley said. “I’m not gonna tell you to do something if I’m not gonna do it, so when I train, I train hard because I want everybody at every weight to want to go out there and do the same thing that I’m doing. And I would want it to be reciprocated. Like, if they’re going out there and they’re dominating guys and I’m not, then I’m doing something wrong. I expect that from those guys that when I’m working hard, they should be working hard. Same thing goes for me.”

OSU Softball: Cowgirls Announced Big 12 Schedule for Upcoming Season 23 Oct 12:12 PM (yesterday, 12:12 pm)

It’s hard to believe, but this softball season will be Year 11 for Kenny Gajewski in Stillwater.

Oklahoma State on Thursday announced its Big 12 schedule for the upcoming softball season, where the Cowgirls will host a quartet of conference foes at Cowgirl Stadium for Big 12 series.

March 6-8 — UCF
March 13-15 — at Arizona State
March 19-21 — BYU
March 27-29 — at Utah
April 10-12 — at Iowa State
April 17-19 — Arizona
April 24-26 — at Baylor
May 1-3 — Kansas
May 7-9 — Big 12 Championship

The Cowgirls avoid what would be a blockbuster series against Texas Tech, a squad that made the championship series last season. But, OSU will host eight-time national champ Arizona.

OSU is 16-23 all-time against the Wildcats after Arizona took two of three off the Cowgirls in Tucson last season. Their last meeting before that was in the 2024 Super Regional, where the Cowgirls swept Arizona, winning by a combined score of 18-4. Before that, the two programs had last met in the 2022 WCWS, a game OSU won 4-2.

The Cowgirls’ finished fourth in the Big 12 standings last year behind Tech, Arizona and Iowa State. The Cowgirls will be in Ames in April after the Cyclones took two of three off OSU last season.

OSU went 35-20 last season, missing out on the WCWS for the first time since 2018. Gajewski returns the likes of Ruby Meylan, Rosie Davis, Karli Godwin and more from last season’s squad.

Weekend Watch Guide: An Oklahoma State Fan’s Guide to Week 9 of the College Football Season 23 Oct 10:06 AM (yesterday, 10:06 am)

The final weekend of October is upon us, meaning the feeling of importance about every game it about to be turned up a notch.

With Oklahoma State headed out to West Texas for a game that, on paper, doesn’t look to be pretty, lets take a look at some of the best games around the Big 12 and country.

Big 12 Schedule

Kansas State (3-4) at Kansas (4-3) — 11 a.m. Saturday on TNT
No. 11 BYU (7-0) at Iowa State (5-2) — 2:30 p.m. Saturday on FOX
Oklahoma State (1-6) at No. 14 Texas Tech (6-1) — 3 p.m. Saturday on ESPNU
Baylor (4-3) at No. 21 Cincinnati (6-1) — 3 p.m. Saturday on ESPN2
TCU (5-2) at West Virginia (2-5) — 5 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+
Houston (6-1) at No. 24 Arizona State (5-2) — 7 p.m. Saturday on ESPN2
Colorado (3-4) at Utah (5-2) — 9:15 p.m. Saturday on ESPN

Sunflower Showdown: It’s not been the ideal start of the season for either of the Kansas schools, so neither will want to drop this rivalry game.

After starting 1-3, K-State has bounced back to win two of its past three. The only loss in that stretch was a one-point defeat in Waco.

Kansas’ losses are all quality (No. 15 Missouri, No. 21 Cincinnati and No. 14 Texas Tech), but three losses are still three losses.

The Jayhawks haven’t beaten the Wildcats since 2008, but the last two meetings were decided by a combined total of six points.

BYU-Iowa State: These two teams are entering this game in two vastly different spots. Undefeated BYU is coming off a the high of besting rival Utah in the Holy War. Iowa State has dropped two in a row and is coming off a bye.

BYU’s strength of schedule has been called into question this year, but the Cougars have the Cyclones, Texas Tech and Cincy left on their schedule, so collecting wins to cushion their Big 12 standing would be ideal. Iowa State’s Big 12 title hopes can’t take many more losses.

Houston-Arizona State: Speaking of teams with a Cougar as their mascot that have strength of schedule questions, Houston is 6-1 but have to go to Tempe this weekend. The Cougars’ only loss this season is to Texas Tech, but a win against the Sun Devils would undeniably put the Cougars in the title hunt.

Arizona State is back in that hunt after it upset Tech last week, with the Sun Devils’ only Big 12 loss at this point being to Utah.

Other Games to Watch

UCLA (3-4) at No. 2 Indiana (7-0) — 11 a.m. Saturday on FOX
No. 18 USF (6-1) at Memphis (6-1) — 11 a.m. Saturday on ESPN2
No. 15 Missouri (6-1) at No. 10 Vanderbilt (6-1) — 2:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN
No. 3 Texas A&M (7-0) at No. 20 LSU (5-2) — 6:30 p.m. Saturday on ABC

UCLA-Indiana: The Hosiers proved themselves as national contenders when they went to Oregon and left victorious, but this UCLA team has been tripping opponents up over recent weeks.  The Bruins have won three in a row after starting 0-4. Indiana is the better squad, but can the Bruins keep this magical run going?

USF-Memphis: This game is big in the Group of Five playoff hunt, and it also pins two coaches who have been on many hot boards against each other. Alex Golesh’s Bulls have cruised past everyone since their loss to Miami, averaging 57 points a contest through their past four games. Ryan Silverfield’s Tigers are coming off an upset loss to UAB after the Blazers axed Trent Dilfer.

Mizzou-Vandy: Just as everyone would’ve expected five years ago, this late October matchup between Missouri and Vanderbilt is big for the College Football Playoff picture. The only loss on both of these teams’ schedules are to Alabama.

A&M-LSU: A&M doesn’t have the toughest of conference slates in the SEC, avoiding teams like Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt, but the Aggies have played the schedule put in front of them and now have a solid shot at both the College Football Playoff and the SEC title. LSU, meanwhile, will either jump right back into the CFP hunt with a win or be forced to answer question’s of Brian Kelly’s future with a loss.

Watercooler Talk

No. 8 Ole Miss (6-1) at No. 13 Oklahoma (6-1) — 11 a.m. Saturday on ABC
Temple (4-3) at Tulsa (2-5) — 2:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+

Big Ten Separation?

Northwestern (5-2) at Nebraska (5-2) — 11 a.m. Saturday on FS1
No. 23 Illinois (5-2) at Washington (5-2) — 2:30 p.m. Saturday on Big Ten Network
Minnesota (5-2) at Iowa (5-2) — 2:30 p.m. Saturday on CBS

The Big Ten contenders have seemed to separate themselves from the pack with Ohio State, Indiana and Oregon looking like the class of the league, but there’s a clump of schools below that line looking to linger around the conference title hunt. As you can see, a lot of those clumped schools play each other this weekend.

Three Things to Know about Oklahoma State’s Road Trip to Texas Tech 23 Oct 8:00 AM (yesterday, 8:00 am)

This ain’t your typical Tech team and doesn’t figure to be a typical road trip to Lubbock for OSU.

The Cowboys and Red Raiders are (historically) known for putting up points and exhausting the scoreboard against each other. Even last year, the 0-9 Cowboys had probably their best Big 12 game when hosting Texas Tech, a 56-48 loss. But I wouldn’t expect a 100-point matchup on Saturday.

Atypical. They’re not even allowed to throw tortillas anymore.

Everyone knows Tech’s got a Scrooge McDuck NIL vault, and we’ll get into what’s going on with the QB matchup later this week. But here are three other things to keep in mind before the Pokes head to West Texas.

1. Tech Is Historically Tough to Run On

The Cowboys’ offensive line looked improved on Saturday, but they’ll have their work cut out for them in Lubbock.

So, there’s still several games to go, but the Red Raiders are on a historic pace when it comes to rushing defense. They lead the nation, holding teams to just 64.29 rushing yards per game. Only twice (101 at Utah and 103 at Houston) has a team reached triple digits on the ground against Tech. Oregon State rushed for eight total yards (!) against the Red Raiders.

We know the Red Raiders are stacked with cash talent, but that’s especially true along their defensive front. Linebackers Jacob Rodriguez and David Bailey lead the way. They both earned Midseason All-American honors.

Rodriguez ranks third in the Big 12 with 62 tackles, and Bailey is second in the nation with 12.5 tackles for loss. He leads all defenders in the FBS by an West Texas mile with 105 (!) TFL yards.

The best rushing defense in Big 12 history was the 1999 Kansas State squad which allowed just 819 total rushing yards in 11 games (68.25 per game) under the tutelage of soon-to-be Sooner head coach Bob Stoops. If they keep their current pace, the Red Raiders will beat that. What a world.

2. Cameron Dickey Needs to Bounce Back (Bad for OSU)

When the Raiders hosted Kansas two weeks ago, the sophomore running back went ballistic, racking up a career-high 263 rushing yards and two scores at 12.5 yards per carry. Then against ASU, he managed just nine carries for 40 yards.

The KU game wasn’t just a flash in the pan. He’d been on a nice trajectory all season and currently ranks third in the Big 12 averaging 90.1 yards per game and is picking up 6.3 yards per carry this season.

Cameron Dickey is a legit devy RB, great size speed freak, and better RB than Quinten Joyner pic.twitter.com/ELqp9EIRgF

— Fantasy Frawd (@fantasyfrawd) October 17, 2025

The Cowboys (in case you’ve been watching through the cracks between the fingers as you hide from the truth) have been giving up oodles of yards and plays on the ground most of the season.

They have been better over the last three weeks, but they’ve still been giving up lots of chunk-yardage plays like that highlight above. OSU ranks T126th in plays allowed of 20 yards or more (40) and is tied for last in the FBS having allowed 23 plays of 30 yards or more.

The Red Raiders have more than one home run hitter, and OSU has not been great about avoiding the big play.

3. Tech Needs to Bounce Back (Bad for OSU)

The Red Raiders lost a heartbreaker to Arizona State sans their starting QB but are still 6-1 on the season and 3-1 in Big 12 play.

Eyeing the last month of football, Tech is one of five teams within a half game of the Big 12 lead if they get past the Cowboys. Tech will have BYU (one of those teams) and UCF at home and have road games at Kansas State and West Virginia. They want to make their first trip to the Big 12 Championship and will be champing at the bit for a rebound performance.

Plus, though OSU has made some slight improvements, the Cowboys are shiftless, are still playing a wide receiver at quarterback and haven’t sniffed an FBS win this season.

Pack all that up and go on the road against the nation’s top ranked defense (by PFF) and the Big 12’s top scoring offense, protecting homefield, ready to get a disappointing taste of their mouths — plus they can’t even use tortillas — and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.

How Keiton Page Turned into an International Recruiter Following Challenge from Steve Lutz 23 Oct 7:50 AM (yesterday, 7:50 am)

STILLWATER — Keiton Page always wanted to coach basketball, but even he wasn’t sure how long that career path would allow him to stay in Stillwater.

Yet, 13 years and four head coaches later, Page remains right at home in Gallagher-Iba Arena.

“Your hope and your dream is, obviously, that you could coach at your alma mater,” Page said. “So I’ve been really, really fortunate, obviously, with all the different coaches that have come through here, I’ve been really blessed and fortunate to be able to stick and stay at a place where I love.”

Page hasn’t just stuck. Each new head coach challenged Page with either a new role or responsibility, and that remained true when Steve Lutz took over in the spring of 2024.

“Keaton, when I walked into the job, really kind of his niche was Oklahoma,” Lutz said. “Maybe a little bit of Arkansas, maybe a little bit of Kansas City, you know that (stuff). So he didn’t have a wide reach recruiting-wise.”

Lutz told him that had to change. He needed Page to expand his network.

“I felt like we had a hole there in international recruiting,” Lutz said. “And I said, hey, the only way you can do this is to jump in with both feet. Figure it out. And obviously, I recruited overseas quite a bit for a long time, and so I give him my contacts, and he follows up. And you give him your contacts, and eventually he builds his network, and so he’s done a good job. It’s no different than recruiting a young man from Dallas or from Oklahoma City or from Tulsa. It’s constant, it’s persistence, it’s follow-up, and it’s building a relationship.”

Page’s efforts certainly seem to be paying dividends.

Both Daniel Guetta (Israel) and Lefteris Mantzoukas (Greece) mentioned Page by name when asked why they signed up to be Cowboys.

While those are the only Cowboys brand new to America, there are five players this season with international roots including returning Cowboy Andrija Vukovic (Serbia), Oregon State transfer Parsa Fallah (Iran) and freshman Benjamin Ahmed (Nigeria).

Ahmed missed the Auburn exhibition because of an injury, but the other four internationals combined to finish with 13% of points, 29% of rebounds and 36% of the team’s minutes in the win over Auburn. Of that group, Mantzoukas led the way in points (7) and minutes (24) while finishing second in rebounds (4) behind Fallah’s five.

“Coach, Keiton, at first, he approached me, and he came to Greece,” Mantzoukas said. “I felt this a good opportunity for me to see something different, of course, and to excel my game in a lot of different kind of ways.”

International recruiting is gaining prominence with the addition of revenue share. Lutz said the European market isn’t what it once was for some of those international guys. So, there is a growing importance of having a guy recruit overseas.

“There’s no difference being the foreign recruiter,” Page said. “Recruiting is the same whether there’s eight hours time difference or not. You just may have to get up a little earlier to get on the phone with those guys. It’s been nice.

“I was a little, obviously, apprehensive, I guess to say, in the beginning about traveling overseas as much, but it’s been great. It obviously opens up a whole new world of recruiting.”

Zane Flores Off Player Availability Report, Rodney Fields Jr. Listed as Questionable 23 Oct 6:26 AM (yesterday, 6:26 am)

Oklahoma State quarterback Zane Flores wasn’t on the initial player availability report the Big 12 released Wednesday night, meaning he is available as things stand for the Texas Tech game.

Flores suffered an upper-body injury while taking a sack in the Cowboys’ Oct. 4 loss to Arizona. Since then wide receiver Sam Jackson had moved into the starting role behind center.

OSU interim coach Doug Meacham said he was uncertain about his quarterback situation on Monday, but he left the door open for a few possibilities.

“There’s nothing that says it can’t be a two-quarterback platoon situation,” Meacham said, “or it could be Sam (Jackson) all the way, or could be Zane all the way.”

OSU and Texas Tech play at 3 p.m. Saturday in Lubbock. Here’s the full player availability report from Wednesday night:

Oklahoma State

OUT — Hauss Hejny (QB), Kale Smith (CB), Gabe Panikowski (K), Matrail Lopez (WR), Will Monney (TE), De’Marion Thomas (DT)

DOUBTFUL — Noah McKinney (OL)

QUESTIONABLE — Brandon Rawls (LB), Rodney Fields Jr. (RB)

Texas Tech

OUT — Skyler Gill-Howad (DL), T.J. West (WR)

DOUBTFUL — Terrance Carter Jr. (TE), Bryson Jones (WR)

QUESTIONABLE — Behren Morton (QB), Roy Alexander (WR), Chapman Lewis (S), Hunter Zambrano (OL)

PROBABLE — John Curry (LB), Romello Height (OLB), Jacob Rodriguez (LB), Mikal Harrison-Pilot (S)

OSU fans won’t be excited to see Rodney Fields Jr. listed as questionable. A redshirt freshman tailback, Fields ran for 163 yards and a touchdown last week against Cincinnati. Of the six games he’s played in this season, Fields has eclipsed 100 all-purpose yards four times.

Of note from the Tech side of things, Red Raider starting QB Behren Morton is listed at questionable with a knee injury. Morton missed Tech’s loss against Arizona State.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Thursday morning that Will Hammond will start against the Cowboys but that Morton will be available.. Hammond is a redshirt freshman who has thrown for 578 yards and six touchdowns in seven games this season.

Daily Bullets (Oct. 23): Previewing the Texas Tech Game, Cowgirls Land Top Catcher 23 Oct 2:00 AM (yesterday, 2:00 am)

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

OSU Bullets

• Cowgirl Softball landed the No. 1 catcher in the 2027 class (SI)

• What Texas Tech’s coach had to say about the game against OSU (PFB)

• Loved this optimistic take on the potential of the OSU football job:

“It’s a sleeping giant if everything is in place,” one general manager told 247Sports. “It’s not a difficult place to recruit to, and the stadium environment when they are winning is insane. “I think seeing what they’ve done there in the past make people in our industry think it could be a dream rebuild.” [GoPokes 247 $$$]

• Previewing OSU’s 2025-26 men’s basketball season (HCS)

• Update on how the Cowboys in the NFL did over the weekend (PFB)

• Berry Tramel made his pick for the Pokes’ trip to Lubbock this weekend:

Oklahoma State at Texas Tech: Red Raiders 51-14. Hard to pick any OSU game close. The Cowboys’ conference losses have been by 18, 28, 22 and 32 points. [TulsaWorld]

Non-OSU Bullets

• The great flattening of friendships (with smart phones) – like the idea of giving more attention to connection than to posts • More great thoughts on friendships, loved these two points:

1. Curiosity drives connection — if you take an interest in a lot of things, you will find a lot of people interesting.
2. Believe in the good intentions of others — they are most likely trying their best (at the very least, this belief improves your own inner-peace).

A Pair of In-State Prospects Announce Oklahoma State Offers 22 Oct 10:21 AM (2 days ago)

Oklahoma State is still in search of its next head football coach, but the Cowboys’ recruiting staff hasn’t stopped working.

A pair of in-state products announced OSU offers on Tuesday: Owasso’s Julius Wilson and Edmond Santa Fe’s Jae’Lin Battle.

Jae’Lin Battle

A 6-foot-2, 280-pound defensive lineman, Battle is committed to Baylor and has been since July. He also has offers to Missouri, Auburn, Kansas State, Arizona State and others.

#AGTG blessed to receive an offer from @CowboyFB thank you for the opportunity @CoachRTBradford !!@littlehead72 @coach_wolfpack @stevepatterson3 @Trey_Zero @BenjaminGolan @SFwolvesFTBL @DwightDobbins @Sooner7v7 @Josh_Scoop @JamesDJackson15 @adamgorney @CedricDAntwine pic.twitter.com/Z8et7SxRHO

— Jae’Lin“Battle”battle (@JaeLinbattle10) October 21, 2025

He’s the No. 614 player in the 247Sports Composite ranking for the class, a list that has him as the No. 10 Oklahoman in the cycle.

Battle has 47 total tackles this season, including 13.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks, according to MaxPreps. As a sophomore and junior, Battle combined to make 87 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks.

Julius Wilson

Wilson is a two-sport athlete at Owasso, playing football and basketball. He’s listed at 6-foot-4, 190 pounds and plays receiver for the Rams.

After a great conversation with @CoachRTBradford I am blessed to have received an offer from @CowboyFB 🍊@KWright_7 @CoachBBlank @ChrisHarrisJr @CoachJBlank pic.twitter.com/2MxuHfjZmq

— Julius Wilson (@Dr_JD_Wilson) October 21, 2025

Wilson is unranked on the major recruiting services, but along with this offer to OSU, he’s announced offers to Texas Tech and Towson. He’s been on or around OSU’s radar for a little while now, visiting Stillwater for a camp in the summer of 2024 before taking an unofficial visit to OSU this past spring.

OSU’s 2026 Class

Since the coaching change, OSU’s 2026 class has obviously had a rough go of it.

The Cowboys are down to six commitments, with Braeden Presley being the only in-state guy who has stuck. Okies KD Jones (Jenks), Aiden Martin (Berryhill), Tajh Overton (Owasso), Landen Anderson (Edmond Santa Fe), Trey McGlothin (Bixby) and Carter Langenderfer (Owasso) were all at one point committed to the Cowboys but have since either decommitted or decommitted and committed elsewhere.

Here are the Cowboy commits as things stand:

Why Did Steve Lutz Start Freshman Ryan Crotty in the Win Over Auburn? 22 Oct 7:52 AM (2 days ago)

STILLWATER — Ryan Crotty has yet to play a single minute, officially, at the collegiate level, but the freshman has already earned quite the reputation inside the confines of Gallagher-Iba Arena.

“The amount of shots he gets up on a daily basis, on a weekly basis, is absolutely insane,” assistant coach Keiton Page said. “He is one of those guys, when he shoots it and he misses, it surprises you. And it’s because he puts so much time into it, and he is so confident, because he does spend so much time. …

“I mean, there’s a good likelihood if you open that door and walk into GIA at some point during the day, you’re gonna see Ryan in there shooting. I feel like he never leaves the gym.”

Staffers and players voted Crotty as the team’s hardest worker earlier this offseason. All that time has already begun paying off first in the form of his first, unofficial, collegiate start in the exhibition win over Auburn.

Crotty finished that evening with three rebounds and four points after knocking down 1-of-2 3-pointers before fouling out after 15 minutes.

“I’ve said it over and over, Ryan works the hardest. … I’m not doing it (starting him) just because he works hard,” Lutz said. “He’s a good player, and he can really shoot the basketball. You know, his growth is going to have to come on the other end. You know, he just gets in positions where, you’re faced against tougher, more athletic people, and I shouldn’t even say tougher, you’re just faced with quicker and more athletic people, and you’ve got to figure out ways to keep them in front of you. You know, without fouling.”

Another OSU staffer described the speed of the game defensively as the biggest adjustment the freshman will have to make this season. He will get one more warm-up, in another exhibition at SMU on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Even if that remains a work in progress for a bit, no one questions his work ethic or his shot.

Anthony Roy, who was last seen burying the Tigers under a 5-of-10 barrage from the 3-point line, named Crotty when asked who on the team could give him a run for his money.

“Ryan, let’s just say that there’s 30 weeks, Ryan’s been the number one shot taker and maker for 27-28 weeks,” Lutz said.

When describing the freshman further, Page compares his “relentless” nature to that of the Cowboys’ head coach. The OSU assistant said that kind of attitude already made an impact on his teammates.

“We have really good guys in that locker room,” Page said. “It does make them want to push and take their game and take the extra time that they spend to another level. Now his, he’s a maniac.  … to catch Ryan Crotty and those numbers like, I mean, you might want to bring a sleeping bag and a pillow up to GIA.”

‘Dream Come True’: Jakobe Sanders Proves Oklahoma State Still Has Plenty to Play for in 2025 22 Oct 7:06 AM (2 days ago)

STILLWATER — Sometime between the dismissal of Mike Gundy’s and Oklahoma State’s 0-2 start in Big 12 play it became increasingly clear that the Cowboys had fallen into a lost season.

Each week, the conversation around the Cowboys centered on the ongoing coaching search, reports of players redshirting, and even conversations surrounding which key players OSU’s next coach needed to keep out of the transfer portal.

All of which makes sense given the money at stake and the sport’s obsession with championship culture. And yet, all of that talk of the future ignores how much these Saturdays mean to the Cowboys, who stayed Loyal and True this fall. For some of them, like Stillwater local Jakobe Sanders, the chance to represent the Cowboys remains the opportunity of a lifetime.

“I mean, it’s everything,” Sanders said. “I don’t know any Stillwater kid who doesn’t dream of starting a Homecoming game and being able to play. So to have that happen, and that to be my first collegiate start, is a dream come true.”

To say Sanders played pretty well in that start would actually be insulting. The right guard finished with the fourth-best overall offensive Pro Football Focus grade (73.3) and the best pass-blocking grade (84.9) among Cowboys against Cincinnati.

If that wasn’t proof enough, OSU’s offense far outperformed its averages in several, if not all, statistics, thanks in no small part to Sanders.

“Well, he’s a super strong kid,” interim coach Doug Meacham said. “He’s a little bit undersized in terms of height-wise, length-wise, but he went out there and battled, did a good job. It’s the same thing you tell all the guys that are backup players. I mean, you’re an ankle away, you’re a shoulder away from being in the game, so you have to prepare like you’re a starter.”

It’s fitting that Meacham started off complimenting Sanders’ strength. When reporters asked him about that, the Stillwater local described OSU strength coach Rob Glass as a long-time mentor and said it wasn’t uncommon to find himself lifting more than some of his peers.

When asked for some numbers, Sanders mentioned he could bench 420 pounds and squat roughly 550 for two reps at a time. His most memorable milestone came when he squatted 605 pounds ahead of his senior year at Stillwater.

“Oh yeah (teammates went crazy),” Sanders said. “I mean, just see that much weight on the bar. A lot of them, a lot of those guys haven’t seen six-plus plates on a single bar. The bar is bending, and it was a great atmosphere.”

That strength definitely paid off as 30% of running back Rodney Fields’ yards came when he ran between Sanders and center Austin Kawecki.

The fact that Sanders spent almost all of the last 2.5 years on the bench, except for a few limited snaps here and there, made his first start even more memorable.

“All the work I’ve done for the past three years to get to that point, I mean, it definitely means something,” Sanders said. “I mean, all the stadium steps and workouts. I mean, nothing with Coach Glass comes easy. So to go out there and being able to finally get my chance. And I mean it just means the world.”

Of course, even that doesn’t quite tell the full story, considering his grandfather, Robert Turner, also played for the Cowboys, rushing for more than 1,800 yards in four seasons from 1973-76.

“Growing up, he’d always tell stories about his old teammates and what they did and their bowl games and their big wins,” Sanders said. “And to go out there and have him be able to watch me go out there and do the same thing, I mean, I know it makes him proud, and I feel great for doing it.”

Right after that quote, a reporter asked Sanders if the strangeness of the season, including a coaching change and the number of losses, affected how he felt about the program.

He responded with a respectful but definitive quote that made it clear how he, and likely many others on the team, feel about the season.

“Whatever’s going on, I mean, this is still Oklahoma State University, and I mean, it’s gonna live on.” Sanders said. “So I just go out there and put on the jersey that says Oklahoma State and go out there and play.”

It’s almost like he spent his whole life somewhere preparing to perfectly embody the spirit of OSU…

“I love it here,” Sanders said. “I mean, I grew up here. My family went to college here. My grandpa played here (and) went to college here. My high school coach played here, went to college here. I mean, everything in my life’s always been Stillwater and Oklahoma State football, so to go out there and play it’s a dream.”

Daily Bullets (Oct. 22): Cowgirl Softball’s Massive Jumbotron, Big Offensive Line Improvement 22 Oct 2:00 AM (2 days ago)

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

OSU Bullets

• Big improvements on the Cowboy offensive line are meriting some national recognition (PFB)

• Cowgirl Softball now has the largest LED video display in college softball (X)

• CBS Sports has the Pokes finishing No. 11 in the Big 12 in men’s basketball:

So the Cowboys have a roster featuring experienced producers at the Division I level. If second-year coach Steve Lutz and his staff have few issues incorporating the new pieces, they could out-perform last season’s 7-13 record in the Big 12. [CBS Sports]

• Kicktime was announced for the OSU-Kansas game (PFB)

• Music to our ears – “(OSU doesn’t) lack for…people who are ready to spend. Those people who are ready to spend did not want to put good money after bad under Mike Gundy, someone who vocally rejected the modern concept of the game.”

“There are people who want to get behind the next head coach at Oklahoma State” https://t.co/7a0n8WOHvu pic.twitter.com/eKDB97JBcJ

— BuffalOKstate (@BuffalOKstate) October 21, 2025

Non-OSU Bullets

• An Oklahoma high school girls’ team gave back their state title after realizing a scoreboard error

• Americans are expected to spend nearly $3.9 billion on Halloween candy this year Fun night in OKC

OKC raises its first championship banner ⚡ pic.twitter.com/NipyiwoL0z

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 21, 2025

Zack Ryder Discusses Reuniting with David Taylor, Transition to Life in Stillwater 21 Oct 12:17 PM (3 days ago)

STILLWATER — This isn’t the first time Zack Ryder has gone through a transition to work alongside David Taylor.

Ryder forewent his senior year of high school to move to Pennsylvania and train out of Taylor’s M2 academy. After redshirting at Penn State last season, Ryder transferred to Oklahoma State this offseason to again work alongside Taylor.

“It was really easy when I hit the transfer portal,” Ryder said last week. “I knew the second I was going into there where I wanted to go. Me and him formed a really good bond there and Penn State, and it was really smooth just to come here. I’m excited for the future. We’re gonna be a great team, and we’re gonna dominate.”

It might sound odd to someone with a traditional high school experience to hear of someone leaving their home state to go to a wrestling club, but Ryder wasn’t your run-in-the-mill high school athlete.

Back in 2022 (the summer after Ryder’s sophomore year of high school), Ryder took bronze and the U17 World Championships in Rome. He matched that result by taking home another U17 bronze medal in Istanbul the next year.

Then Ryder, who had been committed to Penn State since early in his junior year, made a proposition to his parents.

“I made my first world team and went to Rome, all that,” Ryder said. “And then I made my second world team, and I was like, ‘Mom and Dad, if I make one more world team, can I move up there and train with David Taylor and train with Penn State?’ And they were like, ‘Yeah.’

“So, it was a process and I moved up there my junior year, like around May, and finished it online. Had to go through a whole process with school and everything. Whole senior year it was just RTC practice and David Taylor. The M2 environment, it was a great place when I was there and David and other coaches were there. It was just awesome, just getting that hard work in and learning from the best, David Taylor — the Olympic champ. It’s a great opportunity now that I’m here. We formed a great bond there.”

Ryder made the U20 team in 2024 and earned a silver medal, meaning he collected three age-level world medals before he wrestled a college match.

His redshirt year with the Nittany Lions wasn’t dormant. He went 8-0, winning the Southern Scuffle and earning a share of the Black Knight Invitational title. At the Scuffle, he pinned 2024 All-American TJ Stewart and beat DJ Parker, who made it to the blood rounds at the most recent NCAA Championships.

“He’s just a kid that pretty much always has a smile on his face,” Taylor said. “He’s still developing a lot of skills. He’s been a really strong kid and has had a lot of success, and now I think he’s really learning how to wrestle in a lot different situations. He’s always asking questions, sometimes too many questions, but I think it’s because he really cares and he’s trying to get better. Those are really fun kids to try and help.”

Although the Cowboys open their season Nov. 7, Ryder is one of two Pokes who will actually get going a little early. Ryder and Casey Swiderski are set to wrestle at the NWCA All-Star Classic. The event doesn’t count on official records, but Ryder, ranked seventh nationally at 184 pounds, is set to scrap with No. 4 Jaxon Smith of Maryland on Nov. 1 in New Jersey.

With the event being close to home for Ryder, he said he has about 30 people going.

How has a kid from New York adjusted to live in Stillwater, USA? Well, Ryder is from upstate New York, in what he called “kinda the country.” Since moving to Stillwater, he owns a pair of cowboy boots, a cowboy hat and a “little” belt buckle.

“The big change I’ve seen a lot is the weather,” Ryder said. “It’s really hot here, and it’s really cold in New York. My dad works outside. He does landscaping and hardscaping and all that stuff. I FaceTime him in the morning, and he’s wearing like a beanie and a jacket. I’m out here sweating outside. That’s just really the big change I’ve seen, just a couple more cowboy hats and belt buckles and the weather.”

Three Things Texas Tech Coach Joey McGuire Said ahead of the Cowboys’ Trip to Lubbock 21 Oct 10:31 AM (3 days ago)

The last time the Cowboys went to Lubbock, they won 23-0. If that happens Saturday, it’d be one of the most shocking results of the college football season (and maybe the past decade).

