No. 18 Oklahoma State and No. 20 Houston meet Saturday in a Big 12 game that already feels loaded with meaning.
The Cowboys arrive at TDECU Stadium at 4-1 overall and 2-0 in conference play, riding a four-game winning streak under first-year coach Eric Morris. Houston is 5-1 and 2-1 after knocking off Kansas State 35-16 on the road, and the Cougars have a chance to keep themselves in the thick of the league race with a win.
Saturday’s matchup is the first time two ranked teams have met at Houston’s stadium since the 2015 American Athletic Conference championship game.
"It's a big game for them, it's a real big game for us," Houston coach Willie Fritz said Monday.
Oklahoma State’s turnaround has been stark. The Cowboys went 1-11 last season, then brought in Morris from North Texas and remade the roster with 91 newcomers, including 66 transfers.
They stumbled out of the gate with a loss to Tulsa, then grabbed attention with a 39-31 road upset of then-No. 6 Oregon and have kept the momentum rolling.
A win would give Oklahoma State its first five-game winning streak since 2023.
Much of the Cowboys’ surge has come through a high-powered offense. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker has helped fuel a unit that ranks sixth nationally with 322 passing yards per game, and he has topped 300 passing yards in four straight games.
Caleb Hawkins is tied for 14th nationally at 104.8 rushing yards per game, while Wyatt Young sits 15th with 92.4 receiving yards per game. Oklahoma State is the only FBS team with a quarterback, running back and receiver all ranking inside the top 15 nationally in those yardage categories.
"This is gonna be a great test for us right now," Morris said Tuesday.
He also had praise for Fritz and the job he has done getting Houston to this point in his third season.
"I just have so much admiration for the way he's done it," Morris said.
Houston has its own firepower. Quarterback Conner Weigman threw for 242 yards and four touchdowns against Kansas State, and all four scores went to tight end Patrick Overmyer, who tied the NCAA single-game record for touchdown catches by a tight end. The Cougars piled up 475 yards in that win and lead the country in third-down conversion percentage at 62.7%.
Fritz said Oklahoma State’s offense brings more than just a strong passing game.
"Oklahoma State's quarterback runs it better than you think, and you gotta play that part of it, as well," Fritz said.
"He's a dual-threat guy just like Conner (Weigman) is. They don't wanna run him crazy, and we don't want to run Conner like crazy, but sometimes you gotta play 11-on-11 football."
The game also gives Morris a return to the place where his coaching career started. He previously worked at Houston with former Cougars quarterback Case Keenum.
Fritz said he hopes the matchup helps bring a sellout crowd and strengthen Houston’s profile on the national stage.
"That's the reason we came here," Fritz said. "We feel like we can compete for a national championship here at the University of Houston."
Oklahoma State won the teams’ most recent meeting in Houston, 43-30 in 2023.
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Oklahoma State Faces A Bigger Test Than Just Another Big 12 Game
Eric Morris just reached the 50-win mark in his head-coaching career, a milestone worth noting even in a conference where the week-to-week pressure never really lets up. Ahead of Oklahoma States next matchup, he also took a moment to acknowledge the much longer road Willie Fritz has traveled, pointing to the Houston coachs 266 career victories and the steady climb that has defined Fritzs career.
For a Cowboys team preparing for a demanding Big 12 test, the contrast in experience adds another layer to the matchup. Morris clearly has respect for the work Fritz has put in over the years, and it frames this game as more than just another conference date on the schedule, with two programs that have both earned their way into the national conversation now measuring themselves against a coach whose rsum stands far above the rest. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma States Surprising Run Faces Its Biggest Test Yet
Oklahoma States rebound from a season-opening loss has turned into one of the more encouraging early stretches in the Big 12, with four straight wins capped by the upset of Oregon. Now the Cowboys head into a matchup with No. 20 Houston, a team that has found its footing too with three consecutive victories, setting up a game that feels like a real measuring stick rather than just another step in September.
Houston has been getting production from tight end Patrick Overmyer, who leads the Cougars in receptions and yards and comes in as one of the leagues more intriguing mismatches. For Oklahoma State, the challenge is clear: keep the momentum alive against a ranked opponent that is also in form, and do it on the road where small mistakes can quickly tilt a game like this. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Is Waiting On One Defensive Decision That Could Reshape Saturday
Oklahoma State spent part of the week waiting on the kind of defensive update that can change how a game is planned on both sides of the ball. Safety Mose Phillips III left the UCF game with a shoulder injury, and the Cowboys are still monitoring how he responds after leaving the field. Head coach Eric Morris has not sounded certain about Phillips condition, which leaves one of the back ends most important spots in flux as Saturday approaches.
If Phillips is unable to play, Oklahoma State would likely turn to Evan Jackson at boundary safety, a role he has handled before in the defensive scheme. That kind of switch is more than a simple depth-chart note for a defense that is trying to settle in, especially with the week moving toward a game plan that has to account for both availability and communication in the secondary. [Read more 🡒]