Well, what can Oklahoma State do for an encore?
Following an ugly season-opening 24-10 loss to Tulsa, the Cowboys (1-1) stunned the college football world by upsetting then-No. 6 Oregon 39-31 at home last week to snap a 21-game losing streak against FBS opponents.
Oklahoma State hopes to avoid a big letdown following that upset when it hosts FCS opponent Murray State (1-2) on Saturday night in Stillwater, Okla.
“I’ll look back on this some point later in life,” first-year Cowboys head coach Eric Morris said. “Like, we’re going to have to be really good as coaches this week because everybody’s going to tell them how good they are now all of a sudden and you know all this stuff switches.”
The win validated the optimism around the program in the offseason since the hiring of Morris, who guided North Texas to an 11-2 season in 2025.
Morris brought with him highly regarded transfer quarterback Drew Mestemaker, who has completed 59.8% of his passes for 558 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions through two games.
Mestemaker also can make plays with his feet, running for a 75-yard gain to set up the Cowboys’ first touchdown against Oregon.
Oklahoma State has turned its attention to Murray State, which scored its first win of 2026 last Saturday against Valparaiso after losses to Eastern Illinois and Middle Tennessee.
Murray State had success running the ball against Valparaiso, producing 194 yards rushing, led by 117 yards from Tyrell Campbell on 14 carries.
If the Racers can replicate that success on the ground, that could help them to keep Mestemaker and OK State’s dangerous offense off of the field. Murray State also needs to capitalize on its scoring opportunities. The Racers scored four times in five trips to the red zone against Valparaiso.
“We don’t have a lot of guys, probably, on their third or fourth year, but we’ve got a lot of guys growing,” Murray State coach Jody Wright said of his team. “A lot of guys on their second year playing. But I think they’re going to continue to get better.”
–Field Level Media