Oklahoma State plays Texas Tech at 3 p.m. Saturday in Lubbock. Tech coach Joey McGuire met with reporters Monday to preview the game. Here are three things he said.

1. No Mas Tortillas

Before McGuire got going on his regularly scheduled news conference, Tech AD Kirby Hocutt announced Tech fans were no longer permitted to throw tortillas at the opening kickoff, something that’s been happening in Lubbock since the 1990s.

“As we move forward, we are no longer going to encourage nor permit the throwing of tortillas at the opening kickoff for our home football games,” Hocutt said. “… We know that as Red Raiders, no one tells us what to do. We make our own decisions, and we encourage actions because they are the right thing to do.”

Tech was penalized twice during its most recent home game for tortillas being thrown. This comes after Big 12 ADs voted 15-1 to assess a 15-yard penalty after two warnings for objects being thrown on the field. ESPN reports that the one in that 15-1 vote was Hocutt.

“I believe in tradition,” McGuire said. “Y’all know I’ve said it a million times, there’s no place in the world I love more than this place. I’m so lucky to be the head coach at Texas Tech. …

“I still believe the last (home) game, it was as loud as I’ve ever been a part of. … The energy and how loud it was had nothing to do with tortillas.”

We’ll see how that goes.

Personal thoughts: I think the tortilla throw at kickoff is a fun tradition, but it’s easy to see where trusting a bunch of college kids to throw foreign objects toward the field could go south.

2. Tech QB Behren Morton Day-to-Day

The Red Raiders don’t have as many quarterback questions as Oklahoma State does, but there is still a wonder what that position will look like for the team moving forward.

Behren Morton is Tech’s starter, but he’s dealt with some injury struggles this season. Morton injured a knee in Tech’s season-opener but didn’t miss a time because of it until re-aggravating it against Kansas and missing Tech’s loss to Arizona State this past weekend.

Morton also came out of the Red Raiders’ win against Utah because of a hit to the helmet.

Redshirt freshman Will Hammond has come in as Morton’s backup. He’s taken part in seven games this season, throwing for 578 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions. Hammond went 22-for-37 against the Sun Devils, throwing for 167 yards, two touchdowns and one pick.

“(Morton) ran (Sunday) in the pool,” McGuire said. “Ran (Monday) in the AlterG (anti-gravity treadmill). He’ll run again (Monday) afternoon. It’ll be day-to-day. I was proud of him. He was a little bit better of listening. I wished he could’ve played. He wished he could’ve played. But we’re gonna take it day-to-day to make sure that he’s 100%.”

3. On OSU

Saturday’s game features a Tech offense that has averaged 43.9 points a game (best in the Big 12) vs. an OSU defense that is giving up 38.4 points a game (worst in the Big 12). And it features an OSU offense scoring 16.6 points a game (worst in the Big 12) vs. a Tech defense that gives up 14.1 points a game (best in the Big 12).

What could possibly go wrong?

Despite the final score, the Cowboys did look a little better against Cincinnati this past weekend, but OSU still has a long ways to go before anyone picks the Pokes in this game (the FanDuel line sits at Tech -37.5).

“I thought, and Cincinnati’s a really good team, they’re undefeated in our conference, they played Cincinnati really well,” McGuire said. “The running back (Rodney Fields Jr.) had a lot of yards, especially early in the game. They have a new OC. I think Doug’s moved more into the head-coaching role. They’ve got an OC. I thought he was really creative. He actually did some things that bothered us against Arizona State, some unbalanced stuff. So, we’ll have a good plan for that. We’ll have to because they’ve seen it on film, and we’ll see that probably for the rest of the year at different times just because that gave us some issues on defense.”

National Recognition, NFL Talk Follows as Cowboys’ O-Line Hits Third-Highest Mark Since 2021 21 Oct 10:04 AM (3 days ago)

STILLWATER — When OSU interim Doug Meacham helped coach TCU to the College Football Playoff Championship Game in 2022, the Horned Frogs had a talented roster, but they also benefited from good luck in the health department, especially where the quarterback and offensive line were concerned.

“It is like they say, the most important ability is availability,” Meacham said when that TCU team came up on Monday.

Two ongoing quarterback injuries and two ongoing offensive line injuries later, and it’s safe to say the Cowboys aren’t having anything remotely resembling good luck in the health department.

And yet, it’s possible one of those injuries (which are unequivocally always bad) has led to one of the team’s shining stars in the making.

Right tackle Grant Seagren earned an overall offensive PFF Grade of 82.3 for his performance against the then-No. 24 Cincinnati Bearcats on Saturday. With a grade that high, the right tackle earned a spot as one of the top tackles on both the PFF national team and the Big 12 Team.

The former Nebraska walk-on wasn’t even supposed to play a meaningful role for the Cowboys this season.

That changed when left tackle Markell Samuel suffered a freak accident during a hotel walkthrough.

On Monday, Meacham said that Seagren had exceeded expectations since joining the starting lineup only hours before the Oregon game.

“He’s been a really consistent player,” Meacham said. “He’s very athletic. He’s got some good length. He’s just gonna get better. And he really cares. He listens, pays attention, takes notes. He wants to get better because he’s a kid that is probably gonna be a draft guy. And I know we’re way ahead of ourselves here, but he’s got a lot of the intangibles, a lot of the size and the length, and a lot of the things that everybody’s looking for.”

OSU hasn’t seen an offensive lineman drafted since Teven Jenkins went in the second round back in 2021. Seagren has two full seasons after this one to improve his stock if he’s going to prove Meacham’s prediction true.

Even if the 6-foot-6, 311-pounder doesn’t meet those lofty expectations, his growth this season could turn the former walk-on into a priority re-recruitment for the next OSU coach. Seagren’s PFF grade represents a 14-point jump from his second-best showing and a 30-point improvement from his showing against Houston when he finished with a season-low grade of 52.1.

It would be easy to dismiss all of this as a soup of meaningless numbers, but Meacham said he uses PFF grades to help establish a baseline when deciding which transfer portal targets are worth watching on tape. Seagren’s recent grade definitely puts him into the camp of guys Meacham would break down for evaluation.

Speaking of PFF grades, Oklahoma State finished with a season-best run-blocking grade of 72.9. It’s the team’s third-highest run-blocking performance in the last 3.5 seasons.

“You would prefer, when you start a season, for those five to stay in the same position, the same five the best you can,” Meacham said. “The communication, and you stay next to somebody long enough then you get good as a tandem. … You kind of juggle it some and can still kind of perform pretty well. I’m really pleased with those guys. I think as a unit, the five of them, have really held their own.”

Of course, as Meacham eluded to, “the five of them” has been something of an evolving group. Right guard Jakobe Sanders became the eighth different lineman to start for the Cowboys over the weekend, and injuries forced three of those guys to rotate positions.

The OSU interim coach said the Cowboys’ three offensive line assistants (former Cowboys Cooper Bassett, Andrew Mitchell and Grant Garner) make the most of the team’s individual periods to work on fundamentals during practice. All that work positioned Sanders to finish as the second-highest graded offensive lineman in his first career start on Saturday.

“Probably the most unique O-line coaching staff in the country,” Sanders said. “I mean, I have three former players, they know exactly what you’re going through. And I mean, they each have different insight to the game and the way they combine it together.”

Pistols Firing Podcast Ep. 672: OSU-Cincy Recap 21 Oct 8:30 AM (3 days ago)

Carson Cunningham and Colby Powell regroup after a busy weekend to recap OSU’s loss to Cincinnati, Kevin Johns revitalizing the running game and where OSU’s coaching job is ranked nationally.

You know what helps the show and helps us make more shows? When you rate us on Apple Podcasts or subscribe to our pod: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | SoundCloud.

As always, we appreciate our sponsors Chris’ University Spirit, Brewster Consulting Group and Wulf Corporation.

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NFL Update: On Chuba Hubbard Sharing the Load in Carolina and Jaylen Warren’s Worth in Pittsburgh’s Passing Game 21 Oct 6:30 AM (3 days ago)

The NFL’s Week 7 has come and gone. Let’s take a look around the league to see how some former Pokes fared.

Chuba Now Sharing the Load

Chuba is back, but now he might have to give up some of his touches.

Chuba Hubbard has been RB1 in Carolina since Christian McCaffrey was traded to San Francisco in 2022. He turned in 902 yards and five TDs in 2023 and then a career-high 1,195 and 10 scores last season.

But when a calf injury sidelined Hubbard for Weeks 5 and 6, the Panthers turned to Rico Dowdle who signed a one-year deal this offseason. In Hubbard’s absence, Dowdle racked up games of 206 and 183 yards which landed on the Pro Bowl ballot for the Twitter yokels.

According to a report from NFL insider Adam Schefter, the Panthers’ coaching staff has now pivoted to employing a true two-rusher approach to take advantage of both talents.

Hubbard, who averaged a career-high 79.7 rushing per game last year, is now at 49.6 per game while Dowdle has taken his place as the top rusher, currently averaging 78.7.  Chuba had been dealing with a calf injury but is a full-go.

The Panthers rank second in the NFL at 140.1 rushing yards per game. They finished 18th last year at 110.5.

We’ll see how that two-headed RB system plays out at the season continues, and how it affects Chuba’s standing long-term. Next up, the Panthers host Buffalo at noon on Sunday.

Jaylen Warren (Still There for A-Rod)

The former Cowboys tailback continues to be an asset for new Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, whether he’s taking handoffs or not.

The Steelers lost on the road on Thursday to divisional rival Cincinnati, but the former Cowboy running still made some plays that might not end up on his YouTube highlight reel.

#Steelers Jaylen Warren had multiple receptions in the first half where he beat Bengals defenders 1-on-1 or 1-on-2 after the catch for yardage. pic.twitter.com/CJPZtXqywM

— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) October 19, 2025

For the second straight week, Warren had a nice play in pass protection, once again coming to Aaron Rodgers’ rescue.

One of the reasons Jaylen Warren is PFF’s highest graded Steeler right now.

🟩 70.0 – Pass Blocking
🟦 84.9 – Rushing
🟦 89.4 – Receiving
🟦 90.0 – Overall Grade pic.twitter.com/IpwL3FJQBV

— All-22 (@All22_PFF) October 17, 2025

Warren will be busy protecting his new QB when the Steelers host Rodgers’ former team Green Bay at 7:20 p.m. CST on Sunday.

Zac Robinson’s Offense Hits a Wall

The Falcons have had some success moving the ball with the former Oklahoma State QB and current OSU coaching candidate calling plays. But they hit a bit of a wall in the Bay.

Aside from a head-scratching 30-0 loss to Carolina in Week 3, the Falcons had scored at least 20 in each game this year coming in. They scored just 10 points in the loss at San Fran, though they did rack up 292 yards of total offense.

The Falcons offense will try to get right when the host the Miami Dolphins with their 30th ranked team defense at noon on Sunday.

Week 7 Stats

Jaylen Warren (Steelers): rushed for 127 yards and caught four passes for 31 yards in Pittsburgh’s TNF loss at Cincinnati.

Chuba Hubbard (Panthers): rushed for 31 yards and caught three passes for 24 yards in Carolina’s 42-13 loss at New England.

Ollie Gordon (Dolphins): rushed for 11 yards and caught one pass in Miami’s 31-6 loss at Cleveland.

Nick Martin (49ers): made his NFL debut during the San Francisco’s 20-10 win over the Falcons. He did not record an official stat, but I saw him and heard Mike Tirico credit him with a nice hit on the final punt return by Atlanta.

Daily Bullets (Oct. 21): Starting QB Role Up in the Air with Zane Flores Returning 21 Oct 4:12 AM (3 days ago)

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

OSU Bullets

•  Doug Meacham isn’t sure who will start at quarterback against Texas Tech (PFB)

#OKState interim coach Doug Meacham says this weekend could be a platoon QB situation between Sam Jackson V and Zane Flores or either guy could play the whole game. Said he’ll need to evaluate how far along Flores is at practice.

— Marshall Scott (@MarshallScottOK) October 20, 2025

• Update for this weekend’s game in Lubbock – the Big 12 is cracking down on tortilla throwing (CBS Sports)

• Evaluating the OSU job opening – 247 Sports said it’s a top-five open job from a recruiting aspect, a CBS Sports analyst has it ranked between Arkansas and Virginia Tech (247 Sports, CBS Sports)

• The Cowboy offense showed progress this week with a new playcaller (PFB)

What a SUPER COOL play this was!
OSU ran the craziest version of the “mesh” route I’ve ever seen. In the “mesh” route you have a shallow cross from each side, hoping the defenders get rubbed, and the QB has an open crosser and an easy throw with lots of yards after catch.

Well,… pic.twitter.com/D6TfBx2nLp

— OState Daily (@Ostate_Daily) October 21, 2025

• It might not be a bad idea to bookmark this tweet if things don’t go well on Saturday in Lubbock:

The last time @CowboyFB visited Lubbock, TX? A 23-0 victory for the 9th ranked Cowboys over the Red Raiders in 2021. The Jim Knowles led #okstate defense would hold Texas Tech to 108 total yards and a shutout. pic.twitter.com/NjPLbYfBA2

— Everything Oklahoma State (@everythingpokes) October 20, 2025

• Budget-friendly vacation destinations in the US

• 35 solid marriage questions (faith-based)

‘They Ain’t Scared’: What Steve Lutz Learned about His Team in the Auburn Exhibition 20 Oct 4:55 PM (4 days ago)

STILLWATER — Steve Lutz took his second Cowboy basketball team down to Birmingham for an exhibition against a team coming off a Final Four run. And the Cowboys won.

Oklahoma State beat Auburn 97-95 last week, going to overtime in the game that didn’t count on records to do so. The Cowboys were shorthanded, with four player sitting on the pine in street clothes. Eight of the 11 Cowboys who did play were wearing an OSU jersey for the first time.

And despite all of that, the Cowboys went to hostile territory against a preseason Top 25 team and won.

“They ain’t scared,” said Lutz on Monday on if there was anything that surprised him about the Auburn exhibition. “At the end of the day, when you go to an environment like that — today was practice No. 18. We probably, at that point, had 13 or 14 real practices, and we haven’t really had a tremendous amount of, what I would consider, real practices because we’ve been so short on bodies.

“You find out. When you get into pressure situations, you’re either gonna fight or you’re gonna wilt. And we fought. That’s obviously something that’s great to see.”

Kanye Clary, Christian Coleman, Vyctorius Miller and Benjamin Ahmed were the Cowboys who sat out. Lutz said Monday that he doesn’t expect any of those injuries to be super long term but that Ahmed will likely be the last of the group back.

OSU also had four players foul out against Auburn, as the Pokes were whistled for 34 personal fouls. Auburn attempted 49 free throws.

The foul trouble plus the injuries meant a few Cowboys had to handle a big work load in Lutz’s up-tempo system despite it being preseason.

UMass transfer Jaylen Curry played 34 minutes, where he scored 23 points, including a game-winning layup. He also had a quartet of assists and no turnovers.

Seton Hall transfer Isaiah Coleman dropped an efficient 28 points, going 9-for-15 from the field. He also had eight rebounds and a game-high three steals.

Green Bay transfer Anthony Roy played 42 minutes, where he also scored 28 points (on 50% shooting) to go with a dozen rebounds. Roy hit a deep go-ahead 3-pointer with less than a minute left in regulation and hit two more 3s in overtime. He’s the type of marksman OSU simply didn’t have last season, and bluntly, there might not be many nationally who can fill it up like Roy can.

“It’s a fantastic luxury and something we didn’t have, obviously, last year,” Lutz said. “I’m excited about what Anthony did against Auburn the other night, and again, I think he’s got a long, long ways on the other side of the ball for growth. And if he can do both of those things because he rebounded it, he shot it. The downside against Auburn was he some careless turnovers. He had six turnovers. But if he becomes a two-way player, I think Anthony Roy’s gonna have a chance to be a professional for a long time.”

It’s a one game exhibition sample size, so the Pokes have plenty of work to do. But given online discourse, the fanbase seems to be really excited about the idea of watching relevant basketball again.

The Cowboys have another exhibition this weekend against SMU in Dallas.

“I would say that for the first exhibition game of the year, those guys performed at a high, high level,” Lutz said. “I think that that hopefully gives us a glimpse of what maybe could come down the road. …

“Winning and being a coach is very fleeting. As quick as people are to praise us for beating Auburn, if SMU were to beat the heck out of us, they’d be wanting to fire me again. Instead of Nutz for Lutz, it’d be … whatever. You know what I mean? I get it.”

Video: Steve Lutz Gives Updates on Oklahoma State Basketball 20 Oct 2:34 PM (4 days ago)

STILLWATER — The season hasn’t even started yet, but it feels like there’s already some positive momentum forming behind Cowboy basketball.

Oklahoma State went to Alabama and beat a ranked Auburn squad in exhibition play. Meanwhile, OSU’s 2026 recruiting class ranks 15th nationally and second in the Big 12.

OSU coach Steve Lutz met with reporters Monday to give updates on the Cowboys. The Pokes play another exhibition Saturday, this time against SMU at 2 p.m. in Dallas.

Doug Meacham Uncertain About Starting Quarterback Ahead of Trip to Texas Tech 20 Oct 1:23 PM (4 days ago)

STILLWATER — The identity of Okahoma State’s starting quarterback is once again back up in the air.

“Zane (Flores) has come a long way, but we’ll know probably a little bit more about that part once we get through practice,” interim coach Doug Meacham said. “There’s nothing that says it can’t be a two-quarterback platoon situation, or it could be Sam (Jackson) all the way, or could be Zane all the way.”

Flores took simulated snaps from a trainer during warmups on Saturday while four other quarterbacks, including Jackson, took snaps from offensive linemen.

Meacham generally seems to be more upfront regarding personnel announcements, but he has in the past acknowledged there’s a level of gamesmanship to when starting quarterbacks get announced to the media. So this could all be a smokescreen and he knows which guy will play.

Flores completed 55% of passes for 696 yards and three interceptions before missing each of the last two games due to an injury sustained late in the third quarter at Arizona.

Jackson completed 51% of his passes for 233 yards and two interceptions in his two starts at quarterback. His 149-yard passing performance against then-No. 24 Cincinnati was only the fourth time this season OSU’s starting quarterback passed for more than 100 yards.

“He made some great wild plays, and he’s really good with his legs,” Meacham said. “And then at the same time, he made a couple mistakes there that were pretty catastrophic. But I think overall, in his circumstance. … I’d like to see who (as a receiver) that is in this entire country that comes out and kind of performs at that level (at quarterback), coming as a guy that’s been a receiver for two years.”

Officially, Jackson rushed 22 times in the last two games for a loss of 31 yards and a touchdown, but those stats are completely overtaken by four fumbled snaps which required Jackson to dive on the ball for huge losses.

His other 18 rushing attempts, including sacks taken, saw him pick up 15 yards.

“Took his eye off a snap, (and) the pick six was, I don’t know that that was a phenomenal route,” Meacham said of Jackson’s miscues on Saturday. “Receiver is a little bit lazy at the top of the route and may have been a little bit late. But, you know, he had a couple things in there that weren’t good, but for the most part, you gotta admire what he’s done with a limited amount of time at a position that’s, you know, there’s not an eye in the stadium or on either sideline. It’s not on you every snap to do the right thing. So I’m pleased, man.”

Meacham said the biggest difference he saw from Jackson in his second start was the pre-snap stuff at the line including communication.

“He’ll just get better,” Meacham said. “We get that stuff. Like in golf, if you get your sand wedge out, keep hitting it for a while. You probably hit a sand wedge a little better.”

Where Jackson has truly thrived at times this season is when the Cowboys ask him to challenge defenses down the field with his arm.

He completed 3-of-6 passes at least 20-yards downfield and 6-of-14 between 10-19 yards. For comparison, Flores was 3-of-22 on 20-plus passes and 8-of-17 between 10-19 yard throws.

“He’s made some wild throws,” Meacham said of Jackson’s 48-yard throw to Shamar Rigby on Saturday. “Like it comes out, it comes out at a rate that’s, I mean, I haven’t seen too many guys that trigger the ball like that. If you notice the flight of the ball and the rotation of it, it’s tight, it’s light, there’s a lot of rotation on that ball, and it has probably something to do with his hand size, but he’s an accurate thrower.”

The Final Draw (PFB+): How Kevin Johns Cracked the Code to Jumpstart OSU’s offense 20 Oct 1:19 PM (4 days ago)

STILLWATER — For the first time since the Baylor game, the Cowboys offense put on a show at least as interesting as what was going on elsewhere inside Boone Pickens Stadium.

Just last week, it seemed like OSU’s best shot of truly competing in a conference game would require a spark from the defense. Then, quarterbacks coach Kevin Johns took control of the offense and worked his magic to turn the Cowboys into a serviceable unit, only vulnerable to the worst-timed fumble snaps ever.

It was a bitter ending, but true progress could turn into full-blown hope if Johns can deliver a repeat performance either at No. 14 Texas Tech or at Kansas in the next two weeks.

Today’s edition of the Final Draw will focus on:

• A breakdown of Oklahoma State’s success with trip formations
• The two receivers who nearly had highlight-worthy plays, and why those didn’t work out
• Surprising snap counts, player grades and other defensive insights

But first, let’s talk about Oklahoma State’s offensive line. Those guys have come up more than once in the Final Draw this season, but then they were one of the weak links. 

That wasn’t the case on Saturday as the offensive line helped OSU’s offense put together one of its best performances in recent memory, starting with a national and conference-wide accolade for two of the big guys.

You can read the rest of this article here with a PFB+ subscription. Need a PFB+ subscription? You can get 25% off by using this link.

The Top 5 Quotes from Doug Meacham’s Monday News Conference 20 Oct 1:05 PM (4 days ago)

STILLWATER — The Cowboys are headed to West Texas this weekend for a game against a Texas Tech squad looking to bounce back from an upset loss.

Oklahoma State plays the Red Raiders at 3 p.m. Saturday in Lubbock. OSU interim coach Doug Meacham met with reporters Monday to preview the contest. Here are five things he said.

1. On Why He Gave Up Play-Calling Duties

Meacham’s situation was different that most play-caller/head coaches given he stepped into the head role on an interim basis, but a lot of times, it sounds like a difficult decision for those types to give up play-calling duties.

Meacham said it wasn’t for him.

Quarterbacks coach Kevin Johns called the OSU offense in this past weekend’s game against Cincinnati. Although the scoreboard might not show it, that game was one of the Cowboys’ better offensive performances. OSU gained 377 yards, the third-most in a game this season, and had a season-high 228 rushing yards against a defense that came into the weekend giving up about a 100 yards less than that.

“I didn’t feel like those guys are getting my best because of, and it’s not necessarily this stuff, it’s the mental — I don’t know what the word I’m looking for is — but you’re dealing with 100 and some odd players that are, ‘Should I do this? Should I do that?'” Meacham said. “And there’s a lot of mental gymnastics in that. I don’t think I was doing a very good job in terms of giving them my best. Those guys, they’re fighting for themselves at this point in terms of their career.

“So, I just kinda unplugged myself and said, ‘You guys can go make this what you want, and moving forward it may help you in the long run get your next whatever it is you’re looking for.’ I just felt like I wasn’t completely dialed with all the other things. And it wasn’t the physical workload, just the mental workload. I felt distracted. I think that to give our offense the best opportunity and give those coaches the best opportunity for their future, I thought it was just a really good move.”

2. On Coaches Working without a Certain Future

That leads nicely into a quote Meacham gave about his assistants.

Many (just about all) of these assistant coaches got to Stillwater this year after Mike Gundy cleaned house following last year’s 3-9 season. With Gundy’s firing, that means the future is uncertain for these coaches.

Meacham was asked about the staff focusing on this team despite that.

“Sitting here in an office on your phone looking for a job is not gonna help you,” Meacham said. “Being a jackass to the players and your coworkers is not gonna help you. So, what do you do? Well, just remember how happy you were the day you got this job, and while you’re here, do the best you possibly can. Because that’s ultimately going to get you where you want to be for the next job, period.

“In this line of work, because it’s a small group of people, you make two or three guys feel about you a certain way, you’re gonna make about 50 guys feel that way about you because everybody knows everybody. So, handle yourself professionally and do the best you possibly can is my advice for any coach in this situation.” 

3. ‘It Was a Win in Every Way Possible Except the Scoreboard’

OSU’s 49-17 loss to the Bearcats felt like the best game OSU had been in in some time, which tells you enough about this season.

The fans were having a good time, the offense looked as good as it had all season, but the Pokes still lost by 32.

“Last week, it was a win in every way possible except the scoreboard,” Meacham said. “Our fanfare and the stadium and all the people involved was unbelievable. The want-to and the energy and the enthusiasm of the players was phenomenal. The gameplan was a solid gameplan. Unfortunately, the only thing that truly matters is what’s on the scoreboard. But in terms of everything else, it was a win.”

4. Grant Seagren ‘Is Probably Gonna Be a Draft Guy’

Redshirt sophomore right tackle Grant Seagren was thrust into action this year after Markell Samuel suffered an injury in a hotel walkthrough before the Oregon game, but by all accounts, the former Nebraska walk-on is making the most of his opportunity.

Seagren was named to Pro Football Focus’ National Team of the Week, after the service graded him out at 82.3. That ranked third nationally among offensive linemen and first among tackles.

Meacham spoke glowingly about Seagren a few weeks back, and he had more praise for the tackle on Monday.

“He’s very athletic,” Meacham said. “He’s got some good length. He’s just gonna get better. And he really cares. He listens, pays attention, takes notes. He wants to get better because he’s a kid that is probably gonna be a draft guy. And I know we’re way ahead of ourselves here, but he’s got a lot of the intangibles, a lot of the size and the length, and a lot of the things that everybody’s looking for.”

5. On Tech’s Defense

Texas Tech has been a school known for its offense, but for what feels like the first time in a long time, the Red Raiders have a salty defense.

Tech ranks 11th nationally in total defense, giving up just 276.4 yards a game. For reference, OSU ranks 132nd in that stat, giving up 468.9 yards a game.

The Red Raider rush defense ranks first nationally, allowing just 64.3 yards on the ground a game.

And for good measure, Tech ranks 16th in third-down D, allowing conversions just 30% of the time.

“Their edge guys, you think about their D in general, just their two D-ends, you know, I think it’s Romello Height and David Bailey,” Meacham said. “David Bailey’s got like 11 sacks (10.5). The other kid’s got five. That’s an issue because now you have to chip and do things with tight ends and backs. When you’re throwing passes, you don’t have the stretch horizontally that you want because those guys have to kind of chip to get out late or get eaten up by the D-ends. 

“Anytime you put pressure on the quarterback and not have to blitz, that’s why all those guys make all the money in the NFL. You got an edge guy that they have to chip and double and do all these things. You don’t have to blitz and you can leave seven in coverage. That’s why those guys are so valuable. They’ve got two of them.”

Kick Time Announced for Oklahoma State’s Nov. 1 Trip to Kansas 20 Oct 9:01 AM (4 days ago)

Six of the seven Big 12 games for the weekend of Nov. 1 were put in the six-day window, but the conference apparently knew when it wanted the Cowboys to play.

Oklahoma State will play Kansas at 3 p.m. on Nov. 1 in Lawrence. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.

OSU is 1-6 this season and 0-4 in Big 12 play entering this weekend’s trip to Lubbock for a game against No. 14 Texas Tech.

The Jayhawks enter the weekend at 4-3 and 2-2 in Big 12 play. Kansas will host the Sunflower Showdown this weekend as Kansas State travels to Lawrence.

The Cowboys hold a 42-30-2 all-time series lead against Kansas and have won 13 of the past 14 in the series, with the one outlier during that stretch being OSU’s 2022 trip to Lawrence. The teams last met in 2023, when Ollie Gordon led the Pokes to a 39-32 win after running for 168 yards and a touchdown and finishing with 116 receiving yards and another score.

This marks OSU’s fifth afternoon kick of the year, as the Cowboys kicked in the time slot against Oregon, Baylor and Arizona. This weekend’s game against Tech will also kick at 3 p.m.

The Reload Ep. 14 | Oklahoma State vs. Cincinnati Recap 20 Oct 7:58 AM (4 days ago)

Justin Southwell, Nathan Gilsleider and Marshall Scott preview Oklahoma State’s homecoming game against Cincinnati and discuss a little OSU basketball.

Special thanks to our sponsor ⁠Brewster Consulting Group⁠.

We’re having some troubles with Spotify and Apple, but this pod will be available on those platforms once we get those kinds worked out.

PFB+ Sale: ⁠PFB+ subscriptions are 25% off when using this link

Daily Bullets (Oct. 20): Texas Tech Open Massive Favorites Over the Pokes 20 Oct 2:00 AM (4 days ago)

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

OSU Bullets

• Chad Weiberg’s contract issue is about to be resolved, per sources:

If there isn’t a public acknowledgement before Friday, it is expected that the Weiberg situation would be officially resolved during the upcoming monthly meeting of the OSU/A&M Board of Regents.

[TulsaWorld]

• Texas Tech -37 is the opening line for the Cowboys game in Lubbock (X)

• Let’s take our best guess at if Hauss Heny plays again for OSU this year:

Play a game, go into the bye week and then have Hejny start the final three games of the season to see if he’s The Guy moving into 2025. That’d be four full games and a really nice quarter to build off. [GoPokes 247 $$$]

• Three Cowboy offensive players made the All-Big 12 team for the week on ProFootballFocus – including tackle Grant Seagre, who made first-team all college football (PFF)

• Articles from after the Cincinnati loss: – Ten Thoughts from the loss – Quotes from Doug Meacham‘s post-game press conference – Bananas took over Boone Pickens Stadium • Excellent work, Cowboy fans:

Crowd announced at 46,901 for homecoming

— Scott Wright (@ScottWrightOK) October 19, 2025

Non-OSU Bullets

• What it means to get a “second wind” before bedtime

• Why were old bridges covered? You need to be bored.

Scoreboard Might Not Show It, but OSU’s Offense Took a Big Step Forward Under Kevin Johns 19 Oct 1:10 PM (5 days ago)

STILLWATER — Oklahoma State’s offense has spent most of the season doing a pretty good Charlie Brown impression.

The Cowboys usually get a good start early in the game, only to see the football taken away sometime late in the second quarter. Then the offense is only allowed to move the ball again once the game is firmly out of reach in the fourth quarter.

It didn’t change the result, but Oklahoma State finally managed to flip the script in Saturday’s 49-17 loss to No. 24 Cincinnati.

All four of the Cowboys’ complete drives in the second and third quarters went for at least 33 yards. Three of them went for at least 62 and resulted in 14 points.

That probably had something to do with the way interim coach Doug Meacham chose to start his postgame press conference.

“Some positives there, right?” Meachm said. “We felt good at times. There was a feeling at times that ‘Hey, we’re about to turn the corner.’

“And then things just didn’t work out.”

When Oklahoma State’s offense did fail, it often did so not because Cincinnati played particularly well, but because OSU’s offense finally imploded either in the form of a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown or two fumbled snaps.

However, there are probably a dozen stats that would demonstrate how much better OSU’s offense looked on Saturday, but three stand out.

