Oklahoma State’s four-game winning streak rolled on Saturday, and the Cowboys had to earn plenty of it before finally pulling away from UCF, 42-28, in Stillwater.
The breakthrough came in the fourth quarter, when OSU stacked 18 points and turned a tight game into its first win over the Knights in three tries. At 4-1 overall and 2-0 in Big 12 play, the Cowboys now head into next Saturday’s matchup with Houston carrying real momentum.
A lot of the day centered on quarterback Drew Mestemaker, who delivered his cleanest outing of the season. For the first time this year, he finished without a turnover, something Oklahoma State had spent two weeks stressing.
After the game, Mestemaker said he didn’t alter his routine or dwell on the possibility of protecting the ball. Eric Morris called it a complete performance, saying it was probably his best game in every phase.
Mestemaker completed 70% of his passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns. The one blemish was a sack, which Morris put on himself and Mestemaker agreed with, saying UCF showed a defensive look that threw him off and kept him from getting through all his progressions.
The Cowboys also got a sturdier day from the run game, even if it never really took over. Caleb Hawkins fumbled on the second play of the game, but Morris stayed with him, and Hawkins responded with 83 yards on 23 carries and two catches for 32 yards.
Every one of those yards had to be fought for. Ayo Adeyi chipped in a pair of solid runs, including a 16-yard gain, while the team as a whole averaged 3.4 yards per carry.
The passing game had its share of bright spots. Justin Bowick made one of the plays of the day with a one-handed grab, finished with six catches for 98 yards and a touchdown, and Wyatt Young was productive despite being listed on the player availability report all week.
Young caught five passes for 52 yards and a score. Morris also pointed to Terrence Lewis, Miles Coleman and Chris Barnes as starters, and the group held onto the ball all game.
One late scoring play came on an RPO, with Mestemaker and Morris both saying there was nothing malicious behind the throw to Lewis. UCF had crowded the box, and that was the opening the Cowboys attacked.
There was also a memorable touch from Morgan McPhaul, whose first collegiate carry went for a touchdown out of a diamond formation on third down. The play had been installed during the week, and it was the only time a tight end handled the ball for Oklahoma State on Saturday. More broadly, the tight ends did their work as blockers and helped the offense keep moving.
Up front, Ashton Lepo allowed the game’s only sack, which Morris said was on Mestemaker, but Lepo answered later with a tackle that sealed the right side on Mestemaker’s first-quarter touchdown run. Desmond Magiya started at left guard in place of Johnny Dickson III and gave the Cowboys a steady outing.
Braydon Nelson saw the field for one possession in the second quarter and did not return, though Morris wasn’t asked about that after the game. Oklahoma State allowed just one recorded quarterback hurry, giving Mestemaker a clean pocket most of the afternoon.
The defensive front had a rough opening stretch before settling in. UCF’s zone-read wrinkles caused problems early and kept the Cowboys out of position at times, but the group improved as the game wore on.
Luke Webb’s fourth-and-1 stop was a turning point, and he said afterward that “it gave pass, but something told me he was going to run it up the middle.” DeSean Brown also had a strong pressure that forced a punt, while Bradyon Rigsby got a hand on a pass that likely saved a completion.
Even without a sack, the front helped hold UCF to 2.7 yards per carry.
The linebackers were busy all afternoon. Ethan Welsoski finished with 17 tackles and Tate Romney had 14, and Morris said both, along with Isaiah Chisom, handled a UCF offense that threw looks the Cowboys hadn’t seen on tape.
Romney missed a tackle on Josh Derry’s touchdown catch, but he answered later by blowing up a double reverse for a 10-yard loss. Chisom added nine tackles and tracked down a ball carrier in open field to help force a change of possession.
The secondary had a shaky stretch early, too. Mo Horn and Kollin Lewis were both flagged for pass interference, and those penalties gave UCF useful field position.
The tackling cleaned up as the game moved along. Mose Phillips III’s safety blitz in the first half helped swing momentum, and though he left with a shoulder issue, Morris said he would be fine.
Then came the play that sealed it. Evan Jackson scooped up a fourth-quarter takeaway and returned it for a touchdown, putting the game out of reach. Jackson said it only happened because Christian Bodnar blew up the play before the throw.
Special teams chipped in as well. Bobby Deal Jr. turned a punt return into a 21-yard gain by charging in to field the ball on the bounce, setting up a touchdown drive. Sam Keltner stayed perfect, drilling two more field goals and running his streak to 12 straight makes on the season.
OSU’s best adjustments came in two places: on offense, the Cowboys shifted quickly to inside zone after the outside game wasn’t working; on defense, they tightened up at halftime, set the edge better and forced UCF back inside. Morris also liked the decision to go for it on fourth-and-5 on the second drive, which led to Mestemaker’s touchdown run.
In the end, the Cowboys did enough in all three phases to separate late. They stayed with the run, got the clean quarterback play they had been asking for, and let the defense finish the job when the game was still hanging around.
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