After knocking off one of the nation’s top teams, Oklahoma State gets a very different kind of test on Saturday night.
The Cowboys are back home in Stillwater, Okla., looking to avoid the kind of letdown that often follows a statement win. Last week’s 39-31 upset of then-No. 6 Oregon snapped a 21-game losing streak against FBS opponents and instantly changed the tone around a program that had opened the season with an ugly 24-10 loss to Tulsa.
Now comes Murray State, an FCS team that arrives at 1-2 after beating Valparaiso last Saturday for its first win of 2026.
First-year Oklahoma State coach Eric Morris knows the challenge this week is less about scheme and more about handling the noise that comes with beating Oregon.
"I'll look back on this some point later in life," first-year Cowboys head coach Eric Morris said. "Like, we're going to have to be really good as coaches this week because everybody's going to tell them how good they are now all of a sudden and you know all this stuff switches."
The Oregon win also put a spotlight on the optimism that followed Morris to Stillwater. He arrived after leading North Texas to an 11-2 season in 2025, and he brought transfer quarterback Drew Mestemaker with him.
Through two games, Mestemaker has completed 59.8% of his passes for 558 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions. He also showed he can change a game with his legs, ripping off a 75-yard run to set up Oklahoma State’s first touchdown against Oregon.
Murray State comes in with a more modest profile, but the Racers did show some life on the ground against Valparaiso. They rushed for 194 yards in that win, with Tyrell Campbell doing most of the damage, piling up 117 yards on 14 carries.
That ground game could be important if Murray State wants to shorten the game and keep Mestemaker and Oklahoma State’s offense on the sideline. The Racers will also need to finish drives better than they did last week, when they scored four times in five red-zone trips against Valparaiso.
"We don't have a lot of guys, probably, on their third or fourth year, but we've got a lot of guys growing," Murray State coach Jody Wright said of his team. "A lot of guys on their second year playing. But I think they're going to continue to get better."
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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
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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
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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 🡒]