Editor’s note: The chart above ignores drives coming with less than 60 seconds in a half where OSU wasn’t actually trying to move the ball and instead just ran out the clock.

The Cowboys’ only three-and-out came on the team’s opening drive. After that, the team was more or less off to the races, flipping the field almost every single drive.

Entering the week, Oklahoma State ranked 128th in points per game largely because the Cowboys only reached the red zone 12 times in the first six games. For context, those 12 opportunities put the team in a four-way tie for the 128th red zone attempts in the nation alongside Wisconsin, South Carolina and Louisiana Monroe.

Two big, likely related, changes for OSU prompted the turnaround on Saturday night. Running back Rodney Fields delivered the team’s best individual offensive performance when he finished with 190 total yards of offense and a touchdown, giving the Cowboys a legitimate weapon.

And quarterbacks coach Kevin Johns called the offense for the first time.

“His play calling was good,” Meacham said. “They put together a really good run plan, some trips … and then some unbalanced. It gets that extra safety out of the box a little bit and creates some running lanes up in there.

“Because that’s kind of their primary run stoppers, that extra safety. Some of the formation stuff and the motions and shifts, they did kind of neutralize that guy a little bit and create some running lanes. So it was pretty good job by him.”

As good as Fields was, he wasn’t the only runner having success on Saturday. Running back Sesi Vailahi averaged 5.4 yards per carry on seven attempts and finished with 52 yards of offense. Receiver Gavin Freeman averaged 11 yards on the ground on two rushing attempts and hauled in a team-high four receptions for 30 yards.

“Really, I feel like our game plan was to run the ball,” OSU left guard Bob Schick said. “You know, you run the football, everything else is easier. And that kind of showed tonight, you know, we had more explosive passes. You know, Sam was able to make stuff happen.”

Almost every offensive lineman will say they prefer running the ball because it lets them surge forward and attack instead of sitting back and trying to hold off pass rushers. So Schick said knowing that the offensive line would get the chance to really let things fly against the Bearcats made a difference last week.

“It builds confidence, I think, especially in the offensive line room and in the tight end room,” he said. “It builds confidence that coach trusts us to kinda lead the way and pave the way for the rest of the offense.”

That certainly happened as the Cowboys moved the ball at least 33 yards on six consecutive drives across all four quarters. A huge shift from the stop-start nature the team had become accustomed to, especially in the second half against Power Conference teams.

Prior to Saturday, Oklahoma averaged only 76 yards of offense in the second half in four Power Conference games. To make it worse, that number wasn’t brought down by one really bad performance. Oklahoma State’s best second-half showing came against Baylor when the team picked up 99 yards after halftime.

Against the Bearcats, Oklahoma State’s offense accounted for 147 yards after halftime. The scoreboard didn’t reflect the improvement, but Meacham wasn’t the only one in the locker room encouraged by what he saw.

“Especially offensively, we talked about it,” Schick said of the team’s growth on Saturday.

Interim defensive coordinator Clint Bowen said the offense’s performance helped the defense weather the storm in the first half so the Cowboy defense could hold the Bearcats to 16 total yards on their first two drives in the third quarter.

“I mean, what’d they (Cincinnati) go, four possessions, four touchdowns,” Bowen said. “It was as bad of defense as you could play right there. But the offense controlling the ball, limiting those possessions so that we could get ourselves figured out a little bit, kinda kept it in there.”

Several Cowboys have spent the last few weeks saying the team just needed both the offense and defense to execute at the same time for things to change. In the third quarter, OSU fans got to see those stars align for a brief stretch as the Cowboys cut the Bearcats’ lead to 11 points with a chance to make it a one-possession game if not for a disastrous fumbled snap by Sam Jackson on 3rd-and-1.

“That’s kind of how football is meant to be played. … We have their back, they have our back,” Schick said of the third-quarter synergy. “And when we could do that, we can win games.”

Bananas Take Over Boone Pickens Stadium 19 Oct 9:56 AM (5 days ago)

STILLWATER — One of our lovely PFB+ subscribers invited members of our forum to a tailgate Saturday. It was there I started hearing murmurs of bananas.

A group of students was going to wear banana costumes at the football game. It sounded like a fun idea, but I guess I didn’t fully comprehend just how many bananas there would be. It turns out, it was about a half a section filled with bananas.

They call themselves Pete’s Peelers. And they’re here to fix OSU football by wearing banana costumes.

There are no bad ideas at this point. pic.twitter.com/wk1fEoZyEs

— Joe Mussatto (@joe_mussatto) October 18, 2025

For the past two weekends, the national takeaway from Oklahoma State games had nothing to do with what happened on the field (thank goodness). Instead, the nation has fawned over the OSU fanbase’s ability to have fun in spite of the fact that the Cowboys have been outscored a combined 269-116.

It started last week when one guy waving his shirt above his head turned into a few sections filled with guys waving their shirts above their heads. That continued Saturday as Section 231 was turned into Section 2 “no-shirty” 1. All night, despite some chilly temperatures by game’s end, fans stood in that section with their shirts off.

Then the bananas manned a section on the opposite side of the Cowboy Marching Band, adding another element to a student section that is turning into a zoo exhibit (I say that in the most endearing way possible).

“It’s phenomenal, unbelievable,” OSU interim coach Doug Meacham said. “What a great atmosphere. You would have thought we were up 21. Whatever you call the shirtless people, it’s pretty awesome again. And it got a little nippy out there. I’m looking up there. I probably would have put my shirt back on. I’d go sit down somewhere. But they did a phenomenal job.

“I’m not really clear on what the banana people were, what that was all about. Is that something that nobody really knows? So they went up there and had a banana peel, I guess what they said. So that’s pretty, pretty awesome.”

As Garth Brooks’ ‘Friends in Low Places’ rang throughout Boone Pickens Stadium in the second half, the bananas formed a conga line going from one side of the student section and back. All of that happened whilst Section 231 was still doing its thing. It made it hard to look at the field.

The bananas are mobile pic.twitter.com/ukhDRZuDlY

— Marshall Scott (@MarshallScottOK) October 19, 2025

“I did (see the bananas),” OSU corner Cam Smith said. “I saw from the first quarter to the end. We really appreciate the banana fans, the shirtless fans. We appreciate all of them.”

Then late, two became one. The bananas peeled themselves and joined Section 231, waving their banana costumes over their heads.

It’s awesome. Pictures like the following will always have to be explained. Someone is going to scroll through in 2050 and be like, ‘Is that a section full of bananas?’ Why yes, yes it is.

“It’s just college kids having fun being at a football game,” Meacham said. “Man, it’s pretty cool, you know? And a lot of those kids are up there, they’re gonna to have a lot of memories and that’s, that’ll be part of it. They’re just having a good time. I appreciate it. I appreciate them and what they did during the game, it was unbelievable.”

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly from Oklahoma State’s Loss to Cincinnati 19 Oct 7:48 AM (5 days ago)

Not sure how — or if this even makes sense — but that might be the most encouraging 32-point loss in Oklahoma State history. Or maybe I’m suffering from Stockholm syndrome.

At times, Oklahoma State threatened to make it a ball game with No. 24 Cincinnati in town for Homecoming. But while there were some encouraging improvements on both sides of the ball, the Pokes ended up getting throttled.

Let’s take a look at the Good, the Bad and the Ugly from the Cowboys’ sixth loss of the season.

The Good: The Run Game

The good part is that the Cowboys actually had a run game.

OSU rushed for 228 yards and 4.8 yards per carry against a pretty good rushing defense. Cincinnati came in allowing just 129 rushing yards per game and 3.7 per carry. The Bearcats had allowed just four rushing scores in six games. They gave up two to the Pokes.

It was the best rushing performance of the year, by far, and provides at least a glimmer of hope for sustained drives at some point this fall.

Play-calling seemed to be improved, especially early, after interim head coach Doug Meacham handed off some of those duties to QBs coach Kevin Johns. The depleted offensive line looked better that it has for stretches. And Rodney Fields Jr. is a stud.

Mostly, Rodney Fields Jr. is a stud.

The redshirt freshman had a career night, slicing up the defense for 163 yards and a score while picking up 7.8 yards per handoff. He had a 41-yard run and the 20-yard touchdown, but he never lost ground. He had a one-yard run and two three-yards but every other handoff went for four yards or more.

The Cowboys were able to treat the Homecoming crowd to some nice moments before things got completely out of hand, and Fields was a big reason for it.

The Bad: Consecutive Turnovers

At times, Sam Jackson V looked much improved. In his second start at OSU, he seemed to have a better command for the offense and was extending plays. He even had TD run to pull OSU within 14-10 in the second quarter.

But after Cincy began to pull away and there was just the smallest sliver of hope to stay in it, he coughed up the rock on consecutive possessions.

If instead of getting pick-sixed by Matthew McDoom (lived up to the name), he finds Cam Abshire in the endzone, the Cowboys are within 11 points with six minutes to go. Then on the next drive another snap miscue resulted a 19-yard loss to set up Cincy for the chip shot back-breaking TD.

We can continue to say this. Jackson started the year off as a wide receiver. But, as of now, he’s OSU’s starting quarterback and turnovers are bad.

The Ugly: 700 Days, No Bowl Hope

When the Cowboys show up in Lubbock will be exactly 700 days since their last conference win, which just so happened to be the game preceding their trip to the Big 12 Championship game against Texas in 2023. What a change.

I haven’t expected the Pokes to go bowling for a while, but the oncoming finality of it is ugly enough.

Mathematically, the Cowboys could still make the postseason, but they’d have to win their last five games starting with a visit to a No. 7 Texas Tech team which will not be No. 7 after its road loss to Arizona State.

Before their loss to the Sun Devils, the Red Raiders hadn’t scored less than 34 all season. The Cowboys have barely sniffed 30 all year. The Raiders will be hankering to get that taste of their mouths and desperate to stay in the mix for the Big 12 title race. The Cowboys are in for a tough road trip.

How a ‘Catastrophic’ Few Plays Turned a Competitive Game into Another Blowout 19 Oct 4:00 AM (5 days ago)

STILLWATER — A gander at the Cowboys’ average margin of defeat against FBS foes this season (28.8) will show you they haven’t been super competitive this season.

Oklahoma State was competitive against No. 24 Cincinnati on Saturday … until the Cowboys weren’t.

OSU lost to Cincy 49-17 on homecoming, an unlucky 13th consecutive conference loss across the past two seasons. Despite the looks of that final score, the Cowboys were hanging around with the ranked Bearcats until a disastrous set of plays.

Plays from every game every week can be nitpicked, but there were a few from Saturday that took it a step further than simply not going the Cowboys’ way. They went about as far from the Cowboys’ way as possible.

“Just some little minor miscues that turned catastrophic,” OSU interim coach Doug Meacham said. “It’s like a little bitty thing, and it just completely implodes on us. We gotta find ways to not put our kids in those positions that it could occur and find ways to alleviate that and neutralize all that. We were doing some really, really good things, and there are about five plays in there that make it look really, really bad at times. But there’s a body of 60 other plays that make it look really good. Unfortunately those five or six that didn’t look good were catastrophic. …

“Not that there’s a moral victory in this thing here because we want to win, but it definitely would’ve looked a little bit better at the end of the day had a couple of those things not happened late in the fourth.”

Let’s start late in the third quarter.

The Cowboys were down 28-17 but driving. OSU started at its 14-yard line but had made it up to the Cincinnati 41, threating to make it a one-score game.

OSU came up on a 3rd-and-1, but short yardage hadn’t been much of an issue for the Cowboys all night. They finished the game with their two leading running backs combining to average 7.2 yards per carry.

So, another quick handoff to Rodney Fields, and the Cowboys are continuing on their merry little way, right? Wrong. Sam Jackson couldn’t handle the snap, and it got by him. He took a peek back when he got near the ball, but the Bearcat defenders were already bearing down on him. All he could do was fall on it for a loss of 12.

Now 4th-and-13, the Cowboys had to punt. A first down there would’ve just about put the Cowboys in kicker Logan Ward’s range. That drive probably would’ve ended with three points at worst. But it could’ve ended with six or eight points (would’ve likely gone for 2 to make it a 3-point game had the Cowboys scored).

A returning DeSean Brown got a big sack on Cincinnati’s next drive (marking just the second time Cincy had given up a sack this season). It resulted in a 3rd-and-16 for the Bearcats to start the fourth quarter.

Cool, get a stop, get the ball back and OSU still has plenty of time to stick to its gameplan (running the ball) and cut it to one score. … That was until Brendan Sorsby, who is v. good, put a ball on a rope between three OSU defenders to Jeff Caldwell. Parker Robertson nearly picked the pass off. Instead, it resulted in a gain of 38 yards. Brutal.

3rd & 15? No problem.

📺 ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/bpCVuO7Dop

— Cincinnati Football (@GoBearcatsFB) October 19, 2025

“I talked to the Sorsby kid before the game,” OSU interim defensive coordinator Clint Bowen said. “I told him I thought he could be on the national scene, and I really do. All week long, it was nice to watch that kid play (while watching film). …

“But, that 3rd-and-16, he threw the ball at the wrong spot. He got lucky on that one. Now, it was a dart, but the ball should have went to the other side. I mean, we should not have lost that play. You know, we’re thinking screen, draw, something along those lines. They had a frontside dig, he threw it to a backside guy that, quite honestly, we had doubled up, and he threw such a good ball that he made up for it.”

Cincinnati would pay off that drive with a touchdown to take a 35-17 lead.

Things were looking bleak, but the Cowboys started driving again.

OSU marched down to the Cincinnati 14, where a Jackson pass was intercepted at the goal line. And not only was it intercepted, it was returned 100 yards the other way for a touchdown.

McDOOOOOOOOM‼️

📺 ESPN2 https://t.co/GBDKO1lidG pic.twitter.com/pc3pJmpKxM

— Cincinnati Football (@GoBearcatsFB) October 19, 2025

OSU was in Cincinnati territory about to make it a one-score game, and now all of a sudden it’s 42-17.

It’s not that OSU should have won the game. Cincinnati was clearly the better team. But the Cowboys were close to being close. And then with an electric homecoming crowd providing wind for the sails, who knows what could’ve happened?

“I’ve been on teams where we won games we probably shouldn’t have won, and the ball just kinda bounced our way at times,” Meacham said. “That’s not what you’re shooting for, but maybe at some point the ball will bounce our way and we’ll be there at the end.”

Daily Bullets (Oct. 19): It Was Fun, While Fun Lasted 19 Oct 2:00 AM (5 days ago)

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

OSU Bullets

•  Marshall does a great job of contextualizing the bright spots within another blowout loss in his 10 Thoughts. [PFB]

• Despite the blowout, there was noticeable difference from the way the offense was operating. Still a long way to go, but gotta give Johns credit.

Doug Meacham did.

Meacham: “Kevin (Johns) did a great job.”

Was Johns’ first game calling the #okstate offense. — Marshall Scott (@MarshallScottOK) October 19, 2025

• Despite the loss, it was a nice turnout for Homecoming, and the crowd outdid themselves.

Update: it’s 49-17 pic.twitter.com/6F6XUSmn5A

— Marshall Scott (@MarshallScottOK) October 19, 2025

The Oklahoma State student section has done it again 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/UkzHA9Rog8

— Barstool Big 12 (@BarstoolBig12) October 19, 2025

• Former Cowboy big earns a shot in Dallas.

The Dallas Mavericks and Moussa Cisse have agreed to a two-way deal, agent Yann Balikouzou of @LIFTSPORTSMNGMT told @hoopshype. pic.twitter.com/qMO4ywhVcs

— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) October 18, 2025

Non-OSU Bullets

• This was a tough call.

Ya I’m not watching sports anymore man what is this

How are refs allowed to rig games like this https://t.co/LgC4rUDuY8 pic.twitter.com/tM53vMoZrV

— Liam Blutman (@Blutman27) October 19, 2025

• I’m a sucker for a big return TD (well most of the time).

This is what the NFL took from uspic.twitter.com/7AltZxUFFP

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) October 19, 2025

• A little levity after a long Saturday.  

👌 pic.twitter.com/GVhvK4NRk8

— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) October 19, 2025

The Top 5 Quotes from Doug Meacham’s Post-Cincinnati News Conference 18 Oct 10:22 PM (5 days ago)

STILLWATER — Little by little the Cowboys seem to be headed in a positive direction, but the scoreboard still hasn’t been kind to the Pokes.

Oklahoma State lost to Cincinnati 49-17 on Saturday night in Boone Pickens Stadium. It was game No. 4 with Doug Meacham as the Cowboys interim head coach. Here are five things he discussed after the game. You can watch his full news conference below.

1. Kevin Johns ‘Did a Great Job’ Calling Plays

The OSU staff shuffle made another turn this week, as quarterback coach Kevin Johns called plays for the Cowboys for the first time.

This comes after offensive coordinator Doug Meacham was moved to interim head coach after Mike Gundy’s firing. The staff shuffle also saw defensive coordinator Todd Grantham leave the program as Clint Bowen was elevated to interim DC.

Anyway, back to Johns. That Cowboy offense gained 377 total yards, which is the third-most the Pokes have put up in a game this season. OSU ran for 228 yards, a season-high against a defense that came into Saturday night giving up just 129.2 yards a game.

“Kevin did a great job,” Meacham said. “Real calm. They were very organized. They did a great job communicating. It was just a real solid performance by him. His play calling was good. They put together a really good run plan, some trips, nub stuff and then some unbalanced. It gets that extra safety out of the box a little bit and creates some running lanes up in there. Because that’s kind of their primary run stoppers, that extra safety. Some of the formation stuff and the motions and shifts they did kind of neutralize that guy a little bit and create some running lanes. So it was pretty good job by him.”

2. The O-Line ‘Playing Better’

The offensive line deserves some credit in regards to the success of the offense.

Meacham called the O-line the Cowboys’ “most consistent bunch.” The line has managed that title despite some inconsistent members. Starting left tackle Markell Samuel went down before the Oregon game with injury, and then guard Noah McKinney got hurt last week.

The Cowboys started three underclassmen on the line (Nuku Mafi, Grant Seagren and Jakobe Sanders) but still helped churn out a 228-yard rushing day.

“They’re playing better,” Meacham said. “Unfortunately we had another guy hurt and (Jakobe) Sanders came in and did a good job. He hadn’t played much this year. The most consistent group so far is probably the O-line. They’ve done a good job and they’re well-coached. I’d say those guys are the most consistent bunch, and at times, have played really well.”

3. What’s the Next Step?

If you watched Saturday’s game from start to finish, you know that it was closer than the 49-17 score line might entail.

With that said, there’s obviously still work that needs to be done. Here’s what Meacham said needs to be this team’s next steps.

“Just some little minor miscues that turned catastrophic,” Meacham said. “It’s like a little bitty thing, and it just completely implodes on us. We gotta find ways to not put our kids in those positions that it could occur and find ways to alleviate that and neutralize all that. We were doing some really, really good things, and there are about five plays in there that make it look really, really bad at times. But there’s a body of 60 other plays that make it look really good. Unfortunately those five or six that didn’t look good were catastrophic.”

4. Rodney Fields Has a ‘Bright Future’

He’s also quite bright in the present.

Fields rushed for 163 yards against the Bearcats. Tyler wrote about Fields’ night in more detail here. Here is what Meacham had to say of the redshirt freshman running back’s performance.

“Rodney can get small through tight spaces,” Meacham said. “He’s got enough body twitch, it can kinda — he’s shifty. He can stop and start, and he’s compact. His short speed is really good. His short speed is really good. With him, a 5-yard box, he’s really twitchy and quick, and he’s got some power to him, and he’s low center of gravity. He’s gonna have a bright future.”

5. Another Great Crowd

The shirtless section from last week returned, and a section of bananas joined in on the fun.

Oklahoma State’s crowds have been the big takeaways from their past two games. Last week, one man waving his shirt above his head turned into about three full sections doing the same.

This week, a group of students donned banana costumes and all sat together.

“It’s phenomenal, unbelievable,” Meacham said. “What a great atmosphere. You would have thought we were up 21. Whatever you call the shirtless people, it’s pretty awesome again. And it got a little nippy out there. I’m looking up there. I probably would have put my shirt back on. I’d go sit down somewhere. But they did a phenomenal job.

“I’m not really clear on what the banana people were, what that was all about. Is that something that nobody really knows? So they went up there and had a banana peel, I guess what they said. So that’s pretty, pretty awesome. 

“It’s just college kids having fun being at a football game. Man, it’s pretty cool, you know? And a lot of those kids are up there, they’re gonna to have a lot of memories and that’s that’ll be part of it. They’re just having a good time. I appreciate it. I appreciate them and what they did during the game, it was unbelievable.”

Rodney Fields’ Career Night Against Cincy Gives OSU a Sorely Needed Offensive Identity 18 Oct 10:00 PM (5 days ago)

STILLWATER — The only time Rodney Fields struggled to find the hole on Saturday came in the end zone when so many of his teammates mobbed around him to celebrate his 20-yard, I-will-not-be-denied touchdown run early in the third quarter.

With so many Cowboys sprinting his way, the running back looked like a salmon swimming upstream when Fields tried to reach the sideline after that play.

“He’s been due for a couple for sure,” OSU left guard Bob Schick said. “And to see him hit the hole right down and just run (and) make a couple guys miss at the end there was super cool.”

That was just about the only time Fields had any trouble in the Cowboys’ 49-17 loss to No. 24 Cincinnati. He finished the evening with 163 rushing yards and averaged 7.8 yards per carry. He also hauled in three receptions for 27 yards, which put him only 4 receiving yards short of second place on the team.

It’s only the second time in Oklahoma State’s last 21 games that a running back has topped 150 yards, and his rushing total ranks fifth all-time among OSU freshmen.

It was the kind of elite individual offensive performance the Cowboys have been looking for all season, and it suggests Fields could emerge as the program’s next great running back if he can deliver repeat performances.

“I think so,” Schick said when asked if Fields reached a new level. “I think he was more locked in, and he was ready too.”

Fields’ showing in his sixth game this fall was somewhat reminiscent of Ollie Gordon’s performance in the sixth game of 2023, when he exploded for 168 yards (his first time over 150) and a touchdown on 29 carries (an average of 5.8).

“Rodney can get small through tight spaces,” interim coach Doug Meacham said. “He’s got enough body twitch, it can kinda — he’s shifty. He can stop and start, and he’s compact. His short speed is really good. … With him, a 5-yard box, he’s really twitchy and quick, and he’s got some power to him, and he’s low center of gravity. He’s gonna have a bright future.”

The performance looks even better considering the Bearcat defense ranked 52nd against the run, limiting teams to 3.69 yards per carry and 129 rushing yards per game, both marks that Fields destroyed Saturday.

Fields was able to run the ball even when it seemed obvious he would get it. He picked up 4 yards on 4th-&-1, 3 yards on 3rd-&-1 and another 3 yards on another 3rd-&-1.

His worst run of the night was a 1-yard carry on a direct snap on 2nd-&-6 at the Cincinnati 16-yard line. Every other carry went for at least 3 yards.

It would be easy for anyone who didn’t watch the game to write off Fields’ performance as a product of the lopsided final score. Anyone can run when the game is so far out of reach, but Fields didn’t pad his stats late.

In fact, he averaged 7.9 yards per carry in the first half when Fields racked up 110 rushing yards. That makes him the first Cowboy with 100-plus rushing yards in a first half since Jaylen Warren (remember him?) put up 150 at Boise State in 2021.

Fields put up 145 on the ground and averaged 7.6 when the third quarter ended, and the Cowboys only trailed by 11 points thanks largely to his touchdown.

On that play, Fields slowed down just behind the line of scrimmage before exploding through or past three defenders before surviving contact with a fourth that sent him stumbling and ultimately falling to the turf, but only after he crossed the goal line.

Slicing through the defense @_Rodney4 | 📺: ESPN2 https://t.co/4XFmuncfQv pic.twitter.com/NOdyscmXRb

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) October 19, 2025

The broadcast described him then as “a man possessed.” Fields preferred to think of the run as a product of his offensive line and his own patience on the play.

“Once I got the ball, I seen the defenders overflow to one side,” Fields said. “So I have patience and cut it up the middle, and then just touchdown from there.”

10 Thoughts on Oklahoma State’s 49-17 Loss to No. 24 Cincinnati 18 Oct 9:18 PM (5 days ago)

BOX SCORE
PHOTOS

STILLWATER — The Cowboys gave their homecoming crowd a reason to stick around Saturday night, but the end result ended up being another lopsided loss.

Oklahoma State fell to Cincinnati 49-17 in Boone Pickens Stadium, as the Cowboys fell to 1-6 overall and 0-4 in Big 12 play. Here are 10 thoughts on the game.

PFB+ Sale: PFB+ subscriptions are 25% off when using this link

1. It Was Competitive for Longer

This was the first time in a long time I couldn’t start writing my thoughts at halftime.

The score ended quite lopsided, but it was an 11-point game after three quarters. The defense couldn’t stop a nose bleed in the first half, but OSU was still hanging around.

It’s sad that a 49-17 OSU loss feels like progress, but the final score to this game doesn’t exactly tell the whole story.

2. When It Ended

Cincy scored to take a 35-17 lead early in the fourth quarter, but the Pokes started driving after that.

The Cowboy offense marched down to the Cincy 13-yard line in 13 plays — talk about unlucky.

That lack of luck showed itself on play No. 14 of the drive, as Sam Jackson was intercepted at the goal-time, and Matthew McDoom spelled doom for the Pokes by housing that pick 100 yards back the other way.

McDOOOOOOOOM‼️

📺 ESPN2 https://t.co/GBDKO1lidG pic.twitter.com/pc3pJmpKxM

— Cincinnati Football (@GoBearcatsFB) October 19, 2025

That put an end to the festivities, as it went from a potential 35-24 (or 25 if OSU went for 2 and got it) game to a 42-17 game.

3. Weird History

That 100-yard interception return was the longest in Cincinnati history.

It broke a record set in 1958 … against Oklahoma State.

Back in 1958, the Bearcats were members of the Missouri Valley Conference. OSU had just gotten out of that league and was an independent before the Big Eight started in 1960.

If you’re looking for more history to repeat itself from 1958, the following happened that year:

• NASA was formed (aliens on the way?)
• The Baltimore Colts won the NFL Championship (Daniel Jones does have the Colts rolling)
• The Nutcracker was shown on prime-time TV in color for the first time

4. Rodney Fields’ Career Day

The beacon of light in this football game was running back Rodney Fields, as the redshirt freshman ran for a career-high 163 yards on 21 carries. He also got into the end zone.

After missing the season-opener, this is Fields’ second 100-yard performance of the season, which is especially impressive given how anemic this offense has looked for much of the year.

He had three runs of at least 10 yards, including a 41-yard scamper to start the second quarter. His touchdown run was from 20 yards out.

Slicing through the defense @_Rodney4 | 📺: ESPN2 https://t.co/4XFmuncfQv pic.twitter.com/NOdyscmXRb

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) October 19, 2025

His patience is impressive, and once he finds a hole, he glides through it. His 5-foot-9, 195-pound frame makes it to where he can duck behind 300-pound offensive linemen and allow a hole to develop before blasting off Jimmy Neutron style.

The offensive line deserves a lot of credit, as well. The group has dealt with some attrition and on Saturday started three underclassmen. Andrew Mitchell and Cooper Bassett are doing great work.

5. Jackson Looked Better, but It’s Still Not an Ideal Situation

For the first time since Sept. 30, 2023, Sam Jackson V threw for 100 yards in a football game. That date was his last game at Cal before he transferred to Auburn to play receiver.

He made his first start as an OSU quarterback last week. Here is that performance against Houston compared to his performance Saturday night:

Houston: 7-for-16, 84 passing yards, 1 INT, -28 rushing yards
Cincinnati: 11-for-19, 149 passing yards, 1 INT, -3 rushing yards

I imagine a game of live reps did a lot for Jackson, and he overall looked more comfortable. Having a rushing attack almost certainly helped that.

Jackson also looked more ready to run himself if something wasn’t there against Cincy, whereas against Houston, I felt he was sometimes sticking with a play too long instead of just taking off.

If he can take another step like that going into next week, then look out. Zane Flores went through a little bit of warmups Saturday, though, so perhaps Jackson’s days behind center are again numbered.

6. Welcome Back, Sesi Vailahi

Sesi Vailahi had as big an impact on this game as he’s had all season.

The Cowboys brought five capable running backs into the season and rotated them quite frequently to start the year.

Vailahi ran nine times for 32 yards in the season-opener. Those 3.6 yards per carry were best among OSU running backs against UT-Martin, but he didn’t get another carry until garbage time last week against Houston when he took seven handoffs in the Cowboys’ final drive and ran for 27 yards.

Meacham said after the game that Vailahi had been a little banged up earlier in the year and that the rotation just hadn’t made its way back to him.

But he had nine touches Saturday against Cincy. He ran seven times for 38 yards (5.4 yards per) and caught both of his targets for another 14 yards.

Vailahi runs hard, like his life depends on it. His cuts are just as hard, and with that speed and his body shifting on cuts, it makes he makes for an awkward tackle.

7. Tackling Wasn’t Good

The PFF numbers are going to be gross on that tackling, I do believe.

Brendan Sorsby was fantastic Saturday (and has been all season), but his touchdown run in the third quarter saw him wiggle around five OSU defenders.

WOULD NOT BE DENIED

📺 ESPN2 https://t.co/FMFb8VV3mv pic.twitter.com/Cmwj8KlUgL

— Cincinnati Football (@GoBearcatsFB) October 19, 2025

That was just one play of a handful where tackling was less than ideal.

8. Third Downs Were Killer

The Cowboys’ D had its moments but struggled mightily to get off the field on third down.

Cincy went 6-for-10 on the money down Saturday, and one of those conversions felt particularly backbreaking.

The Cowboys had Cincinnati in a 3rd-and-16 early in the fourth quarter while the Bearcats had a 28-17 lead. Sorsby ripped a ball to Jeff Caldwell with defensive back convening on him, and Caldwell was able to make a tough catch and finish with a 38-yard gain.

Cincy paid that drive off with a touchdown and never really looked back.

OSU’s offense also had a third down not go its way that felt big at the time. OSU had a 3rd-and-1 midway through the third quarter (the possession before Cincy converted the 3rd-and-16), but Jackson mishandled the snap. It got by him, and the play resulted in a loss of 12, forcing a punt.

9. Solid Start for Kevin Johns

This was the first game quarterbacks coach Kevin Johns took over play-calling duties from interim head coach Doug Meacham, and it’s hard to argue against the move given that offensive performance.

The Cowboys finished with 377 yards of total offense, their third-most in a game this season. It was more yards than the Pokes put up against UT-Martin.

OSU rushed for 228 yards — the most they’ve had in a game this year — and it came against a ranked defense that was giving up just 129.2 rushing yards a game coming into Saturday night.

It looked like Johns found a formation that worked against the Bearcats’ Iowa State-inspired front. OSU would often have three receivers to one side and a tight end on the opposite side. Whatever that did, it opened up lanes to run.

Perhaps the most shining example of OSU’s offense looking better was the Cowboys’ first-down production.

Against Houston last week, the Cowboys had 57 yards on first downs with an average first-down gain of 3.2 yards.

