Oklahoma State’s next trip back to Boone Pickens Stadium comes with an early alarm.
The Big 12 set the Cowboys’ Week 6 matchup against UCF for 11 a.m. on either ESPN or ESPN2, part of the league’s schedule release for the weekend of Oct. 10. Oklahoma State is idle this coming weekend before welcoming the Knights to Stillwater.
That kickoff lands in a packed conference slate. Iowa State visits BYU on Friday night at 9:15 p.m. on ESPN, while Arizona travels to West Virginia at 11 a.m.
Saturday on TNT. Houston hosts Kansas State at 2:30 p.m.
Saturday on FOX, Kansas plays at Utah at 9:15 p.m. Saturday on ESPN, and Hawaii heads to Arizona State for a 9:30 p.m.
Saturday start on FS1.
It will be Oklahoma State’s first true morning kick of the season. The Cowboys were slated for an early start against Oregon in Week 2, but lightning pushed that game back.
UCF will come into Stillwater with some momentum, though the Knights also have a big game ahead before then. They travel to Houston this weekend to face the No. 20 Cougars in an 11 a.m. kickoff.
The Knights are 3-1 after a 21-13 win over TCU in Orlando last weekend. They’ve been doing it without starting quarterback Alonza Barnett III, who is sidelined with a hamstring injury and has an uncertain return timeline.
In Barnett’s place, UCF has leaned on FIU transfer Keyone Jenkins. The 6-foot, 200-pound senior has thrown for 288 yards, three touchdowns and one interception on 30 completions this season.
The matchup also brings a first to Stillwater: UCF has never played there before. Oklahoma State has gone to Orlando twice since the Knights entered the Big 12, and both times UCF came out on top. That includes the 45-3 monsoon game after the final Bedlam, along with last season’s 17-14 Knights win.
In Other News...
Oregon State Heads To Colorado State With One Big Depth Concern
Oregon States trip to Colorado State comes with the usual road-game challenges, but the bigger question for JaMarcus Shephard is how much help hell have at cornerback. The Beavers coach laid out the injury picture in his pregame update and made clear that depth in the secondary is an issue worth watching, even as the team tries to keep its focus on the matchup ahead and not the noise around it.
Shephard also touched on how the group has responded to previous game situations and what it will be walking into in Fort Collins, where he expects a strong crowd. The Beavers are still sorting through a few injury-related questions, including several defensive backs whose availability could shape the way Oregon State handles Colorado States offense. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State Opens New Era With A Road Test That Could Get Tricky
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Even with the uncertainty that comes with a new era, Colorado State has enough offensive pieces to make this one interesting for Oregon State. The bigger question is whether the Beavers can sort through the chaos fast enough to take advantage of a defense still trying to find its footing, because if the game tilts into a higher-scoring track meet, the pressure on Oregon States first road test of the season only grows. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State Enters Pac-12 Play With A Secondary Problem It Can't Ignore
With Pac-12 play arriving, Oregon States attention has shifted to a secondary issue it can no longer afford to paper over. The Beavers are thin at cornerback because of injuries, leaving only five scholarship players available at the position as the schedule turns toward conference competition. Coaches JaMarcus Shephard and Mike MacIntyre have been working through the depth concerns while also trying to keep the group moving forward on development.
Trey Glasper is expected to be available for the upcoming game, which is a small boost for a unit that needs bodies as much as it needs experience. The tougher news is the situation around Noble Thomas Jr., whose setback has complicated an already tight rotation and left Oregon State searching for stability at a spot where every healthy practice rep matters. [Read more 🡒]
