Oklahoma State’s loss to Houston left plenty to sort through, and Saturday’s film painted a clear split: a few Cowboys came out of it looking stronger, while others now have work to do before Colorado comes to town for homecoming.
The Cowboys are 4-2 overall and 2-1 in Big 12 play, and they’re already moving on to Saturday’s matchup with Colorado. Still, the postgame review, the Sunday film session and Moris’s “tell the truth Monday” are going to stick with this group after OSU’s second loss of the season. The bigger picture remains better than it was a year ago, but the Cowboys also came awfully close to staying unbeaten in league play.
At quarterback, the stat line was still strong even if the performance wasn’t spotless. He threw for 365 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, though that pick wasn’t really on him.
There were a few throws he’d like back, and he probably flirted with at least one more interception, but he also showed the arm talent, the tight-window throws and the creative use of his legs that keep the offense moving. He has now topped 300 passing yards in five straight games, and as long as he keeps slinging it, Oklahoma State will have a chance every week.
Head coach Eric Morris said Houston’s defense had a lot to do with that.
“They do a great job of affecting the quarterback,” Morris said. “I thought he settled in nicely.
There’s a couple he wishes he could have had back. Not his best performance but he may be the toughest kid on our team.”
One of the best adjustments of the day came with Caleb Hawkins. Morris knows Hawkins can be a weapon, but Saturday finally showed him deployed that way more often.
Oklahoma State leaned into a shorter passing game and used Hawkins underneath to create space for other receivers downfield. Hawkins also broke free for a 66-yard touchdown catch, and the result was the second-best receiving game ever for an Oklahoma State running back.
He finished with nearly 200 yards of total offense.
“We thought could get him on some matchups in in the passing game and I think he just continues to create value for this team in so many different ways,” Morris said.
On the defensive side, Fields stood out in a game where the secondary as a whole was shaky. He didn’t start, which Morris said came down to the staff looking for combinations that work, but he still turned in a solid outing.
Per Pro Football Focus, he posted the second-best coverage grade of any cornerback other than Mo Horn. Fields allowed three catches on five targets for just 13 yards, and in a rough day for the back end, he may have been the Cowboys’ best player.
There was also a small but notable step from Presley. After joining the team following the bye week and earning a fifth year of eligibility because of a court ruling, he worked his way into the kickoff return rotation in only two weeks.
He didn’t get many chances against Houston, but he did make a small impact. For a player who just arrived in the mix, that alone mattered.
Barnes, meanwhile, did not leave the game in good shape. He hasn’t looked the same since the shoulder injury he suffered against Oregon, and against Houston he did not catch a pass.
Morris was also unhappy after Barnes fell during a route that led to Mestemaker’s interception. At this point, Barnes has been passed by both Miles Coleman and Terrence Lewis on the depth chart.
He still has speed and he can help, but right now he’s having trouble carving out a role.
Up front, Shawn Torgeson may have opened the door for Braydon Nelson to see more action next week at Colorado. Torgeson posted the worst pass-blocking grade among the Cowboys’ offensive linemen at 34.4, and he gave up a sack in the third quarter.
The one bright spot was that he recovered the fumble and ran it three years, preserving what turned into a touchdown drive. Morris has praised Torgeson repeatedly since fall camp, and one rough game doesn’t automatically mean a benching.
Even so, it gives Oklahoma State a chance to take a closer look at Nelson at left tackle.
The red zone remains a problem that keeps showing up. Oklahoma State went 4-for-5 there against Houston, scoring three touchdowns and a field goal, but Morris also chose to go for it on fourth down inside the 5-yard line and the Cowboys came away empty.
Afterward, he said he regretted chasing points. The broader issue has been there all season: the Cowboys have tried different play calls and blocking packages down there, but the payoff has only been modest, and Morris has often had to settle for field goals.
Not every player came out of the game with a clear win, and Kollin Lewis was one of the biggest reasons why. Starting in place of Fields, he had the second-worst coverage grade of any OSU player per PFF.
Houston picked on him for five catches on five targets and 88 yards. The secondary as a whole was off, but Lewis simply can’t get beat that badly when he’s the one getting the start.
Morris sounded like a coach still searching for answers there, and Lewis didn’t supply one on Saturday.
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Oklahoma State had enough offense to make things interesting at TDECU Stadium, but the early mistakes proved costly in a 35-32 loss to Houston. The Cowboys got behind 14-3 at halftime, then spent the second half trying to dig out of the hole while Drew Mestemaker threw for 365 yards and three touchdowns.
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