Oklahoma State doesn’t have the luxury of lingering on Oregon, even if that 39-31 win might end up standing as one of the season’s best results across FBS.
The Cowboys are already deep into their week of prep for Murray State, and the bigger task now is less about celebrating what happened last Saturday and more about figuring out who this team really is. After two games, Oklahoma State has shown two very different versions of itself: a sloppy one in the loss to Tulsa and a far sharper one against the Ducks.
That contrast is exactly what has head coach Morris looking for answers before Big 12 play begins Sept. 26 against West Virginia. He wants to leave Saturday with a clearer sense of his team’s identity, because that would help shape the game plan for the Mountaineers and give the players some confidence that the arrow is pointing the right way.
The matchup with Murray State should help with that, at least on paper. The Racers have struggled in recent years, winning two games in the past two seasons, and they come in as the least talented opponent Oklahoma State will see all year. If the game unfolds the way it looks like it should, the Cowboys may get a chance to empty the bench and give some younger players real snaps.
That includes the backup quarterbacks, Grant Jordan and Broderick Vehrs, who have not taken a snap on game day so far. A big enough lead by the end of the third quarter could finally open the door for both of them, which would also answer a question many Oklahoma State fans have been waiting on: who would come in first if the Cowboys need to go beyond Drew Mestemaker?
Morris has not had a live-game look at either quarterback yet, and this may be his best shot to get one before he would actually need them in a real emergency. If nothing else, Saturday could help him sort out the order behind Mestemaker should the unthinkable happen.
There’s another challenge on Morris’s list, too, and it has nothing to do with scheme. After the win over Oregon, he said part of his job this week was making sure his players tune out the outside noise telling them how good they are. That’s easier said than done after a result like that, especially with both Morris and Mestemaker doing the national media rounds this week.
Still, the coach knows how fast the story can flip. This is the same team that took plenty of heat after the Week 1 loss to Tulsa. Now the question is whether Oklahoma State shows up against Murray State with the same kind of start it had against Oregon - fast, loose, confident and effective - or whether the praise starts to seep in.
In Other News...
Mike Gundy Had Another Wild Postgame Story After Oregon Win
After Oklahoma States win over Oregon, Mike Gundy added another off-field tale to his long list of postgame oddities, this one coming on a podcast where he talked about a nuisance on his property that had been tearing up the yard. The Cowboys coach said he first assumed wild hogs were responsible for the damage, only to learn from his yard worker that armadillos were actually the problem.
Gundy said he handled it with an AR-style rifle, and the story only got more surreal from there. It was the second time he had brought up dealing with an armadillo, making the latest version of the anecdote feel like part wildlife management, part Mike Gundy folklore, and just the kind of detail that tends to follow him long after the final whistle. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma States Defense Is Changing Everything Fans Expected This Season
Skyler Cassity arrived at Oklahoma State with a rsum built on the defensive side, including time as a graduate assistant at Texas Tech, and his first season as defensive coordinator under Eric Morris has already given the Cowboys a different look. The unit has been steadier and more disruptive than many expected, a noticeable shift from previous seasons and a big reason the early conversation around this team has changed.
Ethan Wesloski has been part of that surge in the middle of the defense, giving Oklahoma State a senior presence at linebacker and helping set the tone for a group that has found its footing quickly. With the Cowboys continuing to lean on a defense that is outperforming outside expectations, the question now is whether Cassitys group can keep that edge once opponents have more film to study. [Read more 🡒]
Baylors Quarterback Uncertainty Just Got Bigger Entering Week 3
Big 12 quarterback play took another turn in Week 2, and Oklahoma State had one of the leagues most eye-opening answers in Drew Mestemaker. The Cowboys got a big outing from the young passer in a week that also saw injuries reshape the conference picture, with Baylors DJ Lagway and UCFs Alonza Barnett both helping create more uncertainty at the position as Week 3 approaches.
Mestemakers performance will only add to the conversation as conference play keeps tightening up and the top quarterback list gets reshuffled again. Oklahoma State now moves forward with real momentum at the most important spot on the field, while the broader Big 12 picture still feels unsettled enough that every new update could change how the leagues best passers are viewed heading into another round of key matchups. [Read more 🡒]