Saturday, OSU had 207 yards on first down at 6.9 yards a play.

That allowed drives to sustain and felt less gimmicky than trick plays producing points. The Cowboys had four drives against the Bearcats that were five minutes or longer. Their longest drive last week was 3:48, and that was the garbage time drive that Noah Walters led.

It’s a one-game sample size, but the shuffling of play-callers feels like a good move.

10. It Was Another Great Crowd

A homecoming crowd at Oklahoma State is always going to be a good one, but I continue to be impressed with how much this fanbase supports a team going through the struggles the Cowboys are.

Not only were the shirts back off in Section 231, but a section of students wearing banana costumes also made its debut. By the end of the game, the bananas peeled themselves and went up and joined the shirtless festivities.

At one point, the bananas did a conga line through the student section.

The bananas are mobile pic.twitter.com/ukhDRZuDlY

— Marshall Scott (@MarshallScottOK) October 19, 2025

What’s next? A section filled with Teletubbies? A full-on flash mob?

The crowd is keeping it fun, and hopefully one time before the season ends that crowd is treated to another win.

PHOTOS: The Best Pics from Oklahoma State-Cincinnati 18 Oct 7:57 PM (5 days ago)

The Cowboys dropped their Homecoming matchup against the Bearcats, but they looked good doing it (?).

To be fair, the Cowboys did show some bright spots on both side of the ball — even if they were snuffed out by turnovers and the Bearcats’ offense, which is apparently a juggernaut.

OSU did don a sleek new helmet, and we got a color-rush uniform matchup.

Patrolling the sidelines with an obnoxious-sized camera lens was Pistols Firing photographer Devin Wilber. He caught all the action: good, bad and ugly. Here’s a tasting of some of his best shots. You can check out the full album here.

Instant Recap: Oklahoma State Drops Homecoming to Cincinnati 49-17 18 Oct 7:28 PM (5 days ago)

BOXSCORE

The Cowboys put up maybe their best fight of the season, but the Bearcats’ explosive offense was just too much for them.

Oklahoma State fell to Cincinnati 49-17, but the final score doesn’t accurately portray the Cowboys’ fight and execution at least in portions of this one.

The Cowboys got beat by an objectively better team, but (at times) they looked like they belonged on the field, which is not something you could have said for them all year. We’ll start with the reasons for hope.

For a good chunk of the first half, the Cowboys looked to have a viable offense. For a smaller portion of the second half, they looked to have a viable defense. They weren’t able to put that all together or at the right time, but there was a different energy from the players and the Homecoming crowd. The Bearcats were just too good, and the Cowboys just had too many errors and missed opportunities.

The Cowboys scored on two of their first three drives, and, though they couldn’t keep the Bearcats out of the end zone, they seemed intent on hanging around.

Then the Cowboys’ defense started the third quarter with a forced three-and-out and then another stop while the Cowboys’ offense scored its second TD to make it an 11-point game.

Slicing through the defense @_Rodney4 | 📺: ESPN2 https://t.co/4XFmuncfQv pic.twitter.com/NOdyscmXRb

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) October 19, 2025

As a freshman with lots of eligibility left, Rodney Fields Jr. played well on the national stage.

He turned in a career-high 163 yards and a touchdown on just 21 carries. That’s 7.8 yards per carry. Fields also caught all three of his targets for 27 receiving yards.

Despite a couple of late turnovers, Sam Jackson V showed marked improvement earlier in his second start, even is his stat line won’t show it. He went 11-of-19 for 149 yards, an interception and a lost fumble, but he captained the offense and was able to sustain drives. He did have a rushing score.

Sam Jackson V for VI!@OGandE | 📺: ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/FQGDscFmKj

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) October 19, 2025

Jackson is a wide receiver playing quarterback. That’s where OSU is right now. For those who might be curious, Noah Walters came in as QB2 for the second straight week. No TD pass this time. He didn’t even attempt a pass.

Gavin Freeman chipped in 30 receiving yards on four catches and Shamar Rigby led the Cowboys with 48 yards, on one pass play.

The Cowboys brought some pressure, but Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby is one of the best in the country at dealing with defenders in his space. He continued to show that on Saturday night. DeSean Brown did sack the junior for just the second time this season.

Sorsby went 20-for-29 for 270 yards and three passing TDs plus another score on the ground. He was as good as advertised, as was the Bearcats’ offense on the whole.

Missed opportunities kept the Cowboys from staying in it early. Jackson had Terrill Davis on 3rd-and-6 inside the Cincy 10, but the pass glanced off Davis’ hands. He had another would-be touchdown on a pass that was broken up in the endzone. Of course, there were Jackson’s two turnovers. Do those four plays make the difference in the game? Probably not, but they illustrate just how slim the margins are for this team.

Penalties also hurt the Pokes at inopportune times.

At one point in the second quarter, the defense gave Cincy a new set of downs on a chintzy roughing-the-passer call. Then on the next drive a 10-yard pass completion in enemy territory was called back for holding. The Cowboys would convert one 4th-and-1 in the redzone before turning over on downs on 4th-and-1 at the Cincy 6-yard line. That’s a probably 14-point swing at least partially due to two flags in a then 11-point game.

Then things fell apart on their seventh drive.

OSU was hanging around 28-17 after Fields scored his touchdown early in the third quarter. But Bearcats answered with their own score, breaking a streak of consecutive OSU stops. Then on the Cowboys’ seventh drive, Jackson threw an interception at the goal line which Matthew McDoom returned the length of the field to make it 42-17. Jackson immediately coughed up a fumble on a snap that gave UC the ball with just 13 yards to score. The Bearcats did to make it 49-17.

The Cowboys will go 700 days between Big 12 wins.

With the loss, the Cowboys fall to 1-6 (0-4 in conference), and that elusive Big 12 win won’t get any easier to chase down next week. The Pokes head to Lubbock to face a currently No. 7 team looking to rebound from a tough loss. The Red Raiders fell to Arizona State 26-22 on Saturday.

Uni Reveal: Oklahoma State Celebrates America’s Greatest Homecoming in All-Orange Look 18 Oct 2:36 PM (6 days ago)

Homecoming always means more in Stillwater, and the football team dressed the part.

The Cowboys will don an all-orange look with a brand new cursive Pokes helmet for their Homecoming against Cincinnati.

𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓇𝒶𝓃𝑔𝑒 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 pic.twitter.com/eAX9QNQ9u3

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) October 18, 2025

After some bait-and-switch, the Cowboys announced the look at the normal timeframe, 90 minutes before kickoff. On Thursday, the Cowboy Football X account tweeted out that the Homecoming uniforms would be released on Friday night. Instead, they gave a nod to the shirtless crew in Section 231.

See y’all tomorrow 😉 https://t.co/JuF547SKp2 pic.twitter.com/0uNqxzjweE

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) October 17, 2025

There was also some conjecture that there would be Oklahoma A&M throwbacks.

There’s something brewing for Homecoming… #Aggies https://t.co/MQ47s5V0AK pic.twitter.com/cQ6Y1VmqQ3

— Carson Cunningham (@Carson_OKC) October 17, 2025

The Pokes are 3-0 all-time in Orange-Orange-Orange since 2011. The last time OSU wore this uniform combination was in their Homecoming win against Texas in 2022.

The look also accounts for a color-rush game with Cincinnati’s “iced-out” look.

Wearing all-white looks seems even more popular than normal this season, with the Bearcats looking like the latest team to get in on the trend.

❄️❄️❄️❄️ pic.twitter.com/vnFeCuu72P

— Cincinnati Football (@GoBearcatsFB) October 16, 2025

LIVE BLOG: Cowboys Host Bearcats for America’s Greatest Homecoming 18 Oct 11:00 AM (6 days ago)

FINAL: Cincinnati 49, Oklahoma State 17

OSU’s Ninth Drive: Oklahoma State 10, Cincinnati 49

Noah Walters is in. Guess that answers that question.

UC’s Eighth Drive: Oklahoma State 10, Cincinnati 49

A short field makes for a short drive. Bearcats piling on.

OSU’s Eighth Drive: Oklahoma State 10, Cincinnati 42

That’s consecutive turnovers for Sam Jackson. The Bearcats recover his fumble and get the ball at the OSU 13.

OSU’s Seventh Drive: Oklahoma State 10, Cincinnati 42

All the flags. Then the back-breaker.

The Cowboys had picked up a fourth down deep in the redzone but that got called back due to an ineligible man down field, but then Jackson gets a P.I. on the have-to fourth down. So OSU gets first-and-goal from the 8, but then the Pokes pick up and false start penalty.

Then Jackson throws a pick at the goal line. Matthew McDoom spells doom for OSU, returning it the length of the field for a back-breaking score.

UC’s Seventh Drive: Oklahoma State 10, Cincinnati 35

DeSean Brown sacked Brendan Sorsby for just the second time all year to put it at third-and-long, but Sorsby had the last laugh. After being stopped on consecutive drives, Cincy pushed its lead to 35-17 on an 11-play, 95-yard touchdown drive capped by a Sorsby rushing TD. He’s up to four total scores.

OSU’s Sixth Drive: Oklahoma State 17, Cincinnati 28

The Cowboys were rolling but an oopsie did them in. Sam Jackson couldn’t hang onto a high snap and has to dive on it. A third-and-1 at midfield turns into a fourth-and-13.

UC’s Sixth Drive: Oklahoma State 10, Cincinnati 28

The Cowboys got a huge stop, and we might have ourselves a football game.

Theon this drive, standing up the runner on third-and-1 at the Cincy 39. But Scott Satterfield went for it and the Bearcats got the first down, but the Cowboys still get the stop.

OSU’s Fifth Drive: Oklahoma State 17, Cincinnati 28

Sure, a casual 30-yard pass to Quinton Stewart. That set up a 20-yard TD run by Rodney Fields Jr.

The Cowboys started with their best field position of the game thanks to that special teams penalty.

UC’s Fifth Drive: Oklahoma State 10, Cincinnati 28

The Pokes’ defense starts the second half off with a nice stop.

Parker Robertson had back-to-back big tackles to put UC in third-and-12. Malik Charles bumps Sorsby out of bounds to force Cincy’s first three-and-out. And, the Cowboys get an extra 15 yards due to a kick-catch penalty.

HALFTIME: OKLAHOMA STATE 10, CINCINNATI 28

UC’s Fourth Drive: Oklahoma State 10, Cincinnati 28

The Bearcats continue to slice up the Cowboys’ defense. Brendan Sorsby has 207 passing yards and three touchdown passes in the first half alone. Pokes will get it with enough time to take a knee.

OSU’s Fourth Drive: Oklahoma State 10, Cincinnati 21

After getting behind the chains on a holding call, the Cowboys were able to convert on fourth-and-1 the first time. The Cowboys kept churning but Vailahi came up short on fourh-and-1 at the Cincy 6 and come up empty.

UC’s Third Drive: Oklahoma State 10, Cincinnati 21

The Bearcats aren’t slowing down, though.

Sorsby finds Joe Royer for a 27-yard TD pass to cap a six-play, 86-yard drive. Cincy scores fast. The Cowboys’ defense needs to get some breaks or it’s going to be a long night.

OSU’s Third Drive: Oklahoma State 10, Cincinnati 14

Hey look, offense.

Once again, Rodney Fields is the motor. He breaks loose for a 41-yard run down the sideline. Then Sesi Vailahi took over and pushed the Cowboys into the redzone for Sam Jackson V to pick up his first rushing TD of the season.

Important note that Jackson is one dropped pass and one

UC’s Second Drive: Oklahoma State 3, Cincinnati 14

The Bearcats answer with an extended scoring drive. Cincy goes 71 yards in nine plays and caps it with a Cyrus Allen end-around rushing TD.

Cincinnati has 150 total yards just six seconds into the second quarter. That’s not good for the on-pace numbers.

OSU’s Second Drive: Oklahoma State 3, Cincinnati 7

Hello Rodney Fields.

The Cowboys are actually running the ball and they’re doing it against a pretty good rushing defense. By the second drive, the Pokes have already eclipsed their yard total (40) with 54. Sam Hackson had Terrill Davis on third-and-5 for what would have been first down inside the 10 and very possibly could have been a TD.

Pokes settle for points. They’re playing with some of that energy we saw in garbage time against Houston. Sam Jackson looking good captaining the offense. Rodney Fields needs all the touches.

UC’s Opening Drive: Oklahoma State 0, Cincinnati 7

Evon Pryor gets the Bearcats going with consecutive runs of 32 and 10 yards to put them in OSU territory and then Brendan Sorsby pays it off with a 26-yard TD pass to Cyrus Allen.

OSU’s Opening Drive: Oklahoma State 0, Cincinnati 0

The Bearcats win the toss and defer and the Pokes start out with a three-and-out. Sam Jackson went deep to Terrill Davis on the sideline on third-and-7. There was a lot of contact but no flag on the play.

While the play on the field has not been up to par, Oklahoma State knows how to celebrate Homecoming. Let’s just hope those returning alums will leave with something to celebrate.

The Cowboys are in dire straits, coming in 1-5, winless since their 27-7 win over an FCS team. If we check the box for FBS games only, the Cowboys haven’t won a game since September 14, 2024, against Tulsa. They haven’t beaten a P4 opponent since beating Texas A&M in the 2023 Texas Bowl. So, technically, the last time they beat a Power 4 team, it was still called the Power 5.

On the other hand, the Bearcats are 5-1, having won five straight after dropping their season opener to a ranked Nebraska squad. Cincinnati thus far is just balanced. The Bearcats are winning but not doing it too sexy. They land at or near the middle of the conference in most of the major statistical categories (scoring, rushing and passing offense; scoring, rushing and passing defense).

These two teams are on opposite trajectories, but it’s Homecoming and the crowd should be a little more full and a little more lively. So maybe there’s the possibility for some Homecoming magic.

Stick with us here for live updates up to kickoff and if you’re a PFB+ subscriber the convo is already going in The Chamber.

Uni Reveal: Cowboys going all-orange with a fancy new lid.

Brace for the stadium commemoration jokes from down south.

Plaque came in 😍 pic.twitter.com/jMDLIScEmn

— Oklahoma State Athletics (@OSUAthletics) October 18, 2025

Pregame Reading

Game Preview

PFB Picks: It says something when picking a Game MVP is about as accurate as guessing what uniforms they’ll wear.

PFB Podcast: Carson and Colby preview Cincinnati and talk head coaching search and Hoops.

The Reload: Justin Southwell, Nathan Gilsleider and Marshall get into it as well.

QB Preview: The Cowboys will face one of the most efficient and effective QBs in the country in Brendan Sorsby.

What Cincy head coach Scott Satterfield said about the matchup.

Daily Bullets (Oct. 18): We’ll Cross Cincinnati’s Goal and Then We’ll Sing ‘Oklahoma State’ 18 Oct 2:00 AM (6 days ago)

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

Three Thoughts

• GoPokes 247 is doing an excellent job digging into the coaching search ($$$) – reporting specifically on multiple names having expressed interest in the role. This bit about Zac Robinson was interesting: 

Oct. 16 update: A private jet flew from Stillwater to Gainesville, Georgia Wednesday. Gainesville is right down the street from the Falcons practice facility. The flight landed at 2:41 eastern, ahead of when the Falcons usually practice. The Falcons’ offense got out of practice late, a source told GoPokes. Normally practice ends around 4 eastern, and they finished closer to 7 p.m. Wednesday. GoPokes can’t confirm that Robinson definitively met with Oklahoma State personnel, but it feels very likely that was the cause for the delay. [GoPokes 247]

• Chad Weiberg went more than 20 minutes on the coaching search – here are five thoughts on Chad Weiberg’s remarks (YouTube + PFB)

• Any guesses on who this could be? 

FootballScoop can confirm Oklahoma State is talking to head coaches and assistants, with a sitting SEC assistant with ties to the program scheduled to speak with Turnkey earlier this week. [Football Scoop]

ChatGPT told me it might be this guy.

Two Quotes

• Viktor Hovland rolling around Delhi in a rikshaw:

Viktor Hovland is buzzing around the streets of New Delhi on the back of rickshaw. Surprised he’s not getting swarmed as a former FedEx Cup champ pic.twitter.com/iDjTTsUYe9

— Eric Patterson (@EPatGolf) October 16, 2025

•  Scenes from walkarounds last night: 

Scenes from Walkaround™️ pic.twitter.com/XCUEGEM7Yt

— Oklahoma State Athletics (@OSUAthletics) October 18, 2025

One Question

• The PFB squad is predicting a loss of 14, 15, and 21 points – thinking the Pokes will compete for Homecoming makes sense, right?

Non-OSU Bullets

• The quality the best leaders have + keys to happiness at work • The Ringer released their top 100 NBA players – OKC had three in the top 25

Podcast Ep. 671: Cincinnati Preview, Cowboy Hoops Talk and Coaching Chatter 17 Oct 10:48 AM (7 days ago)

Carson Cunningham and Colby Powell preview Oklahoma State’s homecoming game against Cincinnati and discuss the coaching search and Cowboy basketball.

You know what helps the show and helps us make more shows? When you rate us on Apple Podcasts or subscribe to our pod: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | SoundCloud.

As always, we appreciate our sponsors Chris’ University Spirit, Brewster Consulting Group and Wulf Corporation.

PFB+ Sale: PFB+ subscriptions are 25% off when using this link

PFB Picks: Predictions for Oklahoma State’s Homecoming Matchup against Cincinnati 17 Oct 9:28 AM (7 days ago)

The last time the Bearcats came to Stillwater, the Cowboys celebrated America’s Greatest Homecoming with a 32-point win. That was a long two years ago. Now they come into Saturday’s game as three-touchdown underdogs.

The Pistols Firing staff convened to make predictions for how things play out between two programs currently on almost opposite trajectories.

Marshall Scott

Score: Cincinnati 38, Oklahoma State 17

OSU Player of the Game: Gavin Freeman

Uniform: White (Cursive Pokes) – Orange – Orange

Thoughts: This would be a great spot for the Cowboys’ to find a way to win and would be a big boost in terms of fanbase moral to upset a ranked team on homecoming. But having watched the Cowboys the past two seasons, that’s a hard thing to predict. Gavin Freeman is always a juke move away from making a big play, so I’m going with him to pull some highlights out. OSU is hyping up its uniform announcement, so I have no clue what the Cowboys will wear.

Kyle Cox

Score: Cincinnati 35, Oklahoma State 21

OSU Player of the Game: Sam Jackson V

Uniform: Black (New Helmet) – Orange- White

Thoughts: As stated above, these two programs are just on different ends of the spectrum. One is building something and the other is trying to see what pieces actually fit (hence a WR playing QB). Cincy is pretty good against the rush but they did give up over a hundred yards on the ground to UCF quarterback Cam Fancher. So maybe Sam Jackson can break free for something special. We’re grasping a bit. I hope whatever HC helmet that they come up with is cool.

Tyler Waldrep

Score: Cincinnati 38, Oklahoma State 23

OSU Player of the Game: Mordecai McDaniel

Uniform: Black (Brand)- Orange-Orange

Thoughts: McDaniel has the quietest possible 23 tackles in the last two games. Only three Cowboys have more than that this entire season.
A win Saturday would require an elite-level performance from at least one offensive player AND some Homecoming magic. One of those seems more likely than the other.

The case for magic is pretty simple: OSU went toe-to-toe with eventual Big 12 champ Arizona State last year for two quarters until a thunderstorm suspended the game during halftime, and a holding penalty wiped out a special teams score. This Cincinnati team has the same underwhelming start as the Sun Devils, and the Bearcats (3-0 Big 12) are starting to look like conference contenders.

Game Preview: Kick Time, TV Info, Stats for Oklahoma State-Cincinnati 17 Oct 8:53 AM (7 days ago)

The Cowboys are again big home underdogs, but perhaps America’s Greatest Homecoming can provide some magic for the Pokes against a ranked team.

Oklahoma State hosts No. 20 Cincinnati on Saturday. Here is a preview of the game.

PFB+ Sale: PFB+ subscriptions are 25% off when using this link

Viewing Info

Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Boone Pickens Stadium
Watch: ESPN2 (Mike Monaco, Kirk Morrison and Dawn Davenport)

Betting Info (via FanDuel)

Spread: Cincinnati -21.5
Over/under: 57.5
Oklahoma State money line: +1,100

Thursday Availability Report

Oklahoma State

OUT — Jaylin Davies (CB), Da’Wain Lofton (WR), Cameron Epps (S), Hauss Hejny (QB), Dylan Smith (S), DeAndre Boykins (S), David Kabongo (S), Darius Thomas (LB), Josh Ford (TE), Shea Freibaum (LS), Louie Canepa (OL), Markell Samuel (OL), Matrail Lopez (WR)), Oscar Hammond (TE), Jaleel Johnson (DE)

DOUBTFUL — Noah McKinney (OL)

QUESTIONABLE — Zane Flores (QB)

PROBABLE — JK Johnson (CB), Jacobi Oliphant Jr. (CB/LB)

Cincinnati

OUT — Zay Johnson (CB), Kale Woodburn (WR), Terrell Holcomb (LB), Cam Reotherford (DL), Quinn Staten (LB), Ronan Casanova (LB), Drew Logan (DL)

Team Stats

Statistical Leaders

Passing:
OSU — Zane Flores — 77-for-140 (55%)/696 yards/0 touchdowns/3 interceptions
UC — Brendan Sorsby — 99-for-153 (65%)/1,448 yards/14 touchdowns/1 interception

Rushing:
OSU — Rodney Fields Jr. — 55 carries/257 yards/0 touchdowns
UC — Evan Pryor — 44 carries/349 yards/2 touchdowns

Receiving:
OSU — Gavin Freeman — 19 catches/203 yards/2 touchdowns
UC — Caleb Goodie — 17 catches/354 yards/2 touchdowns

Tackling:
OSU — Bryan McCoy — 42 total tackles
UC — Jake Golday — 56 total tackles

Sacks:
OSU — Wendell Gregory — 3 sacks
UC — Jake Golday — 3 sacks

Series History (OSU Leads 3-1)

Five Things Chad Weiberg Said About OSU’s Football Head Coaching Search 17 Oct 6:47 AM (7 days ago)

Cowboy fans have had plenty of questions about the search for OSU’s next head football coach. The school tried to answer some of them, even if some of those answers were effectively “you’ll have to wait and see.”

Oklahoma State put out an interview with athletic director Chad Weiberg about the search to replace all-time winningest head football coach Mike Gundy. In it he addressed several things about the hiring process, starting with specifics on a connection with another recent hire.

1. Same Firm as Lutz

Cowboy fans might be riding a little high after OSU basketball’s win over a ranked Auburn team (preseason or not), but the Lutz era is at least promising. So, it doesn’t hurt to tie the football coaching search into the hoops search whenever appropriate and available.

OSU has employed a search firm, and Weiberg named the group as Turnkey and mentioned OSU’s experience with the organization. The school used them “in the men’s basketball search as well.”

The Pokes haven’t quite punched a ticket to the NCAA Tournament, but things are at least nominally looking up. Hopefully that positive energy can blead over into a program that’s desperately craving it.

2. Timing Was Intentional

Outsiders observing the dip in OSU football over the last three-ish years probably weren’t that shocked by Gundy’s firing, but some took umbrage with the timing. Weiberg addressed that, as well.

“Part of the benefit of getting the process early is, they will only take on so many searches in a cycle,” said Weiberg. “Again, I think we could have picked any number of them [firms] but in this case, I think we got to go into the market and have our choice.”

Maybe that’s oversimplifying the timeframe, but it’s a valid point. As much respect as the Cowboys want to put on Gundy as the GOAT, Weiberg needs to thing about the future and nailing down a quality coach when available — and adequately vetting those candidates.

3. It Might Take a Minute

Again, people want to know which sexy NFL coordinator with a school tie Weiberg and Co. are talking to, but it’s even more important that OSU brass keep their card close. But it’s not because they’re teasing you.

“I hope everybody understands is we’re working on this every day,” said Weiberg. “It is a top priority. Just because you’re not hearing about it doesn’t mean that nothing is happening. There’s a lot happening. Um, but we’re not going to talk about it. And that’s not so much because we’re trying to keep it from our people, but it is about being able to have a very strong pool of candidates.”

We’re early into a long head coach replacement process. But OSU is confident in Chad Weiberg and is going to give him the opportunity to play the process out. Of course, his tenure at OSU is largely going to be defined based on this decision. I guess we can extend him a bit of patience.

4. But Weiberg Has a Timeframe Goal

Although this search will take time, there are also some looming dates that it is important to have things at least relatively in place by.

The early signing period for high schoolers opens Dec. 3 and closes Dec. 5. The Cowboys have seen much of their 2026 recruiting class reopen their recruitment, but some have noted they’ll still keep an eye on OSU as it pertains to their next coach.

The most important date, though, is Jan. 2 — the day the transfer portal opens.

Weiberg said he wants to move on a hire as soon as that hire is done with whatever his season is.

“That doesn’t leave a lot of time in the start of the high school signing period, but it does give you time before the new portal window opens on Jan. 2,” Weiberg said. “So, we’ll have to see how all that plays out and work that as best we can. …

“If I were king of the world, we’d make an announcement the Sunday after the regular season ends, whatever that looks like. I know there’s conference championship games and all that, that could factor it, so that extends what a, quote, unquote, regular season can look like for some people.”

5. Penn State’s Impact on This Job

It’s likely just the modern age of college football, but there have been a lot of midseason coaching moves made this year.

What many would consider to be the biggest opening is at Penn State after the Nittany Lions’ brass let go of James Franklin.

OSU moving as early as it did allowed the university to get ahead of some of these schools that are just having openings in terms of getting ducks in a row. That could be a benefit to whatever string of dominoes the Penn State move sets off.

“Any time another job opens, it has the potential to do that (impact the search),” Weiberg said. “I don’t know that we’ve seen an impact on our search yet because of the Penn State opening, but I think they’re early in their process. So I don’t think that we know yet, for sure, what direction they’re moving in or who’s at the top of their list, or who they’re interested in, or anything like that.

“But what is interesting about all these searches is the domino effect that it creates. Depending on who Penn State may hire and at what point — I’m guessing they’re up against the same sort of thing in terms of candidates being in the middle of their season. So, timing plays a factor in this, but depending on who they hire, does that create another opening that then is in the market for a coach? And what are all the domino effects on how that plays out?”

Daily Bullets (Oct. 17): Cowboy Basketball Refresher, Couple More Exits from Cowboy Football 17 Oct 2:00 AM (7 days ago)

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

Scores

Softball: Cowgirls 11, Wichita State 4

OSU Bullets

• A refresher of the Cowboy Basketball roster, the Pokes are projected to finish 12th in the Big 12 (PFB)

• Viktor Hovland returns to play this week in India (CBS Sports)

• See when OSU and others play in this weekend’s college football watch guide (PFB)

• The Pokes’ top-rated offensive lineman is planning on entering the portal after the season, but will finish the year – also, yesterday another four-star decommited from the Pokes (PFB + X)

•  Pokes beat Auburn in an exhibition basketball game on Wednesday (PFB)

• Cowboy fans recognized by the league for their loyalty on Saturday: 

#Big12FB Week 7 Student Section of the Week 📣

Oklahoma State Cowboys | @OSUAthletics pic.twitter.com/w4Ibs3sFOA

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) October 16, 2025

Non-OSU Bullets

• The profitable cycle for college coaches of rumors and buyout money • The shady history of pumpkins • How parents manage screentime for kids

‘This Is All I Ever Dreamed Of’: Stillwater Product LaDarion Lockett Is Finally a Cowboy 16 Oct 6:46 PM (8 days ago)

STILLWATER — LaDarion Lockett has been an elite level wrestler living in Stillwater for some time, but now he is finally a Cowboy.

Lockett went 151-3 during his time at Stillwater High School, winning four state titles. He’s a U17 world champ, a U20 world silver medalist and a senior Pan-American champ. But at some point this season, likely Nov. 7 against Stanford, Lockett will don the orange singlet and enter Gallagher-Iba Arena as an Oklahoma State wrestler.

“Me, Ronnie (Ramirez) and Sergio (Vega) were coming up here for a run,” Lockett said. “I think it was like Sunday or so, and I was walking through the doors and I was just like, ‘Man, this is crazy. This is all I ever dreamed of.’ It feels unreal because it’s something I’ve done. Even throughout high school, I’ll come up here when no one’s here and hop up and go on a treadmill. But, it feels unreal to be actually in college now. I’m excited for it, and this is what I’m ready to do.”

Lockett committed to OSU back in December of 2023. John Smith had been the Cowboys coach literally since Lockett has been alive, but a handful of months after his commitment, Smith retired. OSU hired Olympic gold medalist David Taylor to take over.

Although there was some shock in seeing an OSU wrestling legend who turned into an OSU coaching legend close out his career, Taylor was won three world titles and that Olympic gold medal all relatively close to Lockett’s weight. Taylor won two NCAA titles at 165 pounds, where Lockett will wrestle this season.

“It’s David Taylor, so I was just excited,” Lockett said. “I was a little bit scared leaving the coaches I already had once you wipe out the whole staff, but David Taylor as your coach, there’s almost no one better you could get in the world. There is no one better as a coach you can get in the world. I was just excited and ready to work with them.”

With Lockett on board, Taylor put together a recruiting class that ranked second nationally, according to Flo, trailing only Penn State. Lockett was the No. 3 recruit in the class on Flo’s Big Board, and he is joined in Stillwater by No. 5 Landon Robideau, No. 6 Sergio Vega, No. 26 Kody Routledge, No. 43 Ronnie Ramirez, No. 50 Austin Johnson and others.

Lockett said he was working to try to get the class together, as well. He said he talked with some of the guys before they committed and linked some of them with the coaches to get visits scheduled.

“Dee brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm in practice,” Taylor said. “His personality is someone that people really want to be around. Being from Stillwater, he’s got a lot of people that are really gonna cheer for him here in town, and he’s gonna pick up a lot of fans, obviously, as he continues to go out and wrestle. Just continue to encourage him to continue to be himself and go out and go kick butt. That’s the plan.”

Taylor’s vision for OSU wrestling also included a thriving Cowboy RTC, where athletes can train past there college years in pursuit of international glory.

In its first full year since the revamp from Taylor, the Cowboy RTC produced a world champion in Zahid Valencia, who dominated at 86 kg last month. He held all of his opponents scoreless on his way to his first world gold.

So, even when the Stillwater High product is done wrestling for OSU, he still won’t have to leave his hometown.

“It’s exciting because I can stay with my family and this community in Stillwater,” Lockett said. “They got to watch me grow up. They know all about me and are gonna be rooting for me, I hope. It’s exciting just to know I get to stay in Stillwater my whole life, and I have the best training partners in the world and the best coaches throughout my career right here in my hometown. Then just seeing what those guys are doing makes me even more excited just because if I know it’s working for them, I know it can work for me.”

Wait, Who Are These Guys? An Oklahoma State Basketball Roster Refresher 16 Oct 6:39 PM (8 days ago)

In the midst of second straight disappointing football season, the Oklahoma State fanbase needed something to be excited about, and Steve Lutz and the Cowboy basketball team provided that juice Wednesday night.

