Oklahoma State didn’t just beat Kansas State on Saturday. The Cowboys ran up a number that will stick around for a while, rolling to a 66-28 win in Manhattan and setting the program’s scoring mark there in the process. They had 49 points by halftime, which tells you everything about how fast this one got away from the Wildcats.
The box score was loud, but the individual standouts were even louder. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker made history by becoming the first player in Big 12 history to throw four touchdown passes, run for a touchdown and catch a touchdown in the same game.
He’s only the second player in the FBS to pull that off in the last 30 years. Caleb Hawkins added his own monster line, scoring three rushing touchdowns, catching another and topping 1,000 rushing yards on the season.
One of the biggest individual leaps came from Justin Bowick, who delivered the kind of play NFL scouts love to see. Early in the game, he went up and won a 32-yard touchdown catch with a cornerback draped on him.
Bowick has been stacking up career-best numbers all season, and last week ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. said he believed Bowick could be a third-round pick right now. He still has at least four games left to make that case even stronger.
On defense, Chisom was impossible to ignore. The linebacker, listed as a starter but making his first start of 2026 on Saturday in place of the injured Tate Romney, finished with 11 tackles, nine of them solo, plus a tackle for loss.
Oklahoma State brought him in from the transfer portal after he nearly reached 90 tackles at UCLA last year, and the move looks even better now with the new age-based eligibility rule giving him one more season after this one. That lines him up to be a starter next season when Romney and Ethan Wesloski run out of eligibility.
Another major winner was Fields, who keeps making plays at a rate that’s hard to ignore. The redshirt sophomore picked off two passes against Kansas State, giving him two-interception games in two of his last three outings.
He now has seven interceptions on the year, with six coming in his last four games. Eric Morris said he saw this coming in fall camp, and Fields is now showing exactly why.
The Cowboys’ depth chart and snap counts also pointed to a few clear winners and losers. At nickel back, Bodnar had a rough outing by Pro Football Focus’ numbers, posting an overall grade of 36.7, worst on the team.
He played 31 snaps in the slot, while Vincent Holmes handled the other 34 and graded out much better at 67.6. OSU evaluates players differently than PFF, but the snap split raises the question of whether Holmes could move into the starting lineup.
At tight end, McPhaul found the end zone on a play-action bootleg in the first quarter, but that didn’t translate into a bigger role. He was involved in only two offensive plays, while Oscar Hammond started and logged 51 snaps.
With Carson Kolb likely out for another week, Morris has made his preference clear: Hammond is his most capable pass-catching tight end. McPhaul still has value as a blocker and on designed plays, but right now Hammond is taking the bulk of the work.
There’s also a bigger picture here for Oklahoma State now that bowl eligibility is locked in. Morris has built this roster with experience in mind, whether through holdovers or the transfer portal, and he’s said that was the plan from the start.
He’s also said the younger players are getting work in Thursday scrimmages. With 15 more practices coming before the bowl game, those freshmen and sophomores should get even more development time as the staff starts looking ahead to 2027 and the roster turnover that will come after this season.
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Oklahoma State Just Delivered The Bounce-Back Cowboys Fans Needed
A needed reset arrived in emphatic fashion Saturday, when Oklahoma State buried Kansas State 66-28 and made the game feel out of reach before halftime. The Cowboys poured in 49 first-half points, and the offense had answers everywhere, from Caleb Hawkins piling up 246 total yards and four touchdowns to Drew Mestemaker throwing for 313 yards and three scores despite an interception.
The defense did its part, too, turning the night into a full-team response with three interceptions and steady pressure on the Kansas State quarterback. For a program looking for a jolt, this was the kind of performance that can change the tone around the locker room and the fan base, even if the bigger question is whether Oklahoma State can carry this version of itself forward. [Read more 🡒]
First Real Look At David Taylors Cowboys Starts Here
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The matchup is set for 2 p.m. CT and will stream on ESPN+, giving fans a first chance to see the Cowboys in a dual setting rather than just in preseason conversation. Oklahoma State is ranked No. 2 nationally to start the season, so even a November opener carries a little extra weight as the Cowboys begin sorting out how they stack up in the chase ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Just Gave Fans A New Reason To Revisit Expectations
A week after putting up a statement win, Oklahoma State is suddenly getting a different kind of attention. The Cowboys climbed 13 spots to No. 21 in ESPNs latest Football Power Index, a notable leap that reflects how much their recent surge has changed the national view of them.
The 66-28 rout of Kansas State was the kind of result that can reset expectations in a hurry, and the offense has been a big reason why. Oklahoma State now ranks third nationally in points scored, a number that suggests this team may be more than just a hot start, even as the top of the FPI stayed unchanged with Notre Dame still at No. 1 after beating Miami. [Read more 🡒]