STILLWATER, Okla. - Oklahoma State kept leaning on its high-powered offense Saturday, but it was the defense that flipped the game late and carried the Cowboys past UCF 42-28.
The biggest swing came in the fourth quarter. With Oklahoma State up 28-21, UCF’s Keyone Jenkins threw a backwards pass that Evan Jackson scooped up and returned 28 yards for a touchdown. The score pushed the Cowboys ahead 35-21 with 10:32 left and gave the home team the cushion it needed to finish off its fourth straight win.
“Just a really heads up play by Evan, Johnny on the spot,” Morris said. “We teach that, right?
And it was super close. I had a great vision of it right down the line and, you know, kudos to the referee staff for letting that play out.”
That defensive play mattered because Oklahoma State entered the day ranked second nationally in total offense. The Cowboys’ attack still did plenty of damage, though, with Drew Mestemaker throwing for 304 yards and two touchdowns while also running for a score.
Oklahoma State improved to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the Big 12, and the No. 18 Cowboys kept rolling behind a balanced performance that was more than enough against a UCF team that got strong numbers from its quarterback. Jenkins threw for 265 yards and four touchdowns, and Josh Derry caught 11 passes for 84 yards and a score.
The opening minutes, however, belonged to the Knights after a rare mistake by Caleb Hawkins. On Oklahoma State’s first drive, Hawkins lost a fumble on his first carry of the game, ending a streak of more than 350 college touches without a turnover.
Hawkins didn’t let the play snowball. He regrouped and finished with 83 yards on 23 carries and 32 receiving yards without another turnover.
"There's nobody in that stadium, including myself, that was more upset about that play than Caleb Hawkins," Morris said. "He knew he let the team down in that situation, right? He wore it kind of heavy there on the sideline, and I told him, 'Hey, I'm coming right back to you.'"
UCF turned that early break into points when Grayson Brousseau caught a 1-yard touchdown pass from Jenkins to capitalize on the short field.
From there, the first half turned into a back-and-forth shootout. The teams traded scores and went to halftime tied 21-21 before Oklahoma State pulled away after the break.
The Cowboys’ defense set the tone in the second half by limiting UCF to seven points. That was enough to swing a game that stayed lively right up to the finish.
Mestemaker nearly added another highlight in the final minute, firing toward the end zone on a play that ended with Terrance Lewis catching the ball out of bounds. A late hit on Lewis by UCF’s DJ Bell went uncalled, drawing boos from the Oklahoma State crowd with 15 seconds left.
"That's Drew," Morris said of the decision to throw. "I told Drew to read it.
Sometimes, there's automatic hand tags. Sometimes if they're going to zero out everything, then we're going to take a shot."
In Other News...
Oklahoma State Has A Chad Weiberg Problem It Still Wont Address
Oklahoma States recent run of good energy around its athletic programs has been interrupted by something far more awkward in Stillwater: uncertainty at the top of the department. Athletic director Chad Weiberg has become the subject of reports suggesting his future could be in jeopardy, with talk circulating around whether he could be fired or shifted into a different role. For a school trying to build on momentum, the silence around the situation has become almost as notable as the speculation itself.
What makes the matter linger is how little clarity has followed the initial reporting. Weiberg has not received any public statement of confidence or no-confidence from the university administration, leaving the question hanging in the open while the rumors continue to swirl. Until Oklahoma State decides to address it directly, the athletic department is left operating under a cloud that could eventually prove more disruptive than any on-field setback. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Just Got A Big Opening Against UCF
Fridays availability reports gave Oklahoma State a cleaner-looking path heading into Saturdays meeting with UCF. The Cowboys had two players moved up to probable, a small but useful sign as they head into a game where health could matter on both sides of the ball, while the Knights report pointed to a roster that may be stretched in some key spots.
UCFs list of unavailable players was long enough to raise real questions about depth, especially up front and at quarterback. For Oklahoma State, that kind of injury report can change the tone of a matchup quickly, because it suggests opportunities to pressure the line of scrimmage and force a team already dealing with personnel shortages to piece things together on the fly. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Is Starting To Look Different When Games Get Tight
Close games have started to look a little different around Boone Pickens Stadium, and Oklahoma State gave another example in its 42-28 win over UCF. The Cowboys and Knights traded momentum in a game full of lead changes, turnovers and missed field goals, the kind of messier fourth-quarter football that has often gone against Oklahoma State in recent seasons.
Drew Mestemaker was central to why this one tilted the Cowboys way, while UCF quarterback Keyone Jenkins kept the Knights in it with four touchdown passes. For UCF, the loss stretched a road skid that has become a real burden away from home, while for Oklahoma State it offered another sign that when the game tightens, the finish is beginning to look more dependable. [Read more 🡒]