Oklahoma State finally gets a chance to turn the page on a year that ended with one win and a coaching overhaul, and Saturday’s trip to Tulsa will give fans their first real look at what Eric Morris is building.
It’s Morris’ first game as the Cowboys’ head coach, and by the time this one is over, the “new” part of that title will be gone. He arrived after Oklahoma State’s 1-11 season, a year that included the loss to Tulsa in Week 3 that pushed leadership to fire Mike Gundy. Morris was hired in December, after guiding North Texas to a 12-2 season in 2025 and overseeing one of the wildest roster turnarounds in recent college football memory, with 92 transfers joining him from around the country, including nearly 20 from North Texas.
Now the attention shifts to the field. The Cowboys are trying to win for the first time since late August of last year, when they beat Tennessee-Martin, and this opener should tell us plenty about where the program stands right now.
The first thing to watch is the pass rush. That was one of the biggest trouble spots a year ago, when Oklahoma State’s pressure came and went and sometimes disappeared altogether.
The defense has a more anonymous feel than the offense, and the edge spots are a big part of that uncertainty. Morris and defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity have both said they plan to rotate a lot of bodies up front, including starters Jaleel Johnson and James Williams, so fans could see anywhere from six to eight different ends against Tulsa.
How often that group gets to Baylor Hayes will be the first clue about what this rush might look like next week against Oregon and later in Big 12 play.
The offense is the other major draw, and that’s the side of the ball Morris was hired to energize. He’s known as an offensive coach, though he joked during Big 12 Media Days that he would love to become a defensive analyst in his old age just to see what the other side of the football is like. Oklahoma State athletic director Chad Weiberg also pointed to Morris’ ability to build both a program and an offense that can pile up points during an appearance on Big 12 Today last week.
Saturday will be the first chance to see that offense with pieces from Morris’ North Texas run mixed together with the rest of the new roster. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker and running back Caleb Hawkins are among the North Texas standouts in the mix, along with wide receivers Chris Barnes and Justin Bowick. The North Texas offense was the only unit in the country last season to average more than 500 yards of total offense, and while that kind of output may be too much to expect here, Oklahoma State fans are ready to see something that looks dangerous again.
Special teams is the quieter storyline, but it matters too. Morris has talked about wanting players who can be four-unit special teamers, helping on both kickoff units and both punt units.
He hasn’t said exactly who those players are, though he did say Tuesday that the team has a special teams depth chart without revealing it. Morris also said he expects to take 76 or 77 players on the road to Tulsa, which would leave 11 or 12 spots for those kinds of players.
Those are the guys who aren’t on the two-deep yet, but who Morris thinks can grow into that role.
He explained that idea with a story about Quinton Hammonds on Tuesday. Hammonds was a walk-on at North Texas in 2024 and earned more playing time by standing out on special teams, eventually working his way into a starting safety role. That’s the path Morris is looking to create, and Saturday should offer the first hints about which Cowboys are on it.
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Oklahoma State Has A Walk-On Breakthrough Fans Need To Watch
Quinton Hammonds has been one of the more interesting under-the-radar stories around Stillwater, a former high school wide receiver who walked on at North Texas, shifted to defense and kept climbing until Oklahoma State found a role that fit. His path has been built on special teams work, steady defensive snaps and the kind of gradual rise that usually gets noticed only after it has already become impossible to ignore.
Hammonds has already flashed enough to earn national defensive player of the week recognition, and his arrival in the rotation carries extra weight because the Cowboys have kept rewarding players who can carve out value wherever the staff needs it most. Now he is in position to take the next step in a familiar-looking climb, one that has roots far deeper than a single season and leaves open how far his breakout can go once the games start demanding more of him. [Read more 🡒]
Boise State Brings Real Pressure To Oregons Early Season Showcase
Oregons 2026 opener against Boise State is already giving the Ducks an early-season spotlight game, and it is not the only date on the home schedule drawing attention. The Ducks also have upcoming home games against Oklahoma State, Portland State and USC, with ticket prices for the Boise State matchup currently listed from $69 to $620 as fans start looking ahead to a season that will again bring a mix of conference and nonconference intrigue.
For Oklahoma State followers, the Boise State game matters because it is part of the same stretch of premium road and home inventory that tends to disappear fast when a marquee opponent comes to town. Oregons home streaks and Boise States key players add to the appeal, but the ticket market is already doing some talking of its own, and the demand around the Ducks schedule suggests the Cowboys trip to Eugene is going to be one of the harder tickets on the board. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma States Early Recruiting Push Just Added Another Skill Talent
Oklahoma States early recruiting momentum picked up another skill-position name when Kyren Edmon announced on social media that he had landed a scholarship offer from the Cowboys. The Class of 2028 running back from Bradley Bourbonnais Community High School in Illinois, known by the nickname Goatman, has already started drawing attention as one of the younger backs on the board while the program continues to build out its future classes.
The timing fits a staff that is still pushing hard on its Class of 2027 group while also laying groundwork under new head coach Eric Morris for the 2026 season. Edmons profile is only going to grow from here, and with Oklahoma State getting involved this early, it adds another layer to a recruiting picture that is still very much taking shape. [Read more 🡒]