Oklahoma State beat No. 20 Auburn 97-95 in an exhibition game in Birmingham.

The Cowboy roster features a dozen new players, so it’s understandable if you aren’t up to date on things yet. But if you’d like to be a little more informed on who is on the team, here’s some info about each of the 15 guys on the roster.

No. 0 Jaylen Curry

Height: 6-1
Weight: 175
Class: Junior
Hometown: Charlotte, NC
Year at OSU: First
Former School: UMass

Curry was one of three 20-point scorers for the Cowboys on Wednesday night, as he dropped 23 points on 14 shots against the Tigers.

He’s a quick point guard who averaged 13.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.2 steals a game as a sophomore at UMass last season.

Despite transferring from UMass, Curry had some high-level offers coming out of high school to Alabama, Florida State, Memphis, Texas A&M and others.

Back in 2021, Curry won a gold medal at the FIBA Americas U16 Championship with USA Basketball. He averaged eight points, 5.7 assists and 3.8 steals in six games at that tournament.

Curry is one of four left-handed players on the roster.

No. 1 Kanye Clary

Height: 6-0
Weight: 190 
Class: Redshirt Junior
Hometown: Virginia Beach, VA
Year at OSU: First
Former School: Mississippi State

Another lefty point guard, Clary has had a bit of a stop-start path to his college career thus far. He missed Wednesday’s exhibition with an injury.

Clary’s college career started at Penn State. After playing in 32 games as a freshman, Clary broke out as a sophomore, averaging 16.7 points a game on 38% 3-point shooting.

He transferred to Mississippi State last season but played in just seven games before suffering a season-ending injury. In those seven games, he put up 6.3 points and 2.6 assists per.

No. 4 Christian Coleman

Height: 6-8
Weight: 210
Class: Fifth Year
Hometown: Winnsboro, LA
Year at OSU: First
Former School: UAB

Coleman also sat out Wednesday’s exhibition with an injury.

He’s had a super interesting path to Stillwater. Coleman grew seven inches after high school, delaying his college basketball journey. He was a 2018 high school graduate, but started college ball at the NAIA level at LSU-Alexandria in 2021. He then went to South Plains College (a JUCO) the next year before getting to UAB for two seasons.

In his final year with the Blazers, Coleman averaged 11.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists a game. He blocks a lot of shots despite playing power forward, stuffing 56 across his two seasons at UAB.

No. 5 Vyctorius “VJ” Miller

Height: 6-5
Weight: 190
Class: Sophomore
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Year at OSU: First
Former School: LSU

Miller also sat out the exhibition with an injury.

He was the No. 60 player in the 2024 recruiting class and went to LSU over offers from OSU, USC, Texas Tech, Arizona and others.

Miller played in 25 games as a freshman at LSU, making five starts. He averaged 8.9 points a game while shooting 32% from 3. He scored at least 15 points in eight games including a 20-point outing against Mississippi Valley State last December.

Fun fact: Miller comes from a musical family. His father is Vyshonn Miller, aka rapper Silkk the Shocker. His uncle is Percy Miller, better known as Master P.

No. 7 Kirk Cole

Height: 6-1
Weight: 170
Class: Senior
Hometown: Yukon, OK
Year at OSU: Second
Former School: Troy

One of three returners on the roster, Cole played at Southwest Covenant School in Yukon before spending two seasons at Troy. He played in nine games with the Trojans.

Cole appeared in seven games for the Cowboys last season.

No. 8 Daniel Guetta

Height: 6-2
Weight: 180
Class: Freshman
Hometown: Kiryat Gat, Israel
Year at OSU: First

The newest player on the roster, Guetta was a little late getting stateside with some visa troubles.

He recently turned 22 years old and has previously played with Israel’s junior national team. He spent last season with Maccabi Rehovot, averaging 9.6 points and 4.7 assists a game while shooting 35% from 3.

In eight minutes Wednesday, Guetta had one point, three rebounds and two assists.

No. 9 Anthony Roy

Height: 6-5
Weight: 205
Class: Sixth Year
Hometown: Oakland, CA
Year at OSU: First
Former School: Green Bay

Another lefty, Roy is on school No. 6, but something that’s been consistent no matter where he’s been: he can fill it up. He dropped 28 on Auburn Wednesday night, including a barrage of deep 3s.

Playing under OSU alum Doug Gottlieb last season at Green Bay, Roy averaged 25.7 points a game through 11 contests before suffering a season-ending injury. He shot 43% from 3 in that time.

Remember a few years back when Langston to the NAIA national final? Yeah, that was in large part because of Roy. He was on that team that went 35-2 and averaged 18.4 points a game while shooting 42% from 3. He was an All-American and the Sooner Athletic Conference Player of the Year.

His college career started at San Francisco in 2020-21. He then hopped down to the junior college level, playing at Wenatchee Valley in Washington for the 2021-22 season. Roy then spent a year at New Mexico State in 2022-23, averaging 10.3 points and 40% 3-point shooting through 16 games. Then it went Langston to Green Bay to OSU.

No. 13 Mekhi Ragland

Height: 6-11
Weight: 330
Class: Freshman
Hometown: Lilburn, GA
Year at OSU: First

A big-bodied, but skilled young bruiser, Ragland played three minutes Wednesday night.

He actually missed his senior season of high school ball at Sunrise Christian (Kansas) with an injury. Last summer playing on the Adidas 3SSB circuit, he averaged 11.1 points and 5.1 rebounds through 15 games while shooting 60% from the field, 44% from 3 and 75% from the stripe.

He’s a big body who can pass and shoot, and with the right development, he could really turn into something special.

No. 19 Andrija “Mili” Vukovic

Height: 6-11
Weight: 270
Class: Sophomore
Hometown: Cukarica, Belgrade, Serbia
Year at OSU: Second

Vukovic is in his second season with the Cowboys, but this one is off to a much more normal start. He was late getting over from Serbia last year, and while trying to play catchup he suffered a back injury that put him further behind.

He played 22 minutes Wednesday, pulling down three rebounds.

Vukovic played on youth teams sponsored by big Serbian club Red Star. He was on the U19 squad alongside Thunder first round pick Nikola Topic.

Vukovic played in 22 games for KK Vrsac during the 2023-24 season, where he averaged 6.1 points and 2.5 rebounds a game while shooting 66% from the field.

No. 21 Isaiah Coleman

Height: 6-5
Weight: 200
Class: Junior
Hometown: Fredericksburg, VA
Year at OSU: First
Former School: Seton Hall

Coleman dropped 18 points on the Cowboys last year, but Wednesday night, he dropped 28 points for the Cowboys.

He went 9-for-15 from the field against Auburn and got to the free-throw line a dozen times.

Coleman led Seton Hall in points (15.6), rebounds (5.3) and steals (1.5) last season. He was a Big East All-Freshman selection in 2023-24, a season in which the Pirates won the NIT.

He eclipsed 20 points in 11 games last season, including a season-high 27 against Marquette. He also had a dozen games with multiple steals, including two four-steal performances (one against OSU).

No. Parsa Fallah

Height: 6-10
Weight: 250
Class: Redshirt Senior
Hometown: Amol, Iran
Year at OSU: First
Former School: Oregon State

Fallah spent last season at Oregon State after starting his career at Southern Utah.

He got the start at center Wednesday night and scored four points and brought down five rebounds before fouling out after 16 minutes on the floor (one of four Cowboys to foul out).

Fallah averaged 12.8 points and four rebounds a game last season with the Beavers, shooting 60% from the field.

Lutz described Fallah as having “elite footwork.” He’s scored at least 20 points in 11 games throughout his career, including a 29-point performance against Idaho State while he was at Southern Utah.

He also has some international experience, as he was the team captain of Iran’s 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup squad. He averaged 14.9 points and 8.3 rebounds a game in that tournament.

No. 23 Benjamin Ahmed

Height: 6-10
Weight: 275
Class: Freshman
Hometown: Kogi State, Nigeria
Year at OSU: First

Another player who missed Wednesday’s game and another lefty, Ahmed was a four-star prospect who was at one point committed to Miami. He also had offers to Rutgers, Cal, Iowa, Georgia Tech and others.

He was the dominant force on a dominant high school team. Putnam Science Academy (Connecticut) won a pair of prep national championships in Ahmed’s time with the program, and Ahmed left Putnam as the program’s all-time leader in scoring and rebounding. He averaged 12.3 points and 8.2 rebounds a game as a senior and was the MVP of the National Prep Championship after putting up 20 points in the title game.

He has a 7-foot-3 wingspan and is an absolute problem for teams on the glass.

Lutz said a few weeks back that Ahmed recently had surgery to put a plate in his foot, so it could be a bit before we see him.

No. 24 Ryan Crotty

Height: 6-6
Weight: 215
Class: Freshman
Hometown: Holly Springs, NC
Year at OSU: First

The first high school commitment of the Lutz era, Crotty earned a start Wednesday night against Auburn. He finished with four points and three rebounds. He was also voted as the team’s hardest worker of the summer.

Crotty is a 3-point specialist. He set a Virginia state record by hitting 142 3-pointers in his junior season. He averaged 17.7 points as a high school senior and hit 115 3s on a 43% clip.

He was a four-star prospect out of Miller School (Virginia). He also had offers to Clemson, Miami. Virginia Tech and others.

No. 25 Robert Jennings II

Height: 6-7
Weight: 230
Class: Senior
Hometown: DeSoto, Texas
Year at OSU: Second
Former School: Texas Tech

The most familiar of faces on this squad, Jennings started 35 games for the Cowboys last season after transferring from Texas Tech. He averaged 5.4 points and 3.4 rebounds a game.

He started and was one of the foul-outs on Wednesday night in Birmingham, finishing with two points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals in just 16 minutes on the floor.

No. 72 Lefteris Mantzoukas

Height: 6-9
Weight: 230
Class: Freshman
Hometown: Iannina, Greece
Year at OSU: First

Another 22-year-old freshman, Mantzoukas probably has the most high-level experience of anyone on the team.

He’s played parts of eight seasons on teams in the Greek Basketball League, including four with 2024 EuroLeague champ Panathinaikos Athens. He also has international appearances on Greece’s junior and senior national teams.

He’s a stretch big who is a career 40% 3-point shooter. Mantzoukas showed a little bit of that Wednesday night when he went 1-for-3 from deep. He finished the exhibition with seven points and four rebounds, fouling out after 24 minutes on the floor.

Mantzoukas has been playing high-level ball for some time. He was 14 when he first played in a GBL game, making him the youngest player to ever start a game in the league. He was named the league’s Young Player of the Year and Most Improved Player in 2023.

Hoops: Oklahoma State Picked 12th in Preseason Coaches Poll 16 Oct 12:55 PM (8 days ago)

If the Cowboys are the 12th-best team in the Big 12 this season, the rest of the country better look out.

The Big 12 released its Preseason Coaches Poll on Thursday, the day after OSU went to Birmingham and beat No. 20 Auburn in exhibition play. The Cowboys came 12th in the 16-team league ahead of Utah, UCF, Colorado and Arizona State.

Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll

OSU finished 12th last season, in the first year under Steve Lutz, after going 7-13 in Big 12 play. The Cowboys have gone .500 or better in league play on just two occasions in the past dozen years.

While trying to not overhype an exhibition game that doesn’t count on official records, OSU showed promise Wednesday night against Auburn, a team that made the Final Four last year (and lost quite a bit from that team) and enters this season ranked in the AP Poll and at No. 31 in KenPom.

The Big 12 also released its preseason individual awards, but no Cowboys were featured.

Big 12 Preseason Awards

Preseason Player of the Year: JT Toppin, Texas Tech
Preseason Newcomer of the Year: LeJuan Watts, Texas Tech
Preseason Freshman of the Year: Darryn Peterson, Kansas

Preseason All-Big 12 Team:

AJ Dybantsa, BYU*
Richie Saunders, BYU
Emanuel Sharp, Houston
Joseph Tugler, Houston
Milos Uzan, Houston*
Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
Darryn Peterson, Kansas*
P.J. Haggerty, K-State
Christian Anderson, Texas Tech
JT Toppin, Texas Tech*
*-unanimous selection

Noah McKinney Reportedly One of Two More Cowboys Planning to Enter Transfer Portal 16 Oct 9:28 AM (8 days ago)

Another Oklahoma State starter plans to leave the Cowboys, sorta.

On Thursday, CBS Sports reporter Matt Zenitz reported that starting right guard Noah McKinney plans to enter the transfer portal with two years left, but he “will finish out the season at Oklahoma State before moving on.”

According to Pro Football Focus, McKinney is the offense’s second-best player to see at least 100 snaps this season behind only Rodney Fields.

He ranks second among OSU linemen as a pass blocker with a grade of 82.7. That ranks 28th among linemen with at least 100 snaps, which amounts to roughly two or three games.

McKinney’s run-blocking grade (58.7) is still enough to put him second among OSU linemen this season.

His decision to enter the transfer portal could be a popular one among OSU starters with eligibility, but nothing prevents OSU’s next coach from convincing these guys to withdraw and remain in Stillwater. Going in the portal merely helps these guys explore their options, but the longer OSU’s coaching search takes, the farther along those conversations can go.

Kicker Gabe Panikowski also announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal on social media, thanking the program for the opportunity.

“Representing the Cowboys has been an immense honor,” Panikowski said.

Panikowski was one of 30 kickers in the country on the preseason watch list for the Lou Groza Award, given to the best kicker. Despite the preseason recognition, he spent the season behind kicker Logan Ward and never took the field.

Panikowski made all of his field goals last season, though only three kicks came from farther than 39 yards out. His season-long kick came from 55-yards away.

Quarterback to Back: Sam Jackson V, Cowboys Host Brendan Sorsby, Cincy for Homecoming 16 Oct 8:41 AM (8 days ago)

The quarterback situation has been, well a situation at Oklahoma State this year.

According to OSU head coach Doug Meacham, Hauss Hejny is jumping, and Zane Flores is expected back soon. The shirtless crowd assembled in Section 231 got hyped when Noah Walters threw a touchdown in garbage time, but it looks like wide receiver Sam Jackson V will make his second start as the Cowboys’ QB for their Homecoming matchup with Cincinnati. Also, Meacham has reportedly delegated play-calling responsibilities to QBs coach Kevin Johns.

All of that to say, the QB situation has been fluid, to put it nicely. In Cincy, things have been a lot more concrete.

The Bearcats will slide into Boone Pickens Stadium on a five-game win streak led by Brendan Sorsby, who’s low-key been one of the best quarterbacks in the country over the first half of the season. (Maybe it’s not low-key anymore.)

We’ll dig into what the Cowboys’ defense can expect from the Bearcats’ passing attack, but first let’s take a look at the two passers’ numbers so far in 2025.

Sorsby kinda laid an egg in the Bearcats’ season opener, but since then he’s been on a tear. He’s one of more efficient and effective QBs the Cowboys will see all year.

In a loss to a ranked Nebraska team, Sorsby went just 13-for-25 for 69 yards, throwing no TDs and an interception. He did have two rushing scores. But since then, he’s not thrown an interception and has multiple passing scores in each of the last five games.

The Bearcats are pretty balanced, ranking sixth in the Big 12 in passing offense averaging 259.5 yards per game and seventh in rushing (190 avg.). But what you get in Sorsby is an effective leader who doesn’t make mistakes and can attack a defense in multiple ways.

He’s not only 10th in ESPN’s QBR metric, but he’s also in the top 10 nationally in both passer rating and yards per attempt. Pro Football Focus gives him an offensive grade of 90.1 which is 11th among QBs and on deep throws his grade is 93.5 with five TDs and that long interception, which again was in Week 1.

The Cowboys’ pass rush will have a hard time containing Sorsby. He’s the Bearcats’ third-leading rusher with 327 yards and five rushing scores while averaging 6.3 per run. He’s only been sacked once this year not only due to his ability to move the sticks with his sticks, but because the vet can keep his cool. Sorsby retains a PFF offensive rating of 88.3 while under pressure and 73.4 when blitzed.

Sorsby and the Bearcats’ balanced attack will provide a tough test for a Cowboys’ defense that ranks at or near the bottom of the league in most important defensive stats and has shown no consistent threat of slowing down anybody. That test will kick off at 7 p.m. Saturday inside BPS.

Weekend Watch Guide: An Oklahoma State Fan’s Guide to Week 8 of the College Football Season 16 Oct 7:47 AM (8 days ago)

It’s a big week both in the Big 12 and around the country in the college football sphere.

Some of the Big 12’s top contenders go face to face while the SEC features a trio of games pinning ranked opponents against each other. Here is a look at some of the Week 8 action.

Big 12 Schedule

Arizona (4-2) at Houston (5-1) — 11 a.m. Saturday on FS1
Baylor (4-2) at TCU (4-2) — 11 a.m. Saturday on ESPN2
West Virginia (2-4) at UCF (3-3) — 12 p.m. Saturday on TNT
No. 7 Texas Tech (6-0) at Arizona State (4-2) 3 p.m. Saturday on FOX
No. 24 Cincinnati (5-1) at Oklahoma State (1-5) — 7 p.m. Saturday on ESPN2
No. 23 Utah (5-1) at No. 15 BYU (6-0) — 7 p.m. Saturday on FOX

Baylor-TCU: Known officially as the Bluebonnet Battle (while others call it The Revivalry), the winner of this game will hang around the Big 12 title picture while the loser will have some extra work to do to get to Arlington. Baylor beat TCU 37-34 last season in Waco, but it was the Bears’ first win in the series since 2019.

Texas Tech-Arizona State: Last year’s Big 12 champs will host the team that has cruised to a 6-0 record this year. The Sun Devils laid an egg in Salt Lake City last weekend. Something tells me Kenny Dillingham will have his team juiced for this one. Meanwhile, Tech’s closest games this season have been a pair they won by 24 points each.

Utah-BYU: The Holy War, what else needs to be said? Last year this game ended with the Utah AD getting in front of the microphone and speaking ill of Big 12 officiating after the Cougars went to Salt Lake City and won 22-21. Both of these teams are new, but this is the conference’s premier rivalry.

Other Games to Watch

Louisville (4-1) at No. 2 Miami (5-0) — 6 p.m. Friday on ESPN
No. 10 LSU (5-1) at No. 17 Vanderbilt (5-1) — 11 a.m. Saturday on ABC
No. 5 Ole Miss (6-0) at No. 9 Georgia (5-1) — 2:30 p.m. Saturday on ABC
No. 11 Tennessee (5-1) at No. 6 Alabama (5-1) — 6:30 p.m. Saturday on ABC
No. 20 USC (5-1) at No. 13 Notre Dame (4-2) — 6:30 p.m. Saturday on NBC

LSU-Vandy: Vanderbilt is a good football team, but the expectation in Baton Rouge is to beat Vanderbilt in every football game. How will Diego Pavia and the Commodores respond to a loss in Tuscaloosa? How loud will the noise get if LSU drops this one? This is a big game.

Tennessee-Alabama: It is the third Saturday in October. Tennessee has won two of three in this series, but the Vols haven’t won in Tuscaloosa since 2003. And that game took five overtimes to get it worked out. After a Week 1 loss, the Tide have looked like a contender, but the SEC schedule is a tricky one to navigate.

USC-Notre Dame: After starting 0-2, Notre Dame needed USC to be in a good spot when this game around for the Irish’s playoff resume. Well, USC is in a good spot, but perhaps in too good a spot. Outside of a two-point loss in Illinois, this has been Lincoln Riley’s most-promising start to a season in LA, but the Trojans still have a trip to Oregon upcoming. So, they need to stack as many wins as possible for their own resume.

Watercooler Talk

Tulsa (2-4) at East Carolina (3-3) — 6:30 p.m. Thursday on ESPN
No. 14 Oklahoma (5-1) at South Carolina (3-3) — 11:45 a.m. Saturday on SEC Network

Tulsa-ECU: The Golden Hurricane has beaten two teams this season: Abilene Christian and Oklahoma State.

OU-South Carolina: After what was a fantastic start for the Sooners, things are a little hairy after another disappointing trip to the Cotton Bowl. This is OU’s last game against a team that isn’t currently in the AP Poll.

The Reload Ep. 13 | Oklahoma State vs. Cincinnati Preview, Plus Hoops Talk 16 Oct 6:42 AM (8 days ago)

Justin Southwell, Nathan Gilsleider and Marshall Scott preview Oklahoma State’s homecoming game against Cincinnati and discuss a little OSU basketball.

Special thanks to our sponsor ⁠Brewster Consulting Group⁠.

You can also find The Reload on Spotify and Apple.

PFB+ Sale: ⁠PFB+ subscriptions are 25% off when using this link

Daily Bullets (Oct. 16): Mike Gundy’s Buyout Number Among Others 16 Oct 2:00 AM (8 days ago)

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

OSU Bullets

• Great piece talking about the buyout bubble in college football – Mike Gundy isn’t in the top-ten of highest buyouts (barely) at $15m (CBS Sports)

• A $10 bet started the topless shirt-waving in the second half last week (TulsaWorld)

• Massive fall in TV ratings for the Pokes this year:

Televised on ABC in prime time, the 2013 Baylor-OSU game was seen by 6.6 million viewers.

This is what happens when a university’s football program is broken like OSU’s is broken: When Baylor prevailed at Oklahoma State on Sept. 27, ESPN2’s audience amounted to only 396,000 viewers.

[TulsaWorld]

• Doug Meacham and players preview homecoming this weekend (PFB)

• Will there ever be a player that resonates with the OSU Basketball fanbase again like Big Country?

Bryant “Big Country” Reeves is in my opinion the best to ever play for @OSUMBB. His teams went 99-37 in his 4 seasons in Stillwater from 1991-1995 #GoPokes 2,368 Pts 1,152 Rebs 194 Blks 3x All American 2x Big Player of Year 93 & 95 1995 Final Four 6th pick in 1995 NBA Draft pic.twitter.com/pPYmqxIHql

— Dustin J (@405pokefan) October 14, 2025

Non-OSU Bullets

• Basic tasks Americans can (and can’t) do • Help men become better men (faith-based)

Five Thoughts on Oklahoma State’s 97-95 Exhibition Victory against No. 20 Auburn 15 Oct 7:46 PM (8 days ago)

BOX SCORE

Ladies and gentlemen, it very much looks as if Steve Lutz has himself a basketball team.

Oklahoma State beat No. 20 Auburn 97-95 in an exhibition game in Birmingham, Alabama on Wednesday.

The game went to overtime, but it was the Tigers trying to keep pace with the Pokes all night. OSU led for 34:17 to Auburn’s 2:52.

If you want to watch the game back, you can do so here. Here are five thoughts from it.

1. Offense!!

The Cowboys had not one, not two, but three (three!) players eclipse 20 points in this exhibition: Anthony Roy (28), Isaiah Coleman (28) and Jaylen Curry (23).

The Pokes shot 48% from the field and 36% from 3-point range. Oh, and they scored 97 freaking points.

The three leading scorers combined to shoot 55% from the field and 40% from 3. Here’s a bit of a closer look at those guys who went off in the scoring department.

Roy: A certified walking bucket, Roy looked every bit like an NBA prospect Wednesday night (I’m trying not to get too ahead of myself considering this is an exhibition game).

Roy’s 28 points came on 10-for-20 shooting, and he went 5-for-10 from 3-point range. He also had a team-high 12 rebounds.

He hit a nuke from well beyond the 3-point line in the final 30 seconds of overtime to give the Cowboys a lead before Auburn answered.

He’ll step back and hit from 3. He’ll catch and hit from 3. And if you start pressuring him well beyond the 3-point line, he’ll put it on the floor and go hang on the rim. There are things that need to be cleaned up, but man, what start for the Green Bay transfer.

Roy has the opportunity to have a huge, huge year in orange and black.

Green Bay transfer Anthony Roy (@tnblefty) was unstoppable in Oklahoma St’s (@OSUMBB) preseason win over Auburn.

Finished with 28 pts, 12 rebs, 10-20 FG, 5-10 3FG.

Was the nation’s #1 scorer last season before coming down with an injury. pic.twitter.com/xcby0JE326

— Rising Ballers Network (@dylan_lutey) October 16, 2025

Coleman: A Seton Hall transfer, Coleman almost scored quietly at times, which is freaky within itself.

He was often in the right spot and didn’t have to be a major focal point to find his scoring, but he could. He was 9-for-15 from the field and went 10-for-12 from the stripe.

Coleman also brought down eight boards, three of which were offensive rebounds that helped lead to the Cowboys’ 15 second-chance points.

Curry: Curry got the start at point guard, and perhaps more impressive than his 23 points is the fact that he didn’t have a turnover while playing his first game with all of these new guys.

He scored the game winner with about eight seconds to play when he sliced through the lane and got to the basket for an easy layup. He finished 8-for-14 from the field.

His first step caught a defender off guard on more than one occasion. Six of his eight makes came at the rim. That first step is a great compliment to the shooting around him, as defenders will have to stay out on a guy like Roy, clearing more space for Curry should he blow past his defender.

Curry was a lesser-known commodity coming out of the portal by way of UMass. He averaged 13.3 points a game for the Minutemen last season, but notably, Curry played on a team that ranked in the top 50 nationally in tempo, so the fit seems good with Lutz’s style.

2. Freshman Crotty Starts

With a dozen new players on the roster, I had no clue what to think for a starting lineup, but I wasn’t expecting to see a freshman.

After being voted the team’s hardest worker of the summer, Ryan Crotty scored four points and brought down three boards in his first live taste of college basketball. He fouled out in 15 minutes (we’ll get to that).

There wasn’t much to be taken away from the game itself about Crotty, but the fact that a freshman can push into the starting lineup on a team that just knocked off a ranked opponent (sure, it was an exhibition) is a super-promising sign moving forward.

He’s a 6-foot-6 guard out of Holly Springs, North Carolina. 247Sports considered him the No. 83 player in last year’s recruiting class and OSU got him over Clemson, Virginia Tech, Miami, Iowa and others.

His most notable trait this early into his career is his 3-point shot. Lutz has praised his shooting ability this preseason, and Roy did, as well.

“I would say Ryan Crotty,” said Roy when asked who on the team could give him a run for his money. “He’s a real good shooter. But Ryan, he puts in the work. Nobody shoots more shots than him on a daily basis.”

3. It’s a Preseason Game, Let the Boys Play

This game that didn’t even actually count included 78 free throw attempts. Sure, it was physical (especially for an exhibition game), but what an absolute ref show.

The Cowboys were called for 34 fouls, and four (four!) OSU players fouled out in Crotty, Parsa Fallah, Robert Jennings II and Lefteris Mantzoukas. That led to Auburn attempting 49 free throws (meaning OSU shot 29), with 35 of the Tigers’ points coming from the stripe.

4. And the Cowboys Weren’t at Full Strength

Oh, and the Cowboys went and did that without four guys.

Kanye Clary, Vyctorius Miller, Christian Coleman and Ben Ahmed were all on the bench in street clothes as OSU upset the Tigers. It’s hard to say because the team is so new and who knows who’s gonna earn minutes, but I expected that Clary, Miller and Coleman would all contribute heavily. Ahmed is only a freshman, but OSU doesn’t have a lot of proven depth at center. So, I think he could’ve played, too.

5. OSU’s Blemishes Another Reason for Optimism

OSU beat a ranked Auburn team that went to the Final Four last year in a game where:

-Auburn shot 49 free throws
-OSU turned the ball over 18 times, leading to 25 Tiger points
-Auburn ripped down 17 offense rebounds for 19 second-chance points

I’m not trying to get to hyperbolic about an exhibition game, but if this newly constructed Cowboy team won despite all that, what are the Pokes going to look like in January? February? … March?

Stailee Heard, Oklahoma State Already Putting Big 12 on Alert 15 Oct 4:29 PM (9 days ago)

STILLWATER — Last season, Oklahoma State played its way onto the map.

This year, the Cowgirls will start there.

“Really embracing that target that’s on our back for the first time in a while. … We want to prove the people who count us out wrong,” OSU coach Jacie Hoyt said. “But more importantly, we want to prove ourselves right.”

Last season, Hoyt used her platform to address the disrespect she felt the Cowgirls received throughout the year. She won’t have quite as much room for those comments when the season begins on Nov. 3 at home vs New Orleans.

AP Poll voters ranked OSU 22nd to begin the year. Last season’s group peaked at 17th in the poll before finishing 24th.

The Cowgirls haven’t been ranked in the preseason AP Poll since 2008, when they started 14th. In fact, OSU’s highest-ever pre-December ranking is only 18th so this group is already well-positioned to push for history.

Poll voters aren’t the only ones paying attention. The Cowgirls will appear on national television four times during the regular season (after only getting picked for two such games last year).

Bring on the spotlight! #GoPokes pic.twitter.com/40kNEPHaQB

— OSU Cowgirl Basketball (@OSUWBB) October 13, 2025

The rest of the conference also took note of the Cowgirls’ push for a regular-season conference title when they finished third in the Big 12.

Last year Big 12 coaches ranked OSU 11th to begin the season, but this time around OSU was picked fourth and even received 2-of-15 possible first-place votes.

“We earned that but, we’re not satisfied,” Stailee Heard said. “I mean, I’m sure not satisfied. It’s just like, we know we could be the best team in Big 12. We know we possibly are the best team in the Big 12, and we just have to prove that. … We’re still probably underestimated, but honestly, the rankings don’t matter to me.”

Heard also received some love from conference coaches, who voted her to be a unanimous member on the 10-woman preseason All-Big 12 Team.

She was one of six athletes to receive every available vote. Quite the leap, considering this time last year no Cowgirl received recognition, making OSU one of seven conference teams to miss out on any individual preseason honors.

“I wasn’t surprised by Stailee,” Hoyt said of the list. “I think she’s definitely earned that.”

Heard averaged a team-high 16.8 points (11th in Big 12) and team-high 8.2 rebounds (fourth in Big 12) per game last season for the Cowgirls. She also shot 48% from the floor (10th in Big 12) and averaged 1.8 steals per game (eighth in Big 12).

“I could care less about it honestly,” Heard said of the preseason shoutout. “I mean, it’s cool to be recognized. But you know that is not, that’s not my goal here. My goal is to win a Big 12 championship, and that takes all of us. And so, you know, I’m just doing my part, and I’m doing what I can for this team.”

Heard was one of the conference’s breakout stars last season, and quickly began earning additional attention in games from opponents. Both Heard and her head coach agree she won’t have the benefit of surprising anyone this time around.

“I feel I’ve earned that (attention),” Heard said. “I’ve earned that right. And, you know, it’s not all me, it’s not all me. It was my teammates last year putting me, setting me up for those positions, and doing everything they could, and my coaches preparing me, and just, you know, all the work that I put in is just like it just showed.”

Where the Oklahoma State Football Job Ranks Among Current Openings 15 Oct 3:32 PM (9 days ago)

STILLWATER — Oklahoma State was the fourth FBS program to begin camping out for a new head coach.

Of course, the line for a new coach, much like the sport itself, is rarely fair. When Penn State made the decision to part ways with James Franklin over the weekend, the Nittany Lions almost certainly emerged as the top option for any would-be head coach looking to make a move this offseason.

Penn State entered the season ranked No. 2 in the nation with 23 first-place votes, which speaks to the team’s national championship aspirations. Three consecutive conference losses in recent weeks killed those hopes, prompting the program to move on from Franklin.

