Oklahoma State’s homecoming night turned into a showcase, and the Cowboys made the second half look easy after trailing by four late in the second quarter. By the time it was over Saturday night at Boone Pickens Stadium, OSU had rolled past Colorado 57-24.
For Eric Morris, the night carried some extra meaning. It was his first homecoming experience, and he made it clear the weekend left an impression.
“It’s a great homecoming win. It’s my first experience.
I’ve seen it forever, but just about what loyal and true actually means here - and it’s something that I hear all the time, and just to see this weekend and to see the festivities. Our crowd was phenomenal, especially in the third quarter.
It was so loud in there. It caused them to get into a really third-and-long situation just because of how loud we were.”
Morris also pointed to the defense, which settled in after a shaky first half against the pass.
“I was super-proud of the defense in the second half. I thought it was a lackluster performance in the first half as far as defending the pass.
We challenged them. We came out and had a couple of interceptions.
We should have had more. We dropped two more interceptions.
I’m proud of them. I’m excited.
It’s something for us to continue to build on.”
That defensive surge included a big second half, plus the kind of disruptive plays that tilted the game. Oklahoma State won the turnover battle 3-0, set a season high with nine tackles for loss and got its first forced fumble of the season when Jerry Lawson hit Colorado quarterback Isaac Wilson on a scramble and Quinton Hammonds recovered. That came on the first play of the second half, and three snaps later the Cowboys had an offensive touchdown.
LaDainian Fields also had a huge night, picking off two passes to push his season total to four. He became the first Cowboy with two interceptions in a game since Trey Rucker against No. 12 Utah in 2024.
The offense, meanwhile, kept piling up numbers. Drew Mestemaker completed 21 of 36 passes for 386 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. It was his sixth straight 300-yard passing game, the second-longest streak in school history, behind Mason Rudolph’s seven straight spanning the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
OSU also turned in one of those rare all-around stat lines that jumps off the page: a 300-yard passer, a 100-yard rusher and a 100-yard receiver in the same game for the third time this season. Mestemaker handled the passing, Caleb Hawkins ran for 120 yards and Justin Bowick hauled in 138 receiving yards.
Hawkins, in particular, drew praise from Morris after doing damage as both a runner and a receiver. He finished with 120 rushing yards and 72 receiving yards.
“Yeah, I mean, kid’s such a gamer. There's not one thing that's weak about his game.
If you look at it as a ballcarrier, if you look at his pass protection, by far maybe the best back I've ever coached in pass protection, and that's one thing that doesn't really get talked about. He picked up a couple blitzes for some great passes down the field tonight, and then, he's kind of proven that he's an asset as a receiver, too.
So I just think we'll continue to find ways to get him the ball in a variety of different ways, but I think he's so unselfish and does all the little things the right way, and that's the coolest part about Caleb, in my opinion. More so even than the stats that show up week by week.”
Justin Bowick added another layer to the night with a 14-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter. He now has scored in five straight games.
And then there was Sam Keltner, who matched a school record by making five field goals - from 21, 30, 30, 41 and 47 yards. The streak extended his season run to 18 straight makes, tying the longest streak in school history and giving him the longest such start to a Cowboy career. He also tied a school record held by Alex Hale, Quinn Sharp and Larry Roach.
“It’s special. I grew up a Cowboys fan, so I watched him with Dallas, and I walk by his Lou Groza (Award) every day. So I know a lot about that guy, and I mean, just even being in the same conversation as him is pretty cool.”
Oklahoma State’s 57 points were its most against a Big 12 opponent since the 63-17 win over TCU on November 13, 2021. The Cowboys’ six touchdowns came from six different players, another sign of how many different ways they had Colorado guessing all night.
Colorado coach Deion Sanders came away impressed with the setting, even if the result didn’t go his way.
“First of all, it’s a beautiful stadium. A lot of these schools I had never been to, so I’m always enamored by the beauty.
The scoreboard is unbelievable. I think it’s a heck of a scoreboard, and the atmosphere was great.
It was great. I think they put on the scoreboard some of the NBA team’s at the game, and that’s awesome to see them come and support the collegiate players.
That is awesome. But it was a great atmosphere.
Wish it would have turned out differently.”
The homecoming win improved Oklahoma State to 58-40-6 in homecoming games, with seven wins in its past 10. Colorado, meanwhile, managed just 56 rushing yards, the lowest total Oklahoma State has allowed in a game this season.
For a team that trailed in the second quarter, the finish looked awfully convincing. And for Morris, the night delivered the kind of homecoming scene he had heard about long before he ever lived it.
In Other News...
Steve Lutz Has An Early Oklahoma State Guard Decision To Make
Steve Lutz has spent the early stretch of preseason trying to figure out how his newest Oklahoma State team will come together, and the guard rotation is one of the first real decisions on his desk. Lutz believes he has his best offensive group yet as he works toward getting the Cowboys back to the NCAA Tournament, but after a pair of scrimmages, he is still sorting out how much responsibility to hand true freshman Anthony Felisi. The young guard has already flashed the kind of defensive energy that can make a coach lean in, while also contributing enough on offense to stay in the conversation.
The bigger question is how Felisi fits once the roster is fully available and the experienced guards settle into their usual roles. Oklahoma State has depth at the position, which makes every minute a little harder to win, and Lutzs choice will depend as much on health as it does on trust and timing. Felisi has given the staff reasons to keep watching closely, and the early read on his role could say a lot about how Lutz wants this team to play once the games count. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Faces One Last Chance To Answer A Growing Concern
Oklahoma State gets one more preseason test before the games start counting, and it comes in a tough setting against Wisconsin at the Kohl Center. The Cowboys have already worked through two exhibition tuneups, and they have at least seen encouraging production from guard Kashie Natt as they continue sorting out roles and rhythm ahead of the regular season.
Wisconsin brings its own momentum into the matchup after winning both of its preseason exhibitions, though this will be its first chance to see a power-conference opponent this fall. For Oklahoma State, the backdrop is simple enough: another live look at where the roster stands, another chance to sharpen the details, and a final exhibition spotlight that will be easy to follow on B1G+, the Cowboy Radio Network and the Varsity Network app. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Has New Names Pushing For Bigger Roles After Colorado
Oklahoma States rout of Colorado did more than keep the Cowboys in the Big 12 race, it also gave a few lesser-known names a chance to show where they fit as the season gets late. The win was big enough to strengthen the teams standing for the conference title chase, but the more interesting follow-up has been how the staff can now sort through who earned a larger say in the rotation after that performance.
Braydon Nelsons rise is one of the cleaner examples of that momentum, and William Mason added to it by scoring his first touchdown while carving out more snaps through his special teams work. LaDainian Fields helped the defense with interceptions, Lawson came up with a key play, and the depth chart still has a few questions attached to it, including the status of Ayo Adeyi, making this one of those weeks where the box score only tells part of the story. [Read more 🡒]