Oklahoma State’s 59-0 win over Murray State gave the Cowboys a chance to rotate bodies, and it also came with a handful of notable absences.
Wide receiver Chris Barnes dressed for warmups but never got into the game after leaving last week’s win against Oregon with an apparent shoulder injury. Eric Morris said after Saturday’s game that Barnes was a “game-time decision” and noted that he did practice this past week.
With Barnes out, sophomore Terrence Lewis stepped into a bigger role and delivered. He finished with two catches for 49 yards and his first touchdown as a Cowboy.
Other players on the two-deep who sat out Saturday were offensive lineman Joseph Hanson, tight end Oscar Hammond, defensive tackle Iman Oates and defensive tackle Braylon Rigsby.
Morris said Tuesday that Hammond has returned to practice. He still hasn’t played for Oklahoma State yet after missing all of last season and the start of this year because of injury. His most recent game action came under Morris at UNT in 2024, when the Collinsville alum was the Mean Green’s top tight end and caught 19 passes for 238 yards and a touchdown.
Hanson and Oates both were hurt in the Oregon game. Morris said Tuesday that Oates was mad they wouldn’t let him go back into that game, which points to Saturday’s absence being more precautionary than anything. Even without him, the Cowboys’ defense handled Murray State, limiting the Racers to 3.3 yards per carry on 23 rushing attempts.
Hanson, a Coastal Carolina transfer, was the second starting offensive lineman to get hurt, along with Jacob Sexton. Oklahoma State adjusted by moving Johnny Dickson III from left guard to right guard and sliding Desmond Magiya into the left side.
Morris sounded optimistic that both Oates and Hanson could be back soon.
“I think both of those guys should be up practicing next week,” Morris said. “Obviously they’ll have to prove throughout the week that they can manage a game load, and we’ll have to make a decision later in the week.”
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