Expectations drive most of these decisions. Weiberg said as much following OSU’s decision to move on from Mike Gundy.

“We all have high expectations for OSU football because of Mike Gundy,” Weiberg said. “Unfortunately, the results of the last year have not met the standard.”

Culture, regional ties and relationships play a role in which coaches land which jobs, but as the line of programs in need grows, a general pecking order typically emerges. This begs the question— how good is the Oklahoma State job?

A million data points could go into this evaluation, but the quantifiable things that lure coaches can probably be boiled down to head coaching salary, NIL and on-field success/the potential to win championships.

Money Talks

Salaries are easily the most straightforward criteria. Money talks, and almost every head coaching salary is tracked in the USA Today Database.

Gundy’s viral comments comparing Oregon and OSU’s NIL commitment earlier this season made the Cowboys seem like the kid with the empty bowl asking for more food.

That isn’t exactly the case. Yes, Oregon coach Dan Lanning is one of 10 head coaches expected to make $10-plus million this year. However, Gundy’s $6.875 million salary this season put him 34th in the nation, and fifth in the Big 12.

Following a very public dispute with OSU in December, Gundy agreed to rework his contract, which resulted in a pay cut. In 2024, Gundy made $7.75 million, which would rank 22nd in the nation and second in the conference behind only Deion Sanders.

It remains to be seen if OSU will spend big, closer to Gundy’s max salary, or aim for something closer to the $6 million mark (42 head coaches make at least this much).

Either way, the Cowboys have demonstrated a willingness to spend sizable amounts on a successful head coach. The program probably won’t outspend the Nittany Lions, but OSU probably has the support needed to keep up with the rest of the current openings (and most of the future ones).

Of course, paying the head coach is just the starting point when it comes time to write the checks.

OSU’s Result: Top of Tier 2 (behind only Penn State, but Arkansas is close)

More Money, More Problems?

NIL contributions have taken center stage in college football.

Unfortunately, it’s just about impossible to verify what any school spends on this stuff. Most numbers publicly available are heavily based on rumors or end up being disputed by others.

Most recruits and portal players prefer to talk around the issue of money, but it’s an important piece of talent acquisition these days.

It makes sense to conclude that programs that experience more success recruiting and in the portal are generally paying out more.

Lots of numbers here, maybe too many numbers. All numbers reflect 247Sports Composite rankings except the last two columns, which use On3’s portal rankings. These are a little different than the other portal rankings because they consider talent lost in the portal AND talent acquired instead of just focusing on who teams added.

It’s not breaking news to see that Oklahoma State recruits high school prospects at a level beneath the success the program achieved under Gundy.

There’s been a narrative that the Cowboys flourished under Gundy because the coaching staff, in conjunction with strength and conditioning coach Rob Glass, turned overlooked prospects into diamonds by their third and fourth years in the program.

That meant a lot more before transfers became so commonplace.

Now, most top-end programs replace holes in the lineup with proven options through the portal, making those rankings arguably the most important. That’s likely especially true when it comes to evaluating the impact of NIL.

OSU seems to be moving in the right direction, but these rankings reflect a program spending to be middle or lower among Power Conference schools.

Most won’t hear these details for years, if ever, but it’s likely this will become the make-it-or-break-it point of conversation with several of OSU’s top options as those coaches look for the Cowboys to promise a growing commitment to NIL likely closer to or exceeding what UCLA has done recently, which has begun paying dividends on the football field.

For what it’s worth, Weiberg didn’t seem troubled by OSU’s cashflow at his presser discussing Gundy’s firing. So perhaps this area will take a jump up with a new coach.

“What I am extremely comfortable of is that we are resourced at the level that we need to be resourced at,” Weiberg said. “This is not an inexpensive football team that we have on the field this season. I feel really good about the investment that we have made here. I feel great about the support that we have here. …

“I go back to we aren’t lacking for support. I know there are people who think that we are. But this is not the 1980s OSU. We have come a long, long way from then. I would invite any of you to see how many other schools have 123 suites in the football stadium. Something that was unfathomable right, back then.”

OSU’s Result: Bottom of Tier 3

Contenders or Pretenders

Even with last season’s 3-9 collapse, Oklahoma State’s recent results are much closer to the Nittany Lions than they are to the other teams on the list.

Had the four-team playoff started in 2011 or the 12-team playoff started a little sooner, the Cowboys might find themselves swimming in the same pool as the Penn States of the world when it comes to national perception.

Weiberg outlined a lot of reasons the program moved on from Gundy when it did. Protecting the brand he built was probably paramount.

The Cowboys finished inside the committee’s top 25 seven times, which speaks to how close OSU was to the expanded playoff picture back when the committee (and the nation) focused so much on the top four.
OSU also proved competitive in the Big 12, which is important considering the conference title game is essentially a play-in game these days. Weiberg said he’s not as concerned with the Big 12’s place in the national picture while conducting the search, but it should absolutely move the needle for some coaches.

Current Big 12 teams should be able to annually push for two playoffs spots if the conference can avoid beating itself up too much. That should give it a leg up without forcing top teams to win what might amount to a three and four-team beauty pageant like we see between the SEC’s No. 3-6 teams in recent seasons.

OSU’s Result: All alone on Tier 2

Overall Result: Top of a distant Tier 2, just ahead of Arkansas and UCLA

It’s been a long time since Arkansas proved it can win in the SEC. UCLA has a similar problem holding the Bruins back.

Stanford’s recruiting rankings are definitely impacted by its higher-than-most academic requirements, but the Cardinal hasn’t looked good since David Shaw left. The right fit could probably turn Stanford back into a national championship contender, but the margin for error feels much smaller there than other programs.

In general, OSU has the benefit of being a proven commodity that could probably flip the script quickly with the right head coach and a large influx of cash for NIL purposes.

“We know winning the Big 12 Championship, going to the College Football Playoff, and competing for championships are realistic goals,” Weiberg said. “They remain attainable goals, but the stakes are high and competition is intense.”

Report: Oklahoma State Quarterbacks Coach Kevin Johns Taking Over Play-Calling Duties 15 Oct 2:19 PM (9 days ago)

There’s some more shuffling happening along the Cowboys’ coaching staff.

Oklahoma State quarterbacks coach Kevin Johns is taking over play-calling duties, according to O State Illustrated. This comes after offensive coordinator Doug Meacham took over as the Cowboys’ interim coach when Mike Gundy was fired.

Meacham hinted at the move on Monday with Dave Hunziker on the coach’s show.

“I’ve kinda, here just recently, kinda passed along some of the duties of the offense,” Meacham told Hunziker. “I’ve kinda delegated some of it. For me, it’s not really the physical work of doing both. It’s the mental part, like dealing with players and all the questions and the things that are going on these days. I think it kinda detracts a little bit from my focus on it, so I’ve kinda delegated some of it out.”

This’ll be far from Johns’ first time calling plays. He’s been an OC or a co-OC at Indiana (2011-16), Western Michigan (2017), Texas Tech (2019), Memphis (2019-21), Duke (2022-23) and Oklahoma (2024).

In the year before Johns got to Duke, the Blue Devils were last in the ACC in scoring offense. Johns took Duke to fifth in the conference in that category in his first season.

Johns’ 2019 Memphis offense ranked in the top 20 nationally in passing yards, scoring offense, passing yards/completion, total offense, first downs, passing efficiency, passing offense, passing touchdowns and third-down percentage.

Johns’ 2020 Memphis offense finished 22nd nationally in total offense (453.1 yards a game).

His 2018 Texas Tech offense ranked fourth nationally with 352.6 passing yards a game and 12th in total offense with 485.2 yards a game.

Johns’ Western Michigan offense ranked 25th nationally in scoring (36.5 points per game) and 21st in rushing yards per game, averaging 224.8.

The Cowboys rank 126th nationally in total offense (averaging 300.7 yards a game) and 128th in scoring offense (averaging 16.5 points a game).

This marks the second time coordinating duties have changed hands in Stillwater this season. The program parted ways with defensive coordinator Todd Grantham after the Baylor game. Clint Bowen has filled that role.

‘Every Place That Had Success Had Depth’: David Taylor, OSU Wrestlers Discuss Cowboys’ Growing Depth 15 Oct 2:04 PM (9 days ago)

STILLWATER — Building a team with depth in any sport in the transfer portal era has to be a difficult task, but in his second year as the Cowboys’ wrestling coach, that’s what David Taylor did.

Taylor, a three-time world champion and 2020 Olympic gold medalist, wasted no time revitalizing an already proud program. Oklahoma State finished third as a team at the NCAA Championships last season, the Cowboys’ highest placing since 2021. OSU also had a pair of national champions, the first time multiple Cowboys have stood atop the podium since 2016.

Taylor’s second squad obviously has work to do to match what last year’s team did, but from the outset, this Cowboy team might be deeper than last year’s.

“If you look back at the history of wrestling, and you think about the programs that have had the most success, depth was definitely a part of that,” Taylor said Wednesday. “Every place that had success had depth. But back in the day, once a kid signs, they’re there for four or five years.

“There’s a lot of temptations that these kids are gonna face on a daily basis, and the best thing that we can do is just show them that we care about them and help them with a plan to be the best versions of themselves. People chose to come here because they believe in this place, and every day that’s just gonna continue to, I believe, be more prominent in their lives. So, we just gotta  focus on what we’re doing and focus on helping these guys just be the best versions.”

Taylor on Wednesday navigated around lineup questions like a 10-year veteran rather than a second-year coach, at one point saying “We’ll have 10 guys out there Nov. 7 (the date of OSU’s first dual).”

As part of the National Duals Invitational seeding process, OSU was required to submit a rough outline of a lineup. OSU’s submitted lineup was reportedly:

125: Troy Spratley
133: Richard Figueroa II/Cael Hughes
141: Carter Young/Sergio Vega
149: Casey Swiderski
157: Teague Travis/Landon Robideau
165: LaDarion Lockett/Kody Routledge
174: Alex Facundo
184: Zack Ryder/Brayden Thompson
197: Cody Merrill/Jersey Robb
HWT: Konner Doucet

That’s 16 guys for 10 spots with all 16 of those guys either being at least relatively proven in the college wrestling world or at the very least a blue-chip recruit.

In other sports, depth means if Player X gets hurt, Player Y can play. That’s the case in wrestling, as well, but it’s also an iron sharpens iron type of sport, meaning guys are training against the team’s depth every day.

Take OSU’s lower weights, for example.

Troy Spratley is coming off a second-place finish at nationals last season in the 125-pound weight class. Although Spratley is expected to be one of the for-sure starters in OSU’s lineup, he’s able to train alongside guys like Richard Figueroa, who won a national title at 125 in 2024 but will now wrestle at 133 pounds. The room also features Rin Sakamoto, who was Japan’s representative at the Senior World Championships last month. Oh, and while the RTC-only athletes obviously can’t compete on the college team, Spratley has the opportunity to train alongside guys like Roman Bravo-Young (a two-time NCAA champ) and Daton Fix (a four-time NCAA finalist).

“There’s killers in this room from the college guys to the RTC guys to our coaches,” Spratley said. “You can’t find a better room in the country.”

Around the middle weights, there are guys like Casey Swiderski, a 2024 All-American who missed last season with injury, working with highly regarded freshmen Dee Lockett and Landon Robideau.

Lockett was the No. 3 prospect in the 2025 class, according to Flo, and he’s already a U17 World Champion and a U20 silver medalist. Robideau was the No. 5 recruit in the class after winning three Minnesota state titles and finishing his high school with a record of 283-6.

“Robideau’s a goer,” Swiderski said. “You wrestle Robideau, you’re gonna get a little bit of yourself. Hand-fighter that’s gonna go. He’s not gonna stop. He’s ready to go. I’m excited to watch him compete.”

If Lockett wants to grab a guy carrying a little more weight, he can lock up with Penn State transfer Alex Facundo. Facundo was last a regular in a lineup in 2022-23, but that’s primarily because he was in another deep room at Penn State. He’s a one-time NCAA qualifier and took bronze at the 2018 and 2019 U17 World Championships.

Locket spoke super highly of Facundo on Wednesday.

“Facundo is one of the best 174-pounders in country, should win nationals this year,” Lockett said. “… He’s super hard to score on. He can score from anywhere, and he’s one of the best guys in the world.”

The two Cowboys listed at 184 are both young, but are overflowing with potential.

Zack Ryder was the No. 5 wrestler in the 2024 recruiting class, per Flo. He redshirted at Penn State last season and is already a three-time age-level world medalist. While redshirting last year, he won the Southern Scuffle.

Brayden Thompson redshirted last season after starting for the Cowboys as a true freshman at 174 pounds. He qualified for nationals that year, and while redshirting last season Thompson won the Bob Smith Open and the Reno Tournament of Champions.

If those two ever get tired of going at each other, the 86 kg (about 190 pounds) world champion is also at the Cowboy RTC in Zahid Valencia after Valencia held the field scoreless against him in September. And that’s just one of the RTC guys.

“With Brayden, Jersey Robb, whoever’s at my weight, it’s awesome,” Ryder said. “We’re getting to build off each other. They’re my teammates at the end of the day. They can help me out, I can help them out. I mean, Zahid Valencia, Dustin Plott, Dean Hamiti, Cam Amine, (Caleb) Fish even — just all those guys I’m wrestling with, they’re making me better. They’re like big brothers to me. We have a great bond.

“It’s great wrestling them, especially Zahid, who puts it on me, but those guys help me a lot.”

Videos: David Taylor, Wrestlers Preview Upcoming Season 15 Oct 12:43 PM (9 days ago)

STILLWATER — David Taylor’s second season as the Cowboys’ coach is less than a month out.

Oklahoma State opens its 2025-26 schedule on Nov. 7 when the Pokes welcome Stanford to Gallagher-Iba Arena. OSU held a media availability with the wrestling team on Wednesday to preview the upcoming season, where we caught up with Taylor, Richard Figueroa, LaDarion Lockett, Casey Swiderski, Zack Ryder and Troy Spratley.

Daily Bullets (Nov. 15): Hearing from OSU’s Top Commit 15 Oct 2:26 AM (9 days ago)

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

OSU Bullets

• The Big 12’s social media account nailed the Sooners’ head coach on this one (PFB)

• How Steve Lutz recruited an assistant coach to town (PFB)

• OSU’s newest recruit Latrell Almond is ready to get to work: 

“I’m going to come in and be undeniable, that’s the goal,” said Allmond. “It means I’m going to make it really hard for them not to play me. I’m not too fond of the ‘Oh if you come here you are going to start.’ I’m going to make it so that they have to play me, and that’s always going to be my mindset.” [247 Sports]

• Top quotes from Doug Meacham’s latest press conference (PFB)

• I’d be curious to know if people would have a problem with this duo:

I don’t know why they call it a campaign, because it’s been a cam-pleasure. pic.twitter.com/nu7yobpo5y

— Southwell (@JustinSouthwell) October 14, 2025

Non-OSU Bullets

• How many friends can your brain handle? • How hard is your heart (faith-based)

Three Things Cincinnati Coach Scott Satterfield Said ahead of the Bearcats’ Trip to Stillwater 14 Oct 2:38 PM (10 days ago)

Don’t look now, but the Bearcats are coming to Stillwater in mid-October with Big 12 title aspirations. Not sure many would’ve expected that coming into the year.

Oklahoma State and Cincinnati play at 7 p.m. Saturday in Boone Pickens Stadium for what will be the Cowboys’ homecoming game. Cincy coach Scott Satterfield met with reporters Tuesday to preview the game. Here are three things he said that stood out.

1. A Return to America’s Greatest Homecoming

This isn’t the first Satterfield has brought the Bearcats to Stillwater on homecoming.

Back in 2023, the first year Cincy was in the Big 12 and the first year Satterfield was the Bearcats’ coach, Cincinnati came down for what turned out to be a rainy night game on homecoming weekend.

The Cowboys won that one 45-13. It was in the midst of Ollie-Mania, as the eventual Doak Walker winner ran for 271 yards and two touchdowns.

But Satterfield and the Bearcats have been building. That 2023 season saw Cincy finish 3-9 before the Bearcats went 5-7 last year. Cincinnati will come to Stillwater at 5-1 this year, ranked 24th nationally.

“We’ve got a better team than we did, certainly, when we went there (in 2023),” Satterfield said. “I think what we’ve been able to do is to build out our team the way we like — tough, gritty, hard-nosed players that play fast, that play physical. Obviously, I think, you feel a lot better going to Stillwater this year than we did two years ago with what we have on that plane that we’re gonna be taking over there.

“We have a lot of belief in the locker room, too. I think that’s huge. They believe they’ll go out and play well and believe they’ll go out and get the win. Having belief is something that’s hard to get, but you get that through hard work, through adversity, all the things we’ve gone through the last two years.”

2. Preparing for the Unpredictable

It’s not necessarily a good thing that OSU’s offense has been so unpredictable this season, but it does make things at least a little tricky to prepare for.

The Cowboys are on their third starting quarterback after starter Hauss Hejny was injured three drives into the season and Zane Flores was hurt a few weeks back in Tucson. That’s led to quarterback-turned-wide receiver-turned quarterback Sam Jackson to step into the starting role.

Since Doug Meacham took over as OSU’s interim coach, the Cowboys have also been using gadget plays like their a standard zone run play.

“They’ve had eight different players throw a pass this year, which I don’t know if that’s a record, but it’s close probably,” Satterfield said. “The player that was a wideout but is now a quarterback, you turn the film on and watch him last week against Houston, I mean, he can throw the football. The ball was getting ripped out there. …

“You have to be ready for everything. This is a team that, they haven’t had the best of years, but it is homecoming, they do have a lot of pride, all the alumni will be coming back, they want to put on a great show for their fans. They got a pride about themselves, as well. We’re gonna get their best shot. Here comes a ranked team in there for homecoming. We’re gonna get everything they got.”

3. On Being a Big Favorite

Because of reasons we’ve already discussed, OSU is currently a 22.5-point underdog this weekend.

Perhaps the next step in Satterfield’s time as the Bearcats’ head coach is his squad learning how to handle such expectations.

“It goes back to how we prepare and our mindset,” Satterfield said. “We’ve got something to prove each and every time we go on the field. You’re only as good as your last game, your last play. What we did in the past does not matter this week. It has nothing to do with this week. We have to stay in the moment, and we have to focus as much as we can to go out and practice as hard as we can practice today.”

‘It’s Meant Everything’: After Years of Work, Aden Kelley Getting the Opportunity to Play a Key Role in OSU’s Defense 14 Oct 2:34 PM (10 days ago)

STILLWATER — In his fifth season with the program, Aden Kelley played just 176 combined defensive snaps in his first four years as a Cowboy. Just six games into this 2025 season, Kelley has already played 164.

Stillwater isn’t a small town to the 6-foot-3, 315-pound defensive tackle. He hails from Thomas, Oklahoma, a town of about 1,100 people out in Custer County north of Weatherford.

Despite being from an actual small town, Kelley was a highly sought-after recruit. 247Sports considered Kelley the No. 190 player in the entire country for the 2021 recruiting class, marking him as the No. 5 player from the state of Oklahoma (a spot ahead of Collin Oliver). Even with those prospect accolades, Kelley has kept his head down and worked to earn his spot on the field in Stillwater.

“I have a lot of respect for this university, what it’s done for me,” Kelley said. “And I’ve been very loyal to it, and I’ll continue to be that way as long as I can. It’s meant everything. I joked the other day and told somebody I couldn’t have wrote the story any different with a brand new notebook and as many writing utensils it took to fill it up. So, it’s been a weird deal, but ultimately, I just gotta do what I can every week.”

Kelley has made 11 tackles this season, more than he’s had in his first four years combined (seven). He made four tackles in the Cowboys’ game against Houston this past weekend, a number that would’ve been a season-high for Kelley entering the year.

The year after Kelley got to Stillwater, the Cowboys recruited another small town defensive linemen in Landon Dean. Dean hails from Frontenac, Kansas, a town of about 3,400 (more than triple Thomas but still about 7% of the population of Stillwater).

Because of their upbringings, both guys said they’ve developed a friendship through some similar interest — like hunting and fish fries. Kelley said their hunting methods are different, with Dean using hounds while Thomas focuses on speed. Dean said Kelley wouldn’t admit it, but that his hound method catches more coyotes.

“He’s one of my best friends here,” Dean said. “We’ve been together four years. He’s one of our leaders and an extremely hard-worker, so it’s really fun to be able to go out there and play with him.”

Coming out of high school, Kelley had offers from schools in the Big 12, the Big Ten and the ACC. In the modern landscape, it’s hard to imagine he couldn’t have found a larger role earlier, but he has been loyal to Oklahoma State the whole time.

“It’s how I was raised,” Kelley said. “It’s how I was brought up. It’s just part of me. I feel like they took a chance on me from a small school, a small town. And I feel like in my heart that I owe them everything that I can give.”

Cowgirl Hoops: Oklahoma State Comes in at No. 22 in Preseason AP Poll 14 Oct 2:25 PM (10 days ago)

Entering just her fourth season in Stillwater, Jacie Hoyt already has the Cowgirls in the Preseason AP Top 25.

That dropped Tuesday. Oklahoma State is one of four Big 12 programs with a preseason ranking, joining No. 14 Iowa State, No. 16 Baylor and No. 17 TCU.

AP Preseason Top 25

The Cowgirls climbed as high as No. 17 in the AP Poll last season, a year in which OSU went 25-7 and made the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three seasons under Hoyt.

The Cowgirls’ upcoming schedule features five games against opponents ranking in the preseason:

Dec. 13 — No. 6 Oklahoma (OKC)
Dec. 31 — No. 16 Baylor (Stillwater)
Jan. 7 — No. 17 TCU (Fort Worth)
Jan. 18 — No. 14 Iowa State (Stillwater)
Feb. 25 — No. 14 Iowa State (Ames)

Hoyt and the Cowgirls return superstar Stailee Heard after Heard was an honorable mention All-American last season. Micah Gray and Jadyn Wooten return, as well, as that trio combined to average 37 points, 13 rebounds and seven points a game last season.

The Cowgirls also had a strong haul in the portal with additions like Amari Whiting, who averaged 10.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists last season at BYU, and Haleigh Timmer, who averaged 12.8 points, four rebounds and 1.3 assists a game last season at South Dakota State.

‘He’s Relentless in Everything He Does’: Why OSU Assistant James Miller Left a Program on the Rise to Join Steve Lutz 14 Oct 10:38 AM (10 days ago)

STILLWATER — James Miller was in a good spot working under Chris Jans, as the pair combined to lead New Mexico State to two NCAA Tournaments before moving to Mississippi State and leading the Bulldogs to a pair of Big Dances.

But then Steve Lutz, Millers’ longtime friend, got the job at Oklahoma State. Miller took a leap to join Lutz in Stillwater as the program’s associate head coach.

“Coach Jans was unbelievable to me,” Miller said. “I worked for him for six years. I honestly never thought I would leave his side unless it was for a head job. I love him as a person, and I loved working for him. Coach Lutz and I have been pretty good friends for 12 or 13 years now. So, when this opportunity came, I have goals and aspirations to be a head coach one day. I had been an associate head coach in the SEC. We had gone to two NCAA Tournaments. My mindset selfishly was, ‘Hey, if I can come here and help us get to the NCAA Tournament as an associate head coach in the Big 12, what other boxes can I check as an assistant coach?’

“That was kinda my thought process selfishly, and then wholistically, hey, it’s the Big 12. It’s Oklahoma State. There’s a lot of tradition here. It was a new challenge for me to be able to help one of my closest friends. So, that really excited me. If it was just some random place that didn’t have any tradition or it wasn’t with one of my best friends, I wouldn’t have done it. There’s no way. Like I said, I never thought I’d leave Coach (Jans’) side.”

Miller had some loose ties to Stillwater. He said he visited for homecoming during his college years, joking that he remembered a little bit of the weekend.

Miller was also the head coach at New Mexico Junior College from 2012 to 2015, where he coached Jeff Newberry, who would go on to play at Oklahoma State for two seasons and averaged double figures as a senior in the 2015-16.

“He loved Oklahoma State,” Miller said. “He loved his experience here. He spoke glowingly about the town and about the school.”

Without being in practices and meetings, it’s hard to tell what impact any assistant coach makes in the on-court product, but what’s undeniable about Miller is that he is an excellent recruiter — which then in turn helps the on-court product.

OSU landed four-star forward Latrell Allmond on Monday, a recruitment Miller had a lot to do with. As Allmond’s recruitment was coming to a close, Miller traveled out to Las Vegas a few weekends back for an event Allmond’s high school team was playing at.

“I think the investment, and the time,” said OSU assistant Keiton Page of what makes Miller such a good recruiter. “Coach Miller, he’s obviously one that we all learn from on a daily basis. The dude never stops. He’s relentless in everything he does. That’s game-planning, recruiting — just anything he does, he does it full tilt. A lot like Coach Lutz. Obviously if you take that approach into recruiting any kid, it usually works out because a lot of guys don’t have a motor, per se, like that. He’s full-go all the time.”

The Virginia/North Carolina area is one Miller appears immensely tapped into. Along with Allmond’s addition, there are four players on the current OSU roster who hail from one of those states.

Those aren’t usually spots where a lot of guys are traveling to OSU from, but Miller said part of his pitch on the recruiting trail is that Stillwater is a place where you can focus on school and basketball and can be a business-like trip for some guys.

“It’s like anything else, you just put a lot of hard work into it,” said Miller of his recruiting style. “You build relationships. Even in the transfer portal day and age, you have to have relationships with these young men, and they generally have to know that you care about them. Then you just look for the fit with coach and what our system is and the school. And once you do those types of things, usually it fits into place. …

“So, recruiting style is just relationships. This is the type of place where it’s not Miami. It’s not LA. It’s a different type of place, so you really want to have some genuine relationships with those young men and the people who are trying to help you get the players. That’s not really normal anymore in the climate, unfortunately.”

Given OSU has made just one NCAA Tournament in the past eight seasons, it could’ve been viewed as a risk for Miller to make the leap from a team he’s helped consistently get into the tourney, but he sounds confident he and Lutz can find similar success in Stillwater.

“Usually history repeats itself, and they’ve won big here in the past,” Miller said. “So, if we can get some good players in here and do it the right way, there’s no reason we couldn’t do the same thing. That’s my mindset.”

The Big 12’s Official Twitter Account Dunks on OU Coach Brent Venables 14 Oct 10:30 AM (10 days ago)

While trying to make a point about the SEC’s depth, Oklahoma coach Brent Venables placed himself directly under a Big 12 basketball hoop, and the conference dunked on him without hesitation.

The Sooners are coming off a 23-6 loss in the Red River Shootout, marking the third time in four seasons OU has failed to score a touchdown in the Cotton Bowl. Now all but one of OU’s final six opponents are currently ranked.

“This isn’t the old Big 12 days where Oklahoma destroys everybody every single week except for one game a year,” Venables said Tuesday. “I’m not saying that in any other way other than, man, every week, man, there’s big, long, fast, explosive dudes, great staffs, really good quarterback play, tremendous lines of scrimmage, things of that nature.”

The Big 12 took that personally.

“Coach Venables lost eight Conference games in his two seasons in the Big 12,” the league tweeted.

Coach Venables lost eight Conference games in his two seasons in the Big 12 https://t.co/O4eLzaJ3lo

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) October 14, 2025

Venables’ first year at OU saw the Sooners go 6-7 overall and 3-6 in Big 12 play, dropping games to Kansas State, TCU (by 31), Texas (by 49), Baylor, West Virginia and Texas Tech.

Things undoubtedly went better in Year 2, with OU going 10-3, but the Sooners’ 7-2 Big 12 record wasn’t enough to get to Arlington, with losses to Kansas and Oklahoma State (soon-to-be Big 12 squad Arizona beat OU 38-24 in the Alamo Bowl that year, too).

I get what Venables was trying to say, as there probably aren’t many this season who would question the SEC’s depth, but that particular manner of going about it maybe should’ve been left to any other coach in OU’s history.

Videos: Meacham, Players Preview Cincinnati 14 Oct 7:28 AM (10 days ago)

STILLWATER — It’s homecoming week at Oklahoma State, as the Cowboys prep to play Cincinnati at 7 p.m. Saturday in Boone Pickens Stadium. Doug Meacham, Quinton Stewart, Aden Kelley, Austin Kawecki and Landon Dean met with reporters Monday to give updates on the program and preview the game.

Daily Bullets (Oct. 14): Pokes Land Highest-Rated Recruit Since Cade Cunningham 14 Oct 2:00 AM (10 days ago)

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

OSU Bullets

• Cowboy Basketball landed a top-30 recruit yesterday, a forward from the Midwest (PFB)

• Section 231 at the Houston game was named ESPN’s fans of the week (Facebook)

• Just so you go into homecoming with good expectations, ESPN’s SP+ has Cincinnati as a 20.5-point favorite over the Pokes this weekend (X)

• The kickoff time was released for OSU’s trip to Lubbock next weekend (PFB)

• Pokes recently landed a solid catcher from California (SI) • Get to know the coach at North Texas, a potential candidate for the OSU opening (CBS Sports)

• That dog’ll hunt.

With the commitments of Jalen Montonati & Latrell Allmond, Oklahoma State now has the 4th ranked recruiting class in the country pic.twitter.com/7MBELwKUND

— Legion of Orange (@SnapAgainThanos) October 13, 2025

Non-OSU Bullets

• How to spend your money and be miserable

This sounds like a fun way to spend the 4th of July (unless you want to be in Africa with me, of course)

The Top 5 Quotes from Doug Meacham’s Pre-Cincinnati News Conference 13 Oct 3:58 PM (11 days ago)

STILLWATER — Cowboy alum Doug Meacham will lead the Pokes into their homecoming game this weekend.

Oklahoma State plays Cincinnati at 7 p.m. Saturday in Boone Pickens Stadium. Meacham, OSU’s interim coach, met with reporters Monday to give updates on the program. Here are five things he said that stood out.

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1. Midseason Coaching Changes ‘New Normal’

Oklahoma State parting ways with longtime coach Mike Gundy after three games felt somewhat drastic at the time, but it’s turned out to be on par for coaching movement this year.

Just this past weekend, Penn State fired James Franklin and Michigan State axed Jonathan Smith — the latest examples of what’s been a busy midseason coaching carousel.

“It’s the new normal,” Meacham said. “Feels like kind of lighting the candle at both ends, and we gotta worry about getting players, and you’re paying coaches and all that stuff. At some point, it’s, OK, what are we doing? Not really. It’s just the way this business is. It’s a very public profession. You have to do things. It’s a performance industry and you gotta perform. That’s just the way it goes.”

2. Interim Advice Tough to Get in Modern Landscape

That change has obviously thrusted Meacham into this position as the Cowboys’ interim coach.

It’s his first head coaching role, but given the the quickly changing landscape, there are certain aspects of what Meacham is going through that he can’t exactly ask others for advice about.

Meacham does have interim DC Clint Bowen, who was tasked with being Kansas’ interim coach in 2014 when the Jayhawks fired Charlie Weis.

