STILLWATER - Malik Charles arrived at Oklahoma State knowing the Cowboys were in a rough spot. What he couldn’t know when he signed on ahead of the 2025 season was just how deep the downturn would go before the program finally caught its breath.
By the time Saturday rolled around, Charles and the rest of OSU’s 2025 group had lived through the historic 69-3 loss at Oregon and the home defeat to Tulsa. So when the Cowboys stunned then-No. 6 Oregon and the fans spilled onto the field, it landed hard for the defensive end.
“Yeah, this one was very personal,” Charles said. “After you lose by 66 points to somebody and they’re talking, like you see all this stuff that is being said about you guys as a team.
“Us playing them and being able to beat them this year, it meant a lot not only for me, but for the guys on last year’s team who aren’t playing no more. Like Aden Kelley, (Sitiveni Havili Kaufusi), all the D-linemen that played in that game last year that weren’t able to win. That game was for them.”
Charles didn’t pile up a huge stat line in the upset, but his impact showed up in the kind of snap that changes a game’s temperature. He finished with two tackles in 16 snaps, and one of them was a 5-yard sack on Dante Moore that looked almost casual - as if he either shoulder-driven the Oregon quarterback down or snatched him up one-handed.
“He bullrushes their 340-pound offensive tackle and throws him by and is able to obviously make a sack,” OSU defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity said. “And it set the tempo for the day, it really did. The physicality and effort that those guys were going to play with.”
Charles said that play stood out above everything else he’s done in an Oklahoma State uniform.
“Not only because it was in a big game, but it was just a packed BPS stadium,” Charles said. “Like it was electric, and it was surreal.
Honestly, I couldn’t hear myself when I had the sack. I kind of blacked out.
I was just running around, and then I came off to the sideline, took my helmet off, and I was like, ‘Man, that really just happened.’”
The moment carried extra weight because it came in a Boone Pickens Stadium atmosphere that felt very different from the one Charles had grown used to. Oklahoma State drew crowds last season, but this was a different kind of scene - and a different kind of celebration.
For Charles, the win also answered any lingering fear that the Tulsa loss meant more pain was coming. He said he trusted what he had seen all summer from Drew and the offense, and he believed the defense’s job was to put them in better position.
“I’ve practiced against Drew and that offense this whole summer, and I know what they’re able to do,” he said. “Yeah, that Tulsa game was frustrating, but I know we all would want to have it back.
I knew after that game, we were just gonna have to attack this next week because I knew if we got Drew and [the offense the ball back], they were gonna be fine, they were gonna be on point. My whole goal last week was just try to get the defense on point, so that we would be able to give them the ball, and that’s what we went out and did.”
That undersells what the defense actually pulled off. Oklahoma State held Oregon to 4.8 yards per play, a sharp drop from what the Ducks had been producing. Oregon averaged 7.9 yards per play against Boise State and 6.9 overall last season, after putting up 10.2 against OSU in the previous meeting.
Only two teams were better than the Cowboys at slowing Oregon down last season: Indiana, which allowed 4.2 in the first meeting, and Texas Tech, which gave up 3.8 in the playoffs.
That kind of company didn’t seem to matter much to Charles in the moment. What mattered was the crowd, the field storm, and the sense that something had finally broken loose for a team and a fan base that had been carrying a heavy load.
“It felt like it was a win for the whole Cowboy fanbase as well,” Charles said. “We haven’t had a win in a long time around here, so it just felt like a weight was lifted off. I kind of got emotional after the game because it meant so much.”
In Other News...
Oregon State Heads To Montana With One Offensive Question Looming
Through the first two games, Oregon State has leaned on its defense to keep things steady while the offense searches for a more reliable rhythm. Head coach Jamarcus Shephard has pointed to the running game as the area that needs the biggest lift heading into the trip to Montana, and the Beavers have options there with several backs vying to make a mark. At the same time, the passing game has been built around spreading the ball around to multiple receivers, with Jesse Legree, Aeryn Hampton and Aaron Butler all part of that mix.
On the other side of the ball, the defense has already given Oregon State plenty to like, from impactful plays by Bailey to encouraging early growth in the secondary. Montana gives the Beavers a chance to keep that momentum rolling, but it also puts a spotlight on an offense that still has one obvious question hanging over it. If the ground game can settle in, it could change the feel of the whole trip. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State Faces An Early Home Test It Cannot Afford To Fail
Oregon State heads into its meeting with Montana carrying an early-season sense of urgency, and not just because it has already had to reset after a tough opener. Under Jamarcus Shephard, the Beavers are still trying to get the first win of a new era, which puts extra attention on how cleanly they handle a game that should tell them plenty about their defensive structure, their offensive rhythm and the general level of discipline they can bring from one snap to the next.
Montana brings a run game and a few names that demand attention, with Eli Gillman and Jesse Legree among the players Oregon State will have to account for throughout the afternoon. For the Beavers, the challenge is as much mental as tactical, because a home game like this can turn quickly if communication breaks down or the edges of the defense get loose, and this is the kind of test they cannot afford to let drift into something more complicated than it needs to be. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State Gets An Early Test From A Montana Team Worth Respecting
Montana is arriving in Corvallis with enough credibility to make Oregon State pay attention, and thats part of what makes this early-season matchup interesting. The Grizzlies have a long enough track record in FCS circles to understand how to handle an FBS trip, and the conversation around them this week has centered on continuity after a coaching change, a sturdy running game and a defense that has shown both quality and some vulnerable spots.
For Oregon State, the challenge is less about the logo on Montanas helmet and more about a team that still brings real structure and experience into a Power conference setting. Frank Gogolas look at the Grizzlies points to a roster that has stayed intact through the transition and a group that can test the Beavers in ways that are easy to overlook if you just glance at the schedule. The intrigue now is whether Montana can turn that stability into an upset bid, or whether Oregon State turns a respectable test into the kind of win it needs to set an early tone. [Read more 🡒]