Oklahoma State is starting to look like a team that expects to find a way.
That’s the clearest takeaway from Saturday’s 42-28 win over UCF at Boone Pickens Stadium, the Cowboys’ fourth straight victory and their first big test of staying power in Big 12 play. The numbers weren’t always pretty.
UCF piled up 27 first downs and controlled the ball by a 10-minute margin. But OSU kept answering, kept bending without breaking, and kept moving to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the league.
“There’s going to be so much to clean up,” Morris said, “but we’ve got to reset really fast and get ready to go on the road.”
Drew Mestemaker kept pushing his draft stock higher with another sharp afternoon. The Oklahoma State quarterback finished 19 of 28 for 304 yards and two passing touchdowns, then added a short rushing score.
It was also his first turnover-free game of the season, and it came with the kind of production that keeps feeding the NFL buzz around him. Mestemaker already sits atop one ESPN quarterback draft board, and the comparisons to Josh Allen aren’t slowing down.
Just like Allen’s final season at Wyoming started with a dud, Mestemaker’s first real stumble came in a 24-10 loss at Tulsa last month, when he threw two interceptions. Since then, he has stacked four straight 300-yard games. UCF coach Scott Frost didn’t sound surprised by the hype.
“I'll be surprised if (Mestemaker) is in college next year,” Frost said. “Some of the plays and throws that he made, when you see that happen, you know what kind of guy they got.”
The highlight reel didn’t stop with Mestemaker. Justin Bowick delivered his own piece of theater, and it came at a perfect time.
After watching Wyatt Young’s one-handed catch a few weeks ago against Murray State, Bowick answered with one of his own while OSU trailed 14-7 late in the first quarter. ESPN play-by-play voice Lowell Galindo put the moment into words with a simple, stunned line: “How he do that?”
Bowick led the Cowboys with six catches for 98 yards and a touchdown. The Illinois transfer said, “I mean that's the main reason I came here,” and added, “It's exciting to just keep getting better every week.”
On defense, Ethan Wesloski kept piling up tackles like it was his day job. The North Texas transfer matched his 17-tackle outing at West Virginia with another 17 against UCF, making him the only FBS player with at least 17 tackles in multiple games this season, according to ESPN. He’d gladly trade some of that volume for a few more stops on third and fourth down.
He said he “could probably take away 10 of those (tackles).”
The biggest defensive swing, though, belonged to Evan Jackson. UCF quarterback Keyone Jackson put up numbers - 30 completions on 42 attempts for 265 yards, four touchdowns and one interception - but his costly backward pass early in the fourth quarter turned into six the other way. Jackson read it cleanly, picked it off, and went 28 yards for a touchdown that stretched OSU’s lead to 35-21.
There was also a familiar face back on television Saturday. Former Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy made his debut in the TNT studio and handled it with the same ease he used to bring on the sideline. Wearing an orange tie, he said he’s “very, very thankful for Oklahoma State and excited about what they’re doing now.”
Gundy finished 170-90 in 21 seasons leading the Cowboys before his departure last fall.
And if the Big 12 is hoping for a clean, unobstructed spotlight on its biggest games next Saturday, Oct. 17, that’s not how the TV schedule breaks. The two top-25 matchups of the day overlap in the 6:30 p.m. window, with ABC carrying No.
8 BYU against No. 2 Notre Dame and Fox showing No.
18 Oklahoma State at No. 20 Houston.
Before that, Fox will have No. 10 Texas Tech against Arizona State in the 2:30 p.m. slot.
In Other News...
Oklahoma State Homecoming Clash With Colorado Carries One Frustrating Unknown
Oklahoma State already knows one of its biggest October stages in 2026, with the Big 12 locking in the Cowboys Top 25 meeting with Houston for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff on Fox. Around that, the league has begun to piece together Week 8, and the conference slate already carries the feel of a busy one for teams trying to sort out fall visibility, television windows and game-day rhythms.
What remains hanging over Stillwater is the homecoming date with Colorado, a matchup that has enough profile to draw attention but not enough certainty yet to settle the calendar. Seven Big 12 games in that week are sitting on six-day holds and will be finalized Sunday, leaving Oklahoma State and its fans waiting a little longer for the exact time and network that will frame the Cowboys visit from the Buffaloes. [Read more 🡒]
Steve Lutz Saw The Same Oklahoma State Problem He Hates
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Oklahoma State did have some scoring balance, putting five players in double figures and getting 18 points from freshman Anthony Felesi. But New Mexicos perimeter shooting and scoring punch kept the Cowboys chasing the game, and Lutz was left with the kind of defensive breakdowns he clearly does not want to see carry over into the real thing. [Read more 🡒]
Caleb Hawkins Could Help Oklahoma State Land Another Playmaker
Caleb Hawkins has already made himself one of Oklahoma States most important offensive additions this season, giving the Cowboys a homegrown presence after transferring from North Texas. Back near his hometown and high school roots, Hawkins has become the teams leading rusher in both yards and touchdowns, a steady sign that the move has worked out for player and program alike.
Now theres a familiar name drawing interest on the recruiting side. Oklahoma State has shown attention to a versatile uncommitted athlete with ties to Hawkins, and the staffs evaluation has only added another layer to the connection. For a Cowboys offense looking to keep adding playmakers, that family link could make this one worth watching a little longer. [Read more 🡒]