“It’s different now because 4-5 years ago, the landscape that’s occurring today is not what it was five years ago,” Meacham said. “So it’s kind of hard how would you handle these things. Like I said before, Clint Bowen has done this twice at Kansas. So early on, I leaned on him for how he did it. What were some of the problems he had as he moved through it? How did he handle stuff and what would we have done differently had he had another shot at doing that? That kind of thing. He’s helped me a lot. Because he’s done it twice, at his alma mater, which is another layer to do it here, where it probably means the most.”

3. Official Interactions

There was a story Mike Boynton once told where in his early days as a head coach, an assistant turned to him during a game and said, “You know you can call a timeout, right?”

With this being Meacham’s first go at being the head man, he has to be going through some of that, like how he was going to handle his interactions with referees.

A holding call on Bob Schick this past Saturday took a big play off the board, and Meacham was asked about it Monday.

“I think what I’ve realized is all head coaches are super nice pregame, myself included,” Meacham said. “Very cordial, don’t say much, just kind of a mild-mannered human being. And then something occurs like that, and you turn into this whole other guy, and they probably go, ‘Wow, that wasn’t this guy at pregame. I don’t know …’ I’m not gonna comment on it. I just, in my humble opinion, could’ve gone either way with that one. Looked to me like the guy dove at the ball carrier. If he had not have dove, I don’t know that would’ve even been seen as a hold. But that’s just the way it goes.

“That’s football. It’s like going to your son’s little league game and the dad that’s arguing about strikes and balls and stuff. That’s ridiculous. Just move on. That’s part of it.”

4. Playing with Six Offense Linemen

The Cowboys are getting thin at tight end, which led this weekend to a few six-offensive linemen sets.

Redshirt sophomore Gage Stanaland, listed at 6-foot-3, 300 pounds, played a handful of snaps on the end of the line of scrimmage. One of those snaps almost ended in a touchdown when Trent Howland ran 21 yards and was tackled at the 1-yard line (the play the last quote discussed). That play got brought back for a hold.

The Cowboys are down to two available tight ends in redshirt senior Quinton Stewart and redshirt freshman Grayson Brousseau. That has led to the unconventional look.

“Because if we have one sprained ankle there’s a lot of packages we can’t even play and you’re going to waste a lot of practice reps,” Meacham said. “If we could put another guy out there and kinda decrease that opportunity of getting one of the tight ends hurt, we’re doing it for that reason  because if you have a two tight end package, and you practice it 30 reps that week, and one guy sprains an ankle pregame, then you just wasted a lot of time. So I think we’re trying to do that to protect those guys.”

5. The Section 231 Guy

The fans stole the show this past Saturday when three sections filled with people took their tarps off and started waving them above their heads.

It started with one guy and grew quickly. After shouting it out post game, Meacham was still interested in the topic Monday.

“I want to bring up the shirt guy,” Meacham said. “When I saw some of the replay stuff, I realized that’s not a college kid, right? Yeah, he had kind of some stuff I got going on so. But it’s amazing. To see that played back and it’s one guy and then it’s two, then there were two more showing up, then it just went. That was pretty cool. Probably need to get his number, see if he wants to come out for practice, hang out with for a day or something. That was awesome.”

More from Monday

Sam Jackson set to start at QB
Noah Walters goes from UCF student to OSU QB
OSU growing thin at TE
Kick time announced for OSU-Tech

Oklahoma State Leaning on Unlikely Options at TE After Opt Outs, Injuries Decimate Depth Chart 13 Oct 2:41 PM (11 days ago)

STILLWATER — If you see tight ends Quinton Stewart or Grayson Brousseau walking to class wrapped in bubble wrap this week, just know that the Cowboys are truly that thin at the position these days.

“If we have one sprained ankle, there’s a lot of packages we can’t even play, and you’re going to waste a lot of practice reps,” interim coach Doug Meacham said. “If we could put another guy out there and kinda decrease that opportunity of getting one of the tight ends hurt, we’re doing it for that reason.

“Because if you have a two-tight-end package, and you practice it 30 reps that week, and one guy sprains an ankle pregame, then you just wasted a lot of time. So I think we’re trying to do that to protect those guys.”

Stewart and Brousseau played 51% and 35% of offensive snaps in the last two games, respectively. An injury at Oregon makes it tough to evaluate how much Stewart should have played in the first four games. He played 47% against UT-Martin, but only 11% against Baylor, his first game back.

Although he was probably always going to have a role somewhere between those extremes, the same can’t be said for Brousseau, who transferred in during the offseason following a redshirt year at Utah State.

Through the first four games, Brousseau’s high point came when he played 13% of snaps at Oregon, likely because of Stewart’s injury.

“I thought he’s handled it incredibly well,” Stewart said. “I really appreciate Grayson. His personality, he’s really fun to play with. … I think he’s really stepped up.”

Both guys are seeing the field so much following the departure of tight end Josh Ford, who announced his decision to redshirt and transfer last week after missing the trip to Arizona. Of course, Ford isn’t the only tight end who decided to redshirt this fall.

“It’s been tough losing Josh and then Will (Monney) redshirting,” Stewart said. “Because we’re pretty tight as a room, but at the end of the day we’re still going to go out every day at practice and continue to do what we do.”

During fall camp, it felt like Stewart might have his work cut out for him to just be the fourth tight end option this season. North Texas transfer Oscar Hammond suffered a long-lasting injury before the season ever began.

Meacham said the best way to handle the suddenly thin position is to use fewer formations that require both guys during practice and games. It sounds like he might lean into packages that feature extra receivers or even a second running back to take some of the load off those guys.

“Just great kids, great attitudes,” Meacham said. “Love them to death. Q, I’ve never not seen that kid smile, I mean, and he just cracks me up, because he just looks like that quintessential, like frat kid, just enjoying life every day, loves college. You know, he’s just such a great kid, man, and he’s a good player. And, you know, he’s nicked up a little bit, but he’s playing through it. I think he’s getting better as we move forward, but I enjoy coaching, being around that kid.”

Stewart acknowledged it can be tough “having two guys pretty much take all the reps” but credited his position coach, DJ Tialavea, with keeping the room in good spirits.

“Just having him be the rock in the room, it has been awesome,” Stewart said. “He still makes it fun to go out and work every day.”

Despite only seeing the field for four games, plus one snap at Oregon, Stewart has played 104 offensive snaps this season. Perhaps the best way to explain how unusual that is for him is to consider the fact that he only saw the field for 191 total offensive plays from 2020-24.

Although Stewart had a front row seat to some incredible moments since his arrival in Stillwater, he hasn’t been a part of most of them, though he did record a 2-yard touchdown catch against OU in 2022.

Others might feel cheated to have their opportunity come when the program finds itself in such a downturn, but Stewart remained positive throughout interviews on Monday.

“It is quite a bit different (from other seasons), but like I said, I’m thankful for every experience I have with college football,” Stewart said. “I love it, and I wish I had more.”

Midseason Addition Quarterback Noah Walters ‘Blessed’ to Be a Cowboy 13 Oct 1:56 PM (11 days ago)

STILLWATER — Every touchdown pass thrown by a Cowboy this year has come under weird circumstances.

Despite multiple wide receivers throwing touchdowns this fall, the latest score, thrown by quarterback Noah Walters, is likely the weirdest.

“How about that guy?” interim coach Doug Meacham said. “He’s hanging out at UCF, and he’s not even playing ball. He’s probably signed up for the intramural deal, and then he’s out here throwing TD passes in P4 games.

“The thing about that kid, he’s played a lot of football. He’s had a lot of success at a smaller level. I know he had a little hiatus there for the end of it, but anytime you play a lot and you’re comfortable and confident with what you do, you tend to have some success once you get out there. He’s an older guy. He’s real calm. He’s good in the meetings. I don’t know how they found him, but they did, and I appreciate it. Glad to have him.”

Walters threw for about 4,500 yards and 40 touchdowns in two seasons at Northern Alabama, but he didn’t play football at all in 2024 while attending classes at UCF.

Following the game, Walters credited OSU analyst Colby Ellis for bringing him to Stillwater. UNA listed Ellis as the receivers coach, special teams coordinator and recruiting coordinator in 2022, which was Walters’ freshman season.

“Yeah, it was like being back out on the playground throwing the football,” Walters said. “This is a game, and going out there each time and trying to have fun is the main priority.”

He finished the game 1-of-2 passing for 33 yards and the touchdown thrown to receiver Gavin Freeman.

“I have the utmost respect for him being a quarterback and this is like his first three weeks here, and he’s already throwing a touchdown,” Freeman said. “Quarterbacks, I have so much respect for them, and he threw me a good ball.”

Reading between the lines, it sounds like Walters probably assumed, or at the very least confronted the possibility, that he wouldn’t play another snap of Division-I football following his stint at North Alabama.

It’s safe to say the quarterback, who wasn’t even officially on the roster until a few days before the Tulsa game, has embraced his chance to be a Cowboy.

“I’m super appreciative and super blessed for this opportunity. … God puts you in situations that you don’t expect,” Walters said. “This is one of them.”

Wide Receiver Sam Jackson Again Expected to Start at Quarterback, Meacham Expects Flores Back Soon 13 Oct 12:22 PM (11 days ago)

STILLWATER — The biggest story from the Cowboys’ loss to Houston this past weekend turned into shirtless fans waving their tarps above their heads in the midst of a blowout. But not far behind that storyline was the fact that Oklahoma State had a listed wide receiver starting at quarterback.

Those two threads show what a weird year it’s been in Boone Pickens Stadium for the Cowboys, and at least one of those storylines is continuing into this weekend’s matchup against Cincinnati.

Oklahoma State hosts the Bearcats at 7 p.m. Saturday for America’s Greatest Homecoming, where Jackson will again line up behind center with the keys to the Cowboy offense.

“I just appreciate that he would do that for his teammates,” OSU interim coach Doug Meacham said Monday. “I know he loves playing quarterback, but I think he feels like moving forward if he has a chance at the next level, it’d probably be as a return guy or a slot receiver. So, he’s kinda making a sacrifice, as well.

“He’s put a few games on tape, which demonstrates the ability to be a slot and a return guy. I know that, just like all these kids, there’s a lot of opinions coming at him. And I just appreciate him doing what we need as a team, and that’s what he’s doing. He’s a good teammate, good kid and just kinda glad we have him right now.”

A receiver playing quarterback sounds out there, and is, but in this case it’s not as out there as it seems. Jackson was recruited to TCU (by Meacham) to play quarterback back in 2021. He threw six passes in two seasons with the Horned Frogs before transferring to Cal, where he threw 97 times in 51 games, throwing for 556 yards and five touchdowns to two interceptions.

But, like Meacham mentioned, it became evident that Jackson’s NFL dream wasn’t going to come at that position, so when he transferred to Auburn ahead of the 2024 season, he switched over to catching passes instead of throwing them. He transferred to Stillwater with the same mindset.

After some spot QB duty in the first couple of weeks, Jackson went 7-for-16 with 84 passing yards and an interception in his first start at QB for the Cowboys.

It wasn’t an outstanding stat line by any means, but it’s hard to ask too much of a guy who just became a full-time quarterback again going into that game. It’s also not like the Cowboys’ passing attack was lighting the world on fire before Saturday, as it was the third time this season OSU failed to throw for at least 200 yards. OSU hasn’t eclipsed 300 yards in any game this season.

A bright spot, though, is that Jackson now has a full game film to review in hopes of a better performance against the Bearcats.

“You can talk about it and draw all that stuff, but once you watch yourself do it, it expediates all that stuff,” Meacham said. “You sit there from all the film angles that we have, it may slow the game down a little bit and see some of the rotations and the coverage stuff and maybe some of the things he should’ve done with the football or where his eyes should’ve been a couple times. Couple times when things broke down, maybe there’s some other alternatives to what he did.

“But any time you watch yourself do it, a lot of the kids, me included, you can talk about it all day long. Once I see myself doing it, I definitely pay attention a little bit more. I think that just resonates more once you see yourself doing it. So, for him to watch himself in a full game, that’s just gonna make him better and hopefully play a little but more to what he’s capable of doing.”

It doesn’t sound as if this move is a long term thing for the Cowboys, though. After Hauss Hejny went down with an injury, Zane Flores stepped into the starting role for the next four games. He suffered an upper-body injury against Arizona a few weeks back, leading to Jackson stepping in.

But on Monday Meacham sounded optimistic that Flores will be available again soon.

“I would say there’s probably something to be said about him in the next, probably about this time next week,” Meacham said. “So we’ll see how it goes.”

There’s also a world where Hejny comes back. In two of his three drives this season, Hejny led the Cowboys into the end zone. But he suffered a Jones fracture in that season opener leading to surgery.

“Hauss is good,” Meacham said. “I saw him today. He’s walking. He’s walking in a boot. He kind of was jumping up and down. I said, whoa, what are you doing? But you know, with the hardware he has in there, I don’t believe he can hurt it anymore. It already hurts. They’re just waiting on it to fully calcify, and I think it’s done that. Now it’s just getting the leg strong enough to be able to move around. So he’s come a long way. We’ll see what happens with that.”

The Final Draw (PFB+): It’s Not Fair, but Hope Must Come from the Defense 13 Oct 10:10 AM (11 days ago)

• Putting OSU’s inability to stop the pass in perspective.
• Defenders stepping into larger roles (and playing well)
• How much of the offensive blame falls on WRs?

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Kick Time Announced for Oklahoma State’s Oct. 25 Trip to Lubbock 13 Oct 9:27 AM (11 days ago)

The tortillas will fly in the afternoon on Oct. 25.

Oklahoma State and Texas Tech are set to kick at 3 p.m. that day in Lubbock, the Big 12 announced Monday. The game will be televised on either ESPN2 or ESPNU.

It’s a time slot the Cowboys are getting comfortable with, as it’ll be the fourth time this season OSU has kicked in the afternoon after doing so against Oregon, Baylor and Arizona.

OSU is 1-5 this season, entering this weekend’s homecoming game against Cincinnati before this trip to west Texas. The Red Raiders are 6-0 and will be in Tempe this weekend to play Arizona State. Tech came in at No. 7 in the most recent AP Poll and very much appears to be the class of the Big 12.

The Cowboys are 24-24-3 all-time against Texas Tech. The teams met last season, where the Red Raiders won in a 56-48 shootout where true freshman Maealiuaki Smith quarterbacked the Pokes. Before that, the Cowboys had won three in a row in the series. That included the last game played in Lubbock, where the Cowboys won 23-0 in 2021.

NFL Update: Jaylen Warren Runs Over All of the Cleveland Browns 13 Oct 7:15 AM (11 days ago)

Let’s take a look around the NFL to see how some former Cowboys fared during Week 5.

We’ll start with some highlights from Steelers running back Jaylen Warren who punished most of the Cleveland Browns’ defenders.

Tough 11 yard run by Jaylen Warren!!!! #Steelers pic.twitter.com/PeQ873tp3O

— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) October 12, 2025

These are the types of runs that make you a fan favorite.

Great run by Jaylen Warren. But watch Mount Washington cave down the back side edge. That man is a menace. pic.twitter.com/tlFNqMVhJh

— Kevin Smith (@KTSmithFFSN) October 12, 2025

But what about this nasty block on All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett.

A quick internet search reveals that Warren is 5-foot-8 and 216 pounds while Garrett is 6-foor-4 and 272. Eight inches and 58 pounds difference. Coulda fooled Warren.

Myles Garret getting blocked out the play by Jaylen Warren 😭😂✌️ pic.twitter.com/0ui0fu2VDj

— Rico 🧃 (@SteelersTrollMe) October 12, 2025

Emanuel Ogbah logged four tackles and this TFL.

TFL @EmanOgbah 🤠

📺: @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/2Ee7Aik7mo

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) October 12, 2025

Week 5 Stats

Jaylen Warren took 11 handoffs for 52 yards on the ground and then caught two passes for 11 yards in the Steelers’ 23-9 win over the Browns.

Justice Hill rushed six times for 16 yards and caught five passes for 28 yards as the Ravens fell to the Rams 17-3.

Ollie Gordon logged two rushing yards and one receiving yard in the Dolphins’ 29-27 loss to the Chargers.

Tyler Lacy recorded a pair of tackles in the Lions’ 30-17 loss to Kansas City on Sunday night.

Nick Martin was inactive for the 49ers’ loss to Tampa Bay, but All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner suffered a season-ending injury so expect the rookie to be in the mix for reps moving forward.

The Reload Ep. 12: Oklahoma State vs. Houston Recap 13 Oct 7:11 AM (11 days ago)

Justin Southwell, Nathan Gilsleider and Marshall Scott recap Oklahoma State’s loss to Houston.

Special thanks to our sponsor ⁠Brewster Consulting Group⁠.

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Top 30 Prospect Latrell Allmond Commits to Oklahoma State 13 Oct 6:25 AM (11 days ago)

You could say Allmond is nuts for Lutz.

Oklahoma State secured the commitment of top 30 2026 prospect Latrell Allmond on Monday morning. Listed at 6-foot-8, 225 pounds, Allmond is the No. 27 player in the 247Sports Composite ranking for the class and chose OSU over a final group of Maryland, Tennessee, Indiana and Virginia.

Allmond is the highest ranked player to commit to OSU since Cade Cunningham, per CBS Sports’ Adam Finkelstein. Allmond committed on his birthday.

 

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“I’ve had connections with the staff since I was a little eighth grader going into ninth grade, and their first time seeing me up there in DC, it’s been love ever since then,” Allmond said of OSU. “They always kept in contact with me throughout my whole high school process. Building that relationship over time, just seeing how they never missed a beat. They go to every tournament, every high school event that they could attend.

“And just seeing their plan they have for me, I would say. They plan for me to be a successful basketball player on the court and also be a successful man, as well, off the court.”

He’s set to play his senior season at Petersburg High in Richmond, Virginia but spent his first three seasons of high school ball at John Marshall in Richmond.

As a junior he averaged 21.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.7 steals and 2.3 blocks a game while shooting 66% from the field and 44% from 3. He led John Marshall to a state title and was named the Virginia Class 2 Player of the Year.

Allmond played AAU with Team Loaded in the Adidas-sponsored 3SSB League. He averaged 14.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.6 blocks a game in 3SSB play this summer.

Allmond is a terrific fit on just about any roster, but that especially seems to be the case in Stillwater. Robert Jennings and Christian Coleman are similar style players but both are entering their final year of eligibility, meaning the Allmond could have a big impact early for the Cowboys.

He joins in-state standout Jalen Montonati in the Cowboys’ 2026 class that now ranks 10th nationally and third in the Big 12 with this commitment.

Daily Bullets (Oct. 13): Jim Knowles’ Boss Fired 13 Oct 2:00 AM (11 days ago)

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

OSU Bullets

•  Highlight of the weekend – shirtless guys cheering on a struggling (generous) Cowboy Football team (PFB)

• Jim Knowles’ boss at Penn State was fired yesterday (ESPN)

• An encouraging sign for Cowboy Basketball – the preseason for KenPom ranking has the Pokes moving up.

Oklahoma State opens the year as the No. 69 player in the country, per the K enPom rankings. For reference, here is where OSU finished the past five seasons in KenPom: 2024-25: 97 2023-24: 117 2022-23: 46 2021-22: 34 2020-21: 33 [PFB]

• ICYMI – 10 thoughts on the Pokes’ loss to Houston (PFB)

•  Darn – Pokes lost commitment of four-star defensive tackle:

BREAKING: Four-Star DL Tajh Overton has Decommitted from Oklahoma State, he tells me for @rivals The 6’3 275 DL from Owasso, OK had been Committed to the Cowboys since June Overton becomes the Top Available DL in the ‘26 Classhttps://t.co/omNYg4ghxD pic.twitter.com/K9qPnSHXe1

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) October 12, 2025

Non-OSU Bullets

• Best family trip moments (WSJ) • Liked this lady’s advice for her kids • The logic of ‘9 to 5’ is creeping into the rest of the day

The 2025-26 Preseason KenPom Rankings Are Out, Here’s How the Cowboys Stack Up 12 Oct 10:30 AM (12 days ago)

College basketball fans woke up to a present Sunday morning, as popular analytics site KenPom updated its info in preparation for the 2025-26 season.

I’d hate to have to predict how all these teams filled with new players will perform, but that’s what the computers are for.

Oklahoma State opens the year as the No. 69 player in the country, per the KenPom rankings. For reference, here is where OSU finished the past five seasons in KenPom:

2024-25: 97
2023-24: 117
2022-23: 46
2021-22: 34
2020-21: 33

OSU’s No. 69 ranking is good for 13th among Big 12 teams, as the league is again stacked. Houston enters as KenPom’s top squad in the country, while Texas Tech (12), Iowa State (13), Arizona (15), Baylor (17), BYU (18) and Kansas (21) are all in the top 25.

It’s so hard to say what OSU is going to look like this year with a dozen new players, but the Cowboys’ offensive rating comes in at 66th in the country, which ranks 10th in the Big 12. OSU’s defensive rating ranks 84th in the country and last in the league. That, to an extent, aligns with what Steve Lutz said a few weeks back about how this team is better at putting the ball in the basket compared to last year but that the group still has some strides to make on the other end of the floor.

The most standout aspect of these analytics is OSU’s adjusted tempo, which is the highest in the Big 12 and sixth nationally, trailing only Alabama, Cal Poly, South Dakota, USC-Upstate and CSUN.

So, as far as high-major programs go, KenPom projects the Cowboys to be flying up and down the floor, something that Lutz teams have done. Last season the Cowboys finished 12th nationally in adjusted tempo, and Lutz’s Western Kentucky squad the year before led the nation in the metric.

Lastly, KenPom’s preseason projected record for the Pokes is 16-15. Although that’s probably not the record OSU is after this season, the .516 winning percentage would be better than what the Cowboys mustered the past two seasons (.486 and .375). That projected total has the Cowboys going 6-12 in Big 12 play.

It’s all projections based off numbers punched into a computer about teams that change so much its tough to keep track of it all, but it is a sign that basketball season is close.

The Cowboys play an exhibition game against Auburn on Wednesday.

Big Stretch Upcoming for Oklahoma State Basketball on the Recruiting Trail 12 Oct 10:28 AM (12 days ago)

The Cowboys already have one four-star commitment and are on the pursuit of at least two more. It could make for a big few weeks.

Jalen Montonati’s commitment means the Cowboys already have the No. 37 class in the country despite having just one pledge. Latrell Allmond, a four-star forward, is expected to announce his college commitment on Monday, picking among OSU, Maryland, Virginia, Indiana and Tennessee. Then on top of all of that, OSU hosted four-star guard Parker Robinson this weekend.

If Allmond and Robinson were to both pick the Pokes, the Cowboys’ 2026 recruiting class would jump up to the No. 3 class in the country as things stand, sitting behind only Missouri and Kansas, according to 247Sports. That three-man class would rank higher than the current four-man classes of Michigan and Florida State.

Allmond’s recruitment has been close to the vest. He was at Maryland this past weekend but announced that he’d announce his decision before going on the visit. Allmond visited OSU the weekend of Sept. 19, and he’s also visited Indiana (June 17), Tennessee (Sept. 13) and Virginia (Sept. 26).

He’s the No. 27 player in 247Sports’ Composite ranking for the class. He’s listed at 6-foot-8, 220 pounds and averaged 21.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.7 steals and 2.3 blocks a game while shooting 66% from the field and 44% from 3 as a high school junior.

Along with being an elite-level prospect, Allmond would likely have the opportunity to contribute early in Stillwater, as similar-style players Robert Jennings II and Christian Coleman are entering their last year of eligibility.

Robinson is a 6-foot-5 guard out of Maryland who is a veteran in the Overtime Elite league. In the regular season last year, he put up 14.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists a game while shooting 55% from the field and 33% from 3 against a high level of competition.

Robinson is the No. 116 player in the 247Sports Composite ranking for the class and also has offers to Illinois, Providence, West Virginia and others.

Those two would add to 6-foot-7 in-state sniper Jalen Montonati, who committed to OSU on Sept. 25. An OSU legacy, Montonati is the No. 59 player in those rankings we’ve been referencing and has a shot this year to become the first three-time Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year in boys basketball.

All that is to say, this has the makings of a high-level class, but the Cowboys still have to finish.

Podcast Ep. 670: Oklahoma State Falls to Houston 12 Oct 9:20 AM (12 days ago)

Carson Cunningham and Colby Powell recap Oklahoma State’s 39-17 loss to Houston.

You know what helps the show and helps us make more shows? When you rate us on Apple Podcasts or subscribe to our pod: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | SoundCloud.

As always, we appreciate our sponsors Chris’ University Spirit, Brewster Consulting Group and Wulf Corporation.

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The Good, the Bad and the Ugly from Oklahoma State’s Loss to Houston 12 Oct 7:36 AM (12 days ago)

The Cowboys started hot and then flamed out offensively. For most of the second half, the most compelling thing inside BPS might have been the shirtless section 231. OSU’s final drive, while ultimately meaningless on the outcome of the game, did provide some talking points.

Let’s take a look at the good, bad and ugly from OSU-Houston.

The Good: Noah Walters (?)

I type with all the caution of someone who has covered these Cowboys the last two seasons. But why not highlight the highlights (there are so few of them).

We will certainly dig into Walters deeper as we look forward to Homecoming, but for a guy who was not even on a football team last season, he came out with plenty of moxie and it was at least a nice change.

The Cowboys had managed just two first downs over the previous two and half quarters, spanning six possessions. He came in and immediately looked down the field. His final stat of 1-for-2 for 33 yards (a touchdown) is just the type of weird stat that sums up this season.

The Bad: Big Plays Galore

The Cowboys’ depleted defense showed some heart on Saturday and even had a couple of nice stops. Those can be true while the following is also true. This might be the most enjoyable defense to face in the Power Four.

The Cowboys came in ranked last in the Big 12 in opponent plays of 20 yards or more. They allowed seven (plus a 19-yarder) on Saturday. If you look at plays of at least 30 yards, they came in tied for 130th in the nation, having given up 17. They allowed three more against Houston and gave up 485 yards at 6.1 yards per play.

Unfortunately, those numbers are not atypical for this team. It’s the third time this year that OSU has been at least doubled in total yards gained. And to be honest, there’s not a lot of obvious changes that can be made to turn it around midseason.

The Ugly: Run Game

No, it wasn’t all the bare-chested Cowboys in section 231.

OSU managed just 45 net rushing yards, a new season low. The 1.5 yards per attempt is the lowest in a single game for the Cowboys going back at least 10 years. I don’t know if anyone wants to dig up anything lower. On top of that, there were several bad snaps that killed drives. The Cowboys are depleted everywhere and it’s no different in the trenches, but it was a rough day for the Cowboy bigs and backs.

Daily Bullets (October 12): At Least We Gained a New Tradition 12 Oct 2:00 AM (12 days ago)

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

OSU Bullets

• Marshall’s 10 Thoughts: the place to start for some kind of context. [PFB]

• The top quotes from Doug Meacham’s postgame including what happened in section 231 . [PFB]

• What happened in section 231.

Oklahoma state may have lost (again)

But this is a W pic.twitter.com/jqIwzm7PtG

— Tyrell (@iiTzz_Tyrell) October 11, 2025

• This is where we are. I don’t hate it.

Dear shirtless guys,
I love this so much. The @OSUWBB Cowgirls would love to have this energy at our games this season. In fact, if you come we will give you a shirt (wearing it is optional). Mad respect for you…Loyal and True 🫡 https://t.co/OVdqCXgFdE

— Jacie Hoyt (@CoachJacie) October 11, 2025

Non-OSU Bullets

• Also, OU lost.

The Red River runs ORANGE!

Texas has NEVER lost to Oklahoma as a member of the SEC.

Texas ABSOLUTELY OWNS Oklahoma.

pic.twitter.com/DobNgQbhXi

— SEC Numbers Guy (@secnumbersguy) October 11, 2025

• Oof.

JOHNNY FURPHY POSTER MY GOODNESS

🔥🔥🔥🔥

pic.twitter.com/7mYUaAxj0h

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) October 11, 2025

Videos: Oklahoma State Coaches, Players Recap Loss to Houston 11 Oct 3:04 PM (13 days ago)

STILLWATER — The Oklahoma State football team fell to Houston 39-17 on Saturday in Boone Pickens Stadium. After the game, PFB caught up with Douch Meacham, Clint Bowen, Sam Jackson V, Rodney Fields Jr. and Gavin Freeman to discuss the game.

More on OSU vs. Houston

10 Thoughts
Game Recap
Sam Jackson discusses his game
Top 5 quotes from Doug Meacham
Shirtless fans take over BPS
Photos
Videos

The Top 5 Quotes from Doug Meacham’s Post-Houston News Conference 11 Oct 2:37 PM (13 days ago)

STILLWATER — Doug Meacham is still in search of his first win as the Cowboys’ interim coach.

Oklahoma State fell to Houston 39-17 on Saturday in Boone Pickens Stadium. Here are five things Meacham said after the game. You can watch his full news conference below.

1. On Sam Jackson’s First (QB) Start

The big story going into Saturday’s game was that Sam Jackson V, listed as a wide receiver, was set to start at quarterback for the Cowboys.

It wasn’t totally out of left field, as Jackson had played quarterback at TCU and Cal, and he had taken some snaps this season as a change of pace. But it’ll always be jarring to see someone with WR next to their name dropping back to pass.

Jackson went 7-for-16 for 84 yards and an interception in the loss.

“I know he can play a lot better than that, and I knew he would make mistakes, but I don’t know that I’ve ever taken a receiver at this level and moved him to quarterback in the middle of the season,” Meacham said. “I know it’s happened. I know it’s a whole lot for Sam. It’s a lot on him. He made some mistakes, a couple of ill-advised throws, a couple of reads that were incorrect, but he functioned, at times, like what we want him to. I know he’s capable of doing that.

“So, we’ll just get him all the reps again next week, and maybe he’ll be better next week. But that’s just kinda part of it. I know he played quarterback before, but when you haven’t done it in two years, it’s hard.”

More on Sam Jackson’s day.

2. ‘He’d Be Playing at Intramural Leagues in Central Florida’

As bizarre as OSU starting a listed wide receiver at quarterback is, it might be more bizarre that Noah Walters, just a regular college student at UCF last year, took some snaps for a team that he didn’t even start the season with.

Walters quarterbacked FCS team North Alabama for two seasons, where he had some success, throwing for 4,495 yards and 40 touchdowns in that time. He then attended UCF during the 2024 football season, but wasn’t on the Knights’ team.

Walters joined the Cowboys midseason after starter Hauss Hejny went down with injury leaving OSU thin on depth. Then Saturday, he threw a touchdown pass late in the game.

“The road he traveled to get here, if we hadn’t called him, he’d be playing at intramural leagues in Central Florida,” Meacham said. “Come in, throw a TD pass at a P4 and you’re about to be the starter for the Sigma Chis, that’s pretty amazing.”

3. On Rigby’s Throw

Oh, you thought we were done talking about different people throwing the football?

Two other Cowboys had passes in this one. Wide receiver Shamar Rigby had OSU’s first touchdown pass of the day on a trick play when Jackson hit him behind the line of scrimmage before Rigby loaded up and fired to Rodney Fields for a 62-yard touchdown.

