No. 18 Oklahoma State walked into Houston unbeaten in Big 12 play and walked out with a 35-32 loss that exposed plenty, even in a game packed with fireworks from start to finish.
The Cowboys are now 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the league after suffering their first defeat since the season opener against Tulsa. Houston, ranked No. 20, improved to 6-1 and 3-1, and kept its realistic path to the Big 12 title game alive with a win in front of a sold-out crowd.
What made this one impossible to ignore was the quarterback duel. Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker and Houston’s Conner Weigman delivered well beyond the huge numbers that looked possible before kickoff.
Mestemaker finished with 365 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception, adding 34 rushing yards. Weigman countered with 343 passing yards, five touchdown passes and 52 yards on the ground.
Between them, they accounted for 794 yards of offense.
That’s the kind of production that can overwhelm a defense, and Oklahoma State spent most of the night trying to keep up. Mestemaker and Weigman each had mistakes - Mestemaker had two turnovers, Weigman one - but both were also capable of making a lot of difficult plays look routine.
The bigger issue for the Cowboys was self-inflicted damage. Oklahoma State entered the game as one of the least penalized teams in the country, averaging just over four flags per game, but it was hit with nine against Houston. A few of them were especially costly, including Christian Bodnar’s blindside block and a pass interference call in the end zone.
Defensively, the Cowboys also gave up 505 total yards and too many explosive plays. The problem wasn’t simply missed tackles; it was the way Houston found space in the secondary.
Seams stayed open, receivers got behind coverage, and defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity had to lean on blitzes more than usual. Oklahoma State also failed on all three of Houston’s fourth-down tries, including one that ended in a touchdown.
For all of that, the game still remained there to be won. That’s what will sting most for OSU. There were too many mistakes, too much sloppiness, and just enough offense to keep it competitive anyway.
One bright spot came from Caleb Hawkins, and it showed up late in the second half. Oklahoma State had trouble getting him going on the ground, which was expected against a Houston run defense that has been strong.
So the Cowboys changed tack and used him as a receiver out of the backfield on screens and wheel routes. It paid off.
Hawkins led the team with seven catches for 125 yards, and his 66-yard touchdown catch was a major swing play at the time.
Using Hawkins that way helped open things up for Justin Bowick and Wyatt Young, and it also forced Houston’s banged-up secondary to react underneath before the Cowboys attacked downfield. Hawkins was a real weapon in that role at North Texas, and Saturday’s game offered a reminder that Oklahoma State can benefit from leaning on him there more often.
The defeat arrived at a time when the mood around the program had been upbeat, especially after the win over Oregon. Earlier in the day, Oklahoma State also picked up a commitment from Tennessee three-star defensive tackle Keilan Neal, who visited Stillwater for the UCF game.
Even with the loss, the Big 12 path is still there. Oklahoma State can still reach Arlington for the conference title game, but the margin for error is shrinking.
The next three games will say plenty: Colorado comes to Stillwater next, followed by road trips to Iowa State and Kansas State. If the Cowboys run that stretch, they’ll be 5-1 when Texas Tech comes to town on Nov.
For now, the bigger question is how they answer this setback. The four-game winning streak is over, and the response against Colorado will reveal plenty about where Oklahoma State’s head is after a night that had all the scoring, and all the mistakes, to leave an impression.
In Other News...
Oklahoma State Let A Huge Road Opportunity Slip Away Late
No. 20 Houston and No. 18 Oklahoma State staged the kind of Big 12 shootout that can turn on one possession, and for much of the night the Cowboys looked capable of turning a difficult road trip into a signature win. Oklahoma State had to chase the game at TDECU Stadium, but Drew Mestemaker kept it alive with a second-half rally that produced 365 passing yards and three touchdowns, giving the Cowboys every chance to leave with a result that would have changed the feel of their season.
Instead, the late moments swung the other way in a 35-32 loss that left Oklahoma State at 4-2 and Houston at 6-1. The Cowboys got close enough to make the finish tense, but Houston found the answer it needed and then managed the clock, a frustrating ending for a team that had already done so much to climb back into the game. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Let A Winnable Game Slip Away On Defense
Oklahoma States four-game winning streak ended in a frustrating 35-32 loss to Houston, and the biggest issue was one the Cowboys couldnt quite get off the field. The defense struggled with time of possession and missed tackles, letting Houston stay on schedule and extend drives in a game that was there to be taken.
The Cowboys did get a second-half spark from Drew Mestemaker, who passed for 365 yards, and the offense showed enough life to make it a true late-game battle. But Oklahoma State never fully cashed in on its chances, and one critical red-zone trip helped leave the result hanging just out of reach. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Fans May See The Playoff Very Differently Soon
ESPNs report of an in-principle television deal for a 24-team College Football Playoff has a way of changing how seasons get judged, especially for programs outside the very top tier. For Oklahoma State, the discussion matters because the Cowboys have never reached the current four-team field, even in years when they were squarely in the mix for a major postseason run.
Under the expanded setup, the path to the playoff would look much different for teams like Oklahoma State, with far more room for a strong season to still turn into a national title chase. The format is aimed at beginning in 2027 if the remaining approvals come through, and its exactly the kind of shift that could make the postseason feel a lot more reachable in Stillwater. [Read more 🡒]