Eric Morris doesn’t need a suggestion box to know what’s bugging Oklahoma State. He just might welcome one anyway.
The Cowboys are piling up offense at a high clip overall - No. 5 nationally at 517.7 yards per game and No. 21 in scoring at 37.2 points per game - but the opening minutes keep dragging them down. In each of their three Big 12 games, Oklahoma State has been behind or even at halftime, and that’s become the issue Morris is most focused on heading into Saturday’s game against Colorado at 6 p.m. on FS1.
The numbers tell the same story in different shades. OSU put up 14 first-half points against West Virginia and 28 in the second half.
Against UCF, the split was dead even at 21 apiece. Then came Houston, where the Cowboys scored just three points before halftime and 29 after it.
“The slow start stuff has to stop,” Morris said after the Houston game. “We're two different teams first half, second half right now, and it blows my mind to be honest with you.”
The Cowboys have averaged 12.6 points in the first half and 26 in the second across those three league games, a gap that has made the early portions of games feel like a separate act from the rest of the performance.
Morris is still looking for the cleanest answer.
“I’m taking suggestions,” Morris said Tuesday. “If y'all have my email, I'd love to hear them. I’m open to anything right now.”
That’s eric.morris10@okstate.edu for anyone with a bright idea.
The funny thing is, Oklahoma State has already tried to build urgency into practice. Mercer said every workout begins with a “fast start” period, a first-in-line drill where the offense and defense go at each other for five plays at tempo.
“It's like hey let's get this going, pop some pads, and get practice started early,” Mercer said. “So it’s definitely a point of emphasis and being acted out in practice.”
Miles Coleman said the routine is designed to be the first competitive jolt of the day.
“It kind of gets our juices flowing, gets the body warmed up, so I love to start with fast start,” Coleman said.
Even with that emphasis, the first quarters and first halves keep asking the same question. One moment that has stuck out: Caleb Hawkins’ fumble on the opening drive against UCF.
At Houston, the Cowboys at least moved the ball early. Their first possession covered 43 yards in seven plays before stalling at the Houston 5. The next drive went 75 yards, but Oklahoma State came away empty when a fourth-down pass from the Houston 2-yard line failed.
Morris didn’t frame those as schematic mysteries.
“I have to continue to find the best ways to put our guys in the best position,” Morris said. “We got to execute and do it.
We had quarterback run play. We had numbers and everybody hatted it up and they beat us at the point of attack.
That's an execution problem.”
Quarterback Drew Mestemaker saw the same thing from his side, and he didn’t point to a halftime overhaul or a new set of calls to explain the surge after the break.
“I don't know what it is that we are coming out and not getting it done,” Mestemaker said. “We are trying to feel the game out and Coach Morris didn't change anything.
There were no elaborate play calls that he came up with at halftime. We just have to play our game from the start and pull the trigger from the start.
From my perspective, I just have to go out there and play the game that I can play and not try to feel it out so much.”
In Other News...
Oklahoma State Gets A Big 12 Chance It Cant Waste Against Colorado
Oklahoma State is heading into a midseason Big 12 matchup that carries a little extra weight, with Colorado coming to Boone Pickens Stadium in Week 8 of the 2026 college football season. The Cowboys will get the chance in Stillwater on Saturday, Oct. 24, in a game that gives them another shot to make a statement in conference play, with the national audience able to follow along on FS1 and via Fubo.
The timing matters, because both teams arrive with their own recent results and the league picture already taking shape entering Week 8. For Oklahoma State, this is the kind of home opportunity that can nudge a season in the right direction or leave a lingering what-if, and the stakes only get sharper when a conference opponent like Colorado walks into town. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Keeps Rolling But One Offensive Issue Still Looms
Oklahoma States offense has been humming for more than a month, and the results have shown up on the scoreboard as well as in the national rankings. The Cowboys have topped 30 points in five straight games, and their overall production has put them among the countrys most efficient attacks, setting up another opportunity to stay on a roll when Colorado comes to Stillwater.
Even with all that firepower, there is still a wrinkle worth watching: the offense has not always been as clean in the red zone, and slow starts in the first half have occasionally kept games closer than they should be. That leaves a little tension inside an otherwise encouraging stretch, especially with several columnists expecting Oklahoma State to handle Colorado at home, even if the exact margin varies from one prediction to the next. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Cracks Down After Disturbing Student Section Incident
Oklahoma State is moving the Cowboy Marching Band out of its usual spot in Boone Pickens Stadium for the upcoming homecoming game, a response to a troubling scene in the student section that left two band members injured by thrown cans and water bottles. The university is also stepping up security and camera monitoring as it looks to prevent a repeat of the kind of behavior that crossed well beyond the edge of game-day passion.
The band will be relocated to Section 223 when the Cowboys face Colorado, a change that underscores how seriously the school is treating the incident. It comes after the university took action against several students connected to what happened, while trying to make sure the stadium remains a place where the crowd can be loud without becoming dangerous. [Read more 🡒]