Although he was all alone, it was a great grab from Fields to take it off his shoestrings while staying on his feet to be able to finish the play.

Got a few tricks up our sleeve 😏@OGandE | 📺: TNT pic.twitter.com/dMHLwsg1XW

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) October 11, 2025

“He underthrew it,” Meacham said. “It was a horrible throw. But, I do appreciate it because yesterday in the walkthroughs, he threw to the wrong guy. He threw it back to the quarterback. So, we straightened that out. I said, ‘Here’s your options: You throw it to that guy, or you run. That’s it. You have no other options.’

“But, nah, it was a good throw. He throws a good ball. I think, if you watch it, I think I looked at the jumbotron, there was a guy like coming right at him. He threw it, and I think he kinda had to throw and duck a little bit. It was a great catch by Fields.”

4. Getting Fields More ‘Contemporary’ Carries

With that big touchdown catch and another 44 yards on the ground, Fields finished with 107 all-purpose yards. It’s the third time this season the redshirt freshman has accomplished that feat.

He’s been in some … unique scenarios the past few weeks. Whether it was running downfield on a trick play, or — like on OSU’s second play from scrimmage — lined up at quarterback to take a direct snap.

Meacham after the game mention they need to start getting Fields the ball the old-fashioned way and letting him go to work.

“He’s a well-rounded kid, a great kid who really cares and really studies, asks questions, and he’s got some talent and some make-you-miss capability,” Meacham said. “We just gotta do a better job of getting him some carries that are a little bit more rudimentary, I guess you’d say, where he can just kinda get down hill and hit the hole and get some yards the old-fashioned way probably a little bit more than some of the razzle-dazzle business we’ve been kind of doing.

“We’ll go back to work and look at that and see if there’s something a little bit more contemporary where he can just kind of get down hill and use his talent.”

5. On the Shirtless Party

With the game out of hand at halftime, much of Boone Pickens Stadium cleared out, but that freed some room for an odd, but special moment.

It started with a few guys who made the trek up to section 231 and popped their tops and started waving them above their heads. Not long after, that entire section was filled with people doing that same.

“It was phenomenal,” Meacham said. “I mean, good Lord. Because human nature is just kinda pout and just fade in the paint and leave and go home. Shoot, that was awesome. Hey, guys, whoever you are, that was phenomenal. Our guys kinda felt it. That was something. You don’t see it very often with things not going the way you want them to. It’s just awesome. I appreciate our students hanging in there with us and giving us something to play for.”

What players thought of shirtless fans.

More on OSU vs. Houston

10 Thoughts
Game Recap
Sam Jackson discusses his game
Top 5 quotes from Doug Meacham
Shirtless fans take over BPS
Photos
Videos

Shirtless Fans Take Over Boone Pickens Stadium 11 Oct 2:36 PM (13 days ago)

STILLWATER — The second half of the game against Houston took a backseat to the real action inside Boone Pickens Stadium on Saturday.

That took place several rows up, where three sections of shirtless Cowboy fans began wildly swinging their shirts over their heads.

“The next thing I know, it’s saying, ‘World record,’ up there (on the scoreboard),” OSU linebacker Malik Charles said. “I’m like, damn, there’s a lot of people up there. But it was honestly really cool. I mean, it’s nice to know that we still got a lot of supporters and people that still come out and love Cowboy football.”

The possibly record-breaking movement, assuming anyone tracks shirtless fans at a sporting event, started as two guys in an empty section, but soon guys from all over BPS were leaving their seats to join the increasingly large crowd.

The impressive display demanded attention from the radio broadcast, television broadcast, and well, everyone in attendance. Interim coach Doug Meacham paused his postgame press conference a few minutes in to shout out those fans.

“Before I forget, I want to say how awesome it was,” Meacham said. “I don’t know who those kids were up there with their shirts off, that was awesome. Did you all see that? Was that a fraternity or something or just a bunch of kids? It was phenomenal. I mean, good Lord.

“Because human nature is just kinda pout and just fade in the paint and leave and go home. Shoot, that was awesome. Hey, guys, whoever you are, that was phenomenal. Our guys kinda felt it. That was something. You don’t see it very often with things not going the way you want them to. It’s just awesome. I appreciate our students hanging in there with us and giving us something to play for.”

Quarterback Sam Jackson was so focused on correcting his mistakes that it sounds like he was one of the last Cowboys to notice what was happening in the stands.

Once he finally saw it, he realized why the energy level on the sidelines had picked up.

“I felt like after that, even though I didn’t notice, I was wondering why it was like so loud,” Jackson said. “It was a little bit louder. Then one of the guys next to me, after I looked up at the board cause I didn’t really pay much attention to it, and I just thought it was a student section, he pointed up to the stands. So, it definitely provided a spark.”

More on OSU vs. Houston

10 Thoughts
Game Recap
Sam Jackson discusses his game
Top 5 quotes from Doug Meacham
Shirtless fans take over BPS
Photos
Videos

WR Sam Jackson Doesn’t Hide Behind Excuses Following First Start at QB 11 Oct 2:21 PM (13 days ago)

STILLWATER — Oklahoma State’s receiver-turned-quarterback Sam Jackson finished with 84 passing yards in his first start. 

It’s the fourth time in Oklahoma State’s six-game season that the starter passed for under 100 yards. That frightening statistic gets even scarier considering Jackson’s performance still gives him more passing yards than OSU’s passing leader had in two other games this season, including last week at Arizona.

Oklahoma State fell to Houston 39-17.

“I think most of that (self-inflicted mistakes) came from me with the fumble snaps, 4th-and-1 (decision),” Jackson said. “I think it started, everything pretty much started with me. Cadence, just being louder with the guys and knowing what to say to O-line and stuff like that.”

Jackson finished 7-of-16 for 84 passing yards and an interception. He also fumbled three times, all recovered by OSU.

Interim coach Doug Meacham was a good bit kinder to his quarterback than Jackson was to himself after the uneven performance.

“I know he can play a lot better than that,” Meacham said. “And I knew he would make mistakes. … It’s a lot on him. He made some mistakes, a couple of ill-advised throws, a couple of reads that were incorrect, but he functioned, at times, like what we want him to. I know he’s capable of doing that. So, we’ll just get him all the reps again next week, and maybe he’ll be better next week. But that’s just kinda part of it. I know he played quarterback before, but when you haven’t done it in two years, it’s hard.”

Jackson played roughly 20 snaps at quarterback in the last two weeks in what amounted to a warmup for Saturday’s start, his first at quarterback since 2023. The former receiver showed up with a different mindset than he showed at the quarterback position in the last two weeks.

The biggest difference, and perhaps the biggest reason for optimism, was his big-play mentality. Five of Jackson’s 15 attempts (ignoring his throwaway), were targeted at receivers 10-plus yards downfield and only 13% of his attempts came at or behind the line of scrimmage.

Ignoring Jackson’s passing touchdown against Baylor when he lined up at wide receiver, he had kept things relatively short this season when given the chance to pass.

The chart above doesn’t capture that Jackson attempted two passes exactly 9 yards downfield, completing one of them. All together, it’s clear from his performance on Saturday that he’s looking for the big plays much more often than he or Zane Flores were earlier this season. 

For the most part, he was successful. He delivered a 15-yard strike to receiver Gavin Freeman when the Cowboys faced 3rd-and-14 only three plays into the game.

Later in the first half, he topped that with a 35-yard completion to Cam Abshire. That play probably best highlights Jackson’s mentality considering he gave up a wide open dump-off-pass to running back Rodney Fields 2-yards downfield on 1st-and-10. Jackson said Abshire was actually his second read on the play, so he was able to hit him in stride 28 yards downfield after he passed up his first read.

“When he throws the ball and he has time, he looks pretty damn good,” Meacham said. “He throws a really nice ball, has a really quick delivery. He will only get better now that he has kind of got a foundation to the communication, what he has to say to who and what he says and all the personnel groupings and everything. So he’ll get better and it will slow down. I’m sure the game is moving pretty fast right now.”

Although the numbers, and the eye test, might suggest Jackson performed well on his downfield throws, the quarterback felt that was one of many areas he let his teammates and himself down. While that play to Abshire went well, Jackson said there were a few times the checkdown would have helped the Cowboys move the ball.

“I think I should have got the ball out a little quicker,” Jackson said. “I was just holding on to the deep shot because we had, like we had success with it. So I was holding on to it a little bit too long, and then my check down kind of got away from me and (I) started rolling out and stuff like that. So that’s just me having to get the ball out quicker, knowing my check down.”

The other difference in Jackson’s first start was his willingness to stick with the pass. After running the ball six times in the last two games (remember that’s on roughly 20 snaps), Jackson ran only  four times Saturday despite the huge increase in quarterback time.

Ironically, one of the few mistakes Meacham singled out in his postgame press conference was the one time he wanted Jackson to run the ball on 4th-and-1 at the OSU 44-yard line on the Cowboys’ second drive.

“Man, he should’ve ran it,” Meacham said. “It was a draw, and he threw the quick game. … When you run a speedball play like that, and it’s bang-bang and he hasn’t played quarterback, that’s what happens. So, we were just trying to slip one in there before they could load up on us and have seven up and all the blitzes and the crap they do. Just kinda backfired, but he’ll get better at that because he can run with the ball. He made the decision quickly, and it didn’t happen.”

Jackson gave up his dreams of playing quarterback at the NFL more than two years ago, and he didn’t spend the offseason preparing for Saturday. So, Meacham’s excuses feel authentic and acceptable.

After all Jackson has a lot of adjustments to make before the ball even gets snapped.

“Listen to what coach is saying, talk to the O-line, and communicate what the protection is,” Jackson said listing some of his pre-snap responsibilities as a quarterback. “What is the defense doing? One high? Two high? Man? zone? … What’s down and distance? Take a deep breath, play the snap, play the play and put the ball in play. 

“So, that’s a lot. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s a lot, but it’s something I can handle. I think that if they keep me at quarterback, that’s something I’ll get better at for sure. But I don’t really know what’s next.”

Jackson clearly took the loss hard on Saturday, but Meacham all but confirmed Jackson would remain the guy moving forward until the quarterbacks get healthier. Just don’t expect Oklahoma State’s emergency quarterback to lower his standards regardless of where he lines up.

“When you step into a position like this, it’s like, you don’t want to come in and just like, okay, let’s just survive,” Jackson said. “You want to thrive. So I think (today) that was me just trying to, you know, make something happen at quarterback. You don’t always have to do that. Doesn’t have to be a big play every single play. … And that’s something that I just gotta think about when I’m in the game, and on the sideline and practice and stuff like that.”

More on OSU vs. Houston

10 Thoughts
Game Recap
Sam Jackson discusses his game
Top 5 quotes from Doug Meacham
Shirtless fans take over BPS
Photos
Videos

10 Thoughts on Oklahoma State’s 39-17 Loss to Houston 11 Oct 1:27 PM (13 days ago)

BOX SCORE
PHOTOS

STILLWATER — Make it a dozen consecutive conference losses for the Cowboys over the past two seasons.

Oklahoma State fell to Houston 39-17 on Saturday in Boone Pickens Stadium in another game that wasn’t all that enjoyable to look at. Here are 10 thoughts.

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1. Fans Provide the Entertainment

This was the lowest-attended game of the Cowboys’ season — an attendance number that dropped significantly once the Pokes went into the locker room down 24-10 at halftime.

But a movement started in Boone Pickens Stadium that snowballed into something special.

Two gentlemen went up to an empty section 231, removed their shirts and started waving them over their heads.

Shoutout these guys pic.twitter.com/1pjXp4UwT5

— Tea Bag (@TylersTakes) October 11, 2025

Soon, that entire section and the two next to it were filled with shirtless Cowboy fans, waving orange, black and white shirts above their head. It didn’t matter that their team was down and unable to move the ball. They were having fun.

It was the most entertaining part of the game.

2. The Cowboys Had a Lead

OSU led a football game for the first time since going up 3-0 against Tulsa.

On the Cowboys’ opening drive, Sam Jackson V threw to Shamar Rigby behind the line of scrimmage before Rigby heaved a pass down field to a wide-open Rodney Fields Jr, and 62 yards later, Fields was in the end zone.

Got a few tricks up our sleeve 😏@OGandE | 📺: TNT pic.twitter.com/dMHLwsg1XW

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) October 11, 2025

The first quarter made it look like this game might be competitive, but then the second quarter happened, where the Cougars outscored the Pokes 14-3. Then Houston outscored OSU 12-0 in the third quarter.

3. Where It Got Out of Hand

The middle eight refers to the final four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second. That was not a good stretch for the Cowboys.

It actually extended a little bit past the eight-minute time frame. But after forcing a second consecutive punt, the Cowboy offense went three-and-out on a drive that it lost 11 yards on.

Houston promptly answered with a four-play, 67-yard TD drive in less than two minutes. The Cowboys went three-and-out again, and Houston went 63 yards on two plays.

After it was was tied at 10 with six minutes left in the first half, the Cowboys found themselves down 24-10 about three minutes of game time later.

Houston got the ball to start the second half and went down and kicked a field goal to make it 27-10.

That stretch of about eight minutes saw Houston outscore OSU 17-0. From there, there wasn’t much more of a game.

4. Sam Jackson, the Quarterback

OSU started a listed wide receiver at quarterback Saturday. It wasn’t pretty, but the offense wasn’t all that different than when OSU had a quarterback running the show. That goes to tell you where this OSU season is at.

Jackson went 7-for-16 for 84 yards and an interception. That’s not a stat line to get fired up about, but it’s more yards than Flores threw for against Oregon and Arizona. So, it’s not as if OSU’s passing attack fell off some cliff with the change.

Jackson had some solid throws, particularly early.

He hit Gavin Freeman for a 15-yard gain on the Cowboys’ first drive. He hit Freeman on an 11-yard out on a 3rd-and-12 on what was a rifle of a pass. Jackson then hit Division-II transfer Cam Abshire on a deep cross later in the first quarter for a gain of 35.

There were also some less-than-ideal moments.

Right after that throw to Abshire, Jackson attempted a quick screen to Freeman, but the ball sailed about five feet over Freeman’s head. Dave Hunziker called it a wild pitch on the radio broadcast.

The Cowboys also got flagged for a pair of delay of game penalties, and Jackson got dinged with an intentional grounding after he got out of the pocket but failed to get the throwaway past the line of scrimmage. That’s all probably stuff you just have to take when having a guy who has played receiver all year start a game at quarterback.

5. And Then Noah Walters Played

After the game was out of hand, OSU took out the wide receiver playing quarterback and inserted a quarterback who wasn’t on the team (or any college football team) when this season started. That also goes to tell you were this OSU football season is at.

In a single drive of work, Noah Walters went 1-for-2 with a 33-yard touchdown pass to Gavin Freeman. Freeman did a lot of the work on that play, catching a slant before making a few Houston defenders miss on his run to the end zone.

Walters spent two seasons as North Alabama as the starter, but he spent 2024 season at UCF as a regular student. After Hauss Hejny went down after just three series into the season, the Cowboys were in need of some depth and brought Walters in.

Over two seasons with North Alabama, Walters threw for 4,495 yards and 40 touchdowns while running for another 599 yards and four scores. He was a finalist for the 2022 Jerry Rice Award, given to the top FCS freshman. All that is to say that he’s more capable than an off-the-couch quarterback could be, but it’s still odd that this is where the Cowboys are.

6. So, Who All Has Thrown Touchdown Passes Now?

The Cowboys doubled up their number of passing touchdowns for the season on Saturday, going from two to four.

All four of those passes have come from different Pokes with Hauss Hejny, Sam Jackson V, Shamar Rigby and Noah Walters all being credited with TD passes.

Fifty percent of the Cowboys’ TD passes halfway through the season have been thrown by players listed as a wide receiver, and another came from a guy who isn’t even in the media guide because he wasn’t on the team when the season started.

What sort of nightmare is this?

7. The Offense Just Isn’t Good

The Cowboy offense was inexplicably bad last season, as OSU returned most of its production from a 10-win season but still couldn’t move the ball.

It makes more sense that this offense isn’t all that good, given its on its third quarterback with an interim coach. But it doesn’t make it any more enjoyable to watch (the trick plays do make things a tad better, I guess).

OSU finished with 225 yards of total offense, marking the third time this season the Cowboys have failed to gain 300. For reference, the fewest number of yards OSU gained in Mason Rudolph’s final season was 428 yards. That group had five games of at least 600 yards and two of at least 700. Those were the days.

8. And the Defense Isn’t Much Better

Again, all the caveats — interim DC, guys hitting the portal all over the place, limited offensive support, etc. — but this was the best day Houston’s offense has had all season. The Cougars’ 39 points and 485 yards of offense were both season-highs.

Houston has played Stephen F. Austin and Rice this season, and both of those teams handled the Houston offense better than the Pokes did.

9. But Two Safeties Are Playing Well

Safety is the position that’s been hit the most with portal defections, but despite their dwindling numbers, a pair of Cowboy safeties have played well the past few weeks.

For the second week in a row, Charlotte transfer Mordecai McDaniel was the Cowboys’ leading tackler. He had 13 takedowns against the Cougars after wrapping up 10 Wildcats last week. He didn’t play a ton in the first few weeks of the season, as he didn’t eclipse more than 15 snaps in a game until the coaching change.

Sophomore Landyn Cleveland has also made some standout plays the past two weeks. Cleveland finished Saturday’s game with five tackles and had a pair of pass breakups.

Both of those PBUs were so close to being interceptions and both came deep in OSU territory. As he gains experience and awareness, him being in the right spot is likely to turn into turnovers, so that’s a bright spot in an otherwise dark period.

10. Is This What it Was Like Watching Those Bad Kansas Teams?

There used to be a free space on Big 12 teams’ schedules: Kansas.

Between 2009 and 2021, the Jayhawks went 8-106 in Big 12 games — WOOF.

KU last went 1-11 (the record it is feeling more and more like OSU is destined for) in 2017. That year saw the Jayhawks beat an FCS opponent to start the season before 11 straight losses by a combined score of 505-186. That’s, on average, a 29-point deficit those 11 losses.

OSU is now 0-5 since opening its season by beating an FCS team. The Cowboys have lost those five games by a combined score of 213-72. That’s, on average, a 28.2-point deficit in those five losses.

In some cruel twist of fate to Doug Meacham and Clint Bowen, they were the OC and DC of that Kansas squad. This stretch at OSU shouldn’t be put solely at their feet because, one, the OSU offense was poor last season before Meacham took over, and two, the defense was poor last year before Bowen got here and it was bad earlier in this season when he wasn’t even working with the defense.

But OSU fans, if you ever wondered what it was like being a Kansas football fan in the 2010s, you’re living it right now. For all of our sakes, let’s hope this doesn’t last nearly as long as Kansas’ dormancy did.

More on OSU vs. Houston

10 Thoughts
Game Recap
Sam Jackson discusses his game
Top 5 quotes from Doug Meacham
Shirtless fans take over BPS
Photos
Videos

PHOTOS: The Best Pics from OSU-Houston 11 Oct 11:56 AM (13 days ago)

The Cowboys may not have hung in there on the field, but Pistols Firing photo Devin Wilber did yeoman’s work on the sidelines.

Here’s a look at his best photos from the Cowboys’ fifth loss. You can check out the full album here.

More on OSU vs. Houston

10 Thoughts
Game Recap
Sam Jackson discusses his game
Top 5 quotes from Doug Meacham
Shirtless fans take over BPS
Photos
Videos

Instant Recap: Oklahoma State Falls to Houston 39-17 11 Oct 11:14 AM (13 days ago)

BOXSCORE

It started with an exciting TD pass and ended with an exciting TD pass. Between that, there was a lot of meh from the Cowboys.

Oklahoma State fell to Houston 39-17.

The Cowboys got off to a fast start, scoring a touchdown on the opening drive of the game. It was more trickery, but nothing is off the table at this point. Even the kitchen sink.

Got a few tricks up our sleeve 😏@OGandE | 📺: TNT pic.twitter.com/dMHLwsg1XW

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) October 11, 2025

That brief 7-0 lead was OSU’s first over an FBS opponent since OSU started 3-0 against Tulsa. As stated, it was short-lived. Houston found the end zone on its first drive and then pushed the lead to 10-7 with a made field goal on the ensuing possession.

The Cowboys’ defense had brief patches of success, including a forced three-and-out and then a stop to end the half, but OSU’s offense didn’t do it many favors. Those two stops bookended back-to-back TD drives which came off back-to-back three-and-outs by OSU.

Unfortunately, those defensive wins were overshadowed by far too many big plays allowed. The Cowboys came in tied for last in the league, having allowed 29 plays of 20 yards or more in just five games (six per game avg.). They allowed seven more on Saturday, plus a 19-yard run.

Things weren’t much better on offense. After that early second quarter field goal, the Cowboys went: PUNT, PUNT, INT, PUNT, PUNT, PUNT (including three three-and-outs) before OSU’s final scoring drive.

Sam Jackson went 7-for-16 for 84 yards and an interception. The Cowboys went with Noah Walters, who did not start the season on OSU’s roster and was a non-athlete student at UCF last season. He went 1-for-2 for 33 yards and a touchdown.

Walters was able to provide a spark and kick start the offense, even if it was in garbage time. He immediately ripped one down the field that was nearly pulled in. A couple plays later, he caused a pass interference call to move the chains. Then he capped the drive with a 33-yard score to Gavin Freeman. He is the first quarterback (according to OSU’s roster) to throwing a passing TD since Hauss Hejny’s early TD against UT-Martin in Week 1.

The Cowboys were led by Rodney Fields Jr. with just 44 yards rushing on 14 carries. He did have a 63-yard touchdown catch on that opening drive.

Sesi Vailahi did all of his work on the Pokes’ final scoring drive, rushing for 27 yards on seven carries. Gavin Freeman caught three passes for 59 yards and a score.

Oklahoma State was outgained 485-225 and managed just 45 net rushing yards, their lowest since the West Virginia game last season.

With the loss, the Cowboys fall to 1-5 and 0-3 in the Big 12. This hasn’t looked like a bowl team all season, but the Cowboys are close to being mathematically disqualified for the postseason. OSU would have to win five of their last six games to avoid consecutive seasons without a bowl trip for the first time since 1999 and 2000, the transition between Bob Simmons and Les Miles.

Next up, Oklahoma State hosts Cincinnati for America’s Greatest Homecoming. Cincinnati is 5-1 and comes to Stillwater having won five straight after its Week 1 loss to Nebraska.

The Cowboys and Bearcats will kick off at 7 p.m. next Saturday, Oct. 18, at Boone Pickens Stadium.

More on OSU vs. Houston

10 Thoughts
Game Recap
Sam Jackson discusses his game
Top 5 quotes from Doug Meacham
Shirtless fans take over BPS
Photos
Videos

Four-Star Guard Parker Robinson Visiting Oklahoma State 11 Oct 6:57 AM (13 days ago)

Steve Lutz has a four-star guard on campus as the Cowboy football team is set to host Houston.

Parker Robinson, a 6-foot-5, 196-pound guard from Maryland, is taking an official visit at Oklahoma State. Robinson is the No. 116 player in the 2026 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite ranking. He also has offers from Illinois, West Virginia, Providence and others.

Robinson plays his prep ball with Overtime Elite as part of the RWE (Real Wild Energy) team. He averaged 14.1 points per game last season to go with 4.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists a game while shooting 55% from the field and 33% from 3. He scored in the 20s four times during the regular season, including a 26-point, six-rebound performance against Jelly Fam last November.

OTE has started its preseason this year, and through two preseason games, Robinson has averaged 13.5 points, two rebounds and 1.5 assists a game while going 3-for-8 (37.5%) from 3.

Robinson played AAU ball with Team Takeover on Nike’s EYBL circuit. In 15 games played between late April and mid July, he averaged 12.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists a game while shooting 36% from 3.

A RWE social media post compared Robinson to Boston Celtic guard Derrick White, a jack-of-all-trades-type who can glue a team together.

The Cowboys have one pledge in their 2026 class in in-state standout Jalen Montonati. Montonati alone give the Cowboys the No. 37 class in the country and the No. 7 class in the Big 12.

If Robinson were to get onboard, he’d jump the Pokes’ class up to No. 18 nationally and No. 2 in the Big 12. OSU is also awaiting the decision of four-star forward Latrell Allmond — a top 30 player in the cycle. This could end up being a big class for Lutz and Co.

Uni Reveal: Cowboys Donning Black-Black-Orange Look for Home Game versus Houston 11 Oct 6:43 AM (13 days ago)

The Cowboys’ equipment staff is going back to the superstition well.

Oklahoma State is set to wear a Black-Black-Orange uniform kit for its Saturday morning home game against Houston. The lid really makes this look, with plenty of orange from Pete, the stripe and the facemask which breaks up the black and ties it all together.

Fall fashion 🍂

⚫️⚫️🟠 pic.twitter.com/BIHVYADQlT

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) October 11, 2025

It’s a good look and should clash nicely with the Cougars’ icy road look.

❄️❄️❄️ pic.twitter.com/aodLc822Uv

— Houston Football (@UHCougarFB) October 9, 2025

The Cowboys are 5-0 all-time in B-B-O, but OSU hasn’t gone with these colors since the 2021 Bedlam game.

Last week, the Cowboys marred a 16-2 W-O-W record. But you can’t blame them for any superstition leanings. Either way, it’s a good look.

LIVE BLOG: Oklahoma State Hosts Houston 11 Oct 5:00 AM (13 days ago)

UPDATES

FINAL: Oklahoma State 17, Houst 39

Oklahoma State 17, Houston 39

Noah Walters for Heisman.

Oklahoma State 10, Houston 39

Enter Noah Walters at QB. Look at that. First downs.

Oklahoma State 10, Houston 39

The Cowboys are once again tough in the redzone but, once again, are getting lapped with field goals.

End of Q3: Oklahoma State 10, Houston 36

The Cowboys broke this time. Houston gets into the endzone on a 2-yard run from Dean Connors. The 2-point attempt was unsuccessful.

But the movement is growing.

A movement has been started at BPS pic.twitter.com/sv7mUSogQb

— Holden Krusemark (@HoldenKrusemark) October 11, 2025

Oklahoma State 10, Houston 30

That drive stalls out after a nice couple of plays. A bad snap put OSU back six yards and then Jackson was strip-sacked on the next play to make it fourth-and-22.

Oklahoma State 10, Houston 30

The Cowboys get another pseudo-stop, holding Houston to another redzone field goal. But, again, OSU’s offense has gone three-and-out, three-and-out, INT, three-and-out stretching back to the beginning of the second quarter.

Oklahoma State 10, Houston 27

The Cowboys’ defense was able to hold the Cougars to 3 after giving up more big plays. But won’t do much good if OSU can’t figure out how to sustain drives.

HALFTIME: Oklahoma State 10, Houston 24

The Pokes’ defense gets a stop to end the half thanks to a nice breakup by LaDainian Fields to save a big play on the sideline.

Oklahoma State 10, Houston 24

The tide might have turned. Sam Jackson V throws his first interception of the season to give the Cougars the ball, up 14 with just under two minutes left in the half.

Oklahoma State 10, Houston 24

The Cougars take advantage of the Cowboys’ offensive slump. Houston pays off consecutive OSU three-and-outs with consecutive TD drives.

Oklahoma State 10, Houston 17

And just like that, the Coogs take back the lead with a one-hand circus catch in the end zone by Dean Connors.

HOW DID HE CATCH THAT 🤯 pic.twitter.com/K3rNG5iPyx

— Houston Football (@UHCougarFB) October 11, 2025

Oklahoma State 10, Houston 10

The Cowboys tied it up with a FG on their first possession of the second quarter.

OSU’s defense has found some ways to slow down the Cougars. After that 76-yard TD drive, the Cougars went for drives of 16, -6 and 15 yards.

End of Q1: Oklahoma State 7, Houston 10

The Cougars paid off that turnover on downs with a field goal. The Cowboys started off this next drive with a 35-yard connection between Sam Jackson V and Cam Abshire. Pokes will have third-and-long at the Houston 38 when the second quarter commences.

Oklahoma State 7, Houston 7

After trading off opening-drive TDs, the Cowboys turned it over on downs.

Oklahoma State 7, Houston 0

That was quick.

Got a few tricks up our sleeve 😏@OGandE | 📺: TNT pic.twitter.com/dMHLwsg1XW

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) October 11, 2025

Only wide receivers throw touchdown passes.

Shamar Rigby found Rodney Fields on a 63-yard touchdown pass to get things started. It’s OSU’s first lead over an FBS opponent since last October.

The Cowboys are back home to take another swing at a conference win.

Oklahoma State hosts Houston at 11 a.m. Saturday. The Cowboys are 1-4 (0-2 in Big 12 play) and have been more than a year without an FBS win. QB No. 2 hit the pine due to injury when Zane Flores went down in Arizona. So the Pokes have turned to Sam Jackson V, listed as a wide receiver on the roster, but he was a quarterback on Cal’s roster, two teams ago.

Houston comes in off its first loss of the season. The Cougars (4-1, 1-1) have already matched their win total in Willie Fritz’s second year at the helm, but they ran into trouble in Ames, falling to then No. 14 Iowa State. They had their own quarterback Qs when Texas A&M transfer Conner Weigman suffered a concussion that saw him exit the loss to the Cyclones, but he is expected to start.

Stick with us here for updates up to and throughout the game. If you’re a PFB+ subscriber, the convo is already kickin’ in The Chamber.

Uni Reveal: Cowboys are undefeated in these threads.

Availability Report

Pregame Reading

Game Preview

PFB Picks: See which Pistols Firing staffer picked the Pokes

On Sam Jackson stepping up for Oklahoma State

Quarterback Preview

Three Things to Know about OSU-Houston

Daily Bullets (Oct. 11): We’ll Cross Houston’s Goal and Then We’ll Sing ‘Oklahoma State’ 11 Oct 4:03 AM (13 days ago)

Another gameday in Stillwater – you can see the game preview with TV details here, plus predictions for the game here. 

Three Thoughts

• Sam Jackson V is lined up to make his first start for the Cowboys at quarterback today – can Doug Meacham pull out the Trevone Boykin playbook and elevate Jackson’s game? (PFB)

• Yet another Cowboy safety has entered the transfer portal – this is a situation where it would be incredible to have walkons around that have been waiting for an opportunity (PFB)

• Zac Robinson gave a non-answer that strongly implies he’s been contacted about the OSU role:

Robinson, the Falcons’ offensive coordinator, was asked if Oklahoma State had contacted him. “I’ll kind of leave that,” Robinson said. “But, honestly, just focused on today and progressing this week.” [PFB]

Two Quotes

• Chad Weiberg got a vote of confidence from his boss, OSU president Jim Hess:

“Mr. Weiberg will be our athletic director,” Hess told the World. “I think there’s been a lot of questions about that over the summer. Mr. Weiberg will be our athletic director…” [PFB]

• Chuba Hubbard is out this week for the Panthers against the Dallas Cowboys, and his backup is motivated  (CBS Sports)

One Question

• If you had to put down your house predicting OSU’s next coach, would you take Zac Robinson or the field?

Non-OSU Bullets

• Goatscaping may be one of the funniest trends to watch • How to write a regular newsletter • The Savannah Bananas are expanding their league