Postgame notes - UCF - Oklahoma State University Athletics

No. 18/RV Oklahoma State vs. NR/NR UCF
October 10, 2026 | Stillwater, Okla. | Boone Pickens Stadium
Final Score: Oklahoma State 42, UCF 28
Attendance: 51,463

Game Flow

The two teams were evenly matched in the first half and went into the locker room deadlocked at 21. The Cowboys created all the space they needed with a 20-0 run to start the second half, which ballooned their advantage to 42-21. With the game out of reach, UCF scored a late touchdown to bring the final score to 42-28.

Key Statistics

UCF controlled time of possession in the game (35:15 to OSU's 24:45), but the Oklahoma State defense limited the Knights to only 2.7 yards per rush and 6.3 yards per pass.
- Oklahoma State averaged 6.9 yards per play, compared to just 4.5 for UCF.
The Cowboy defense held UCF running back Duke Watson to 79 yards on 21 carries, an average of 3.8 yards per attempt. Watson entered Saturday's contest third in the nation with an average of 8.2 yards per carry.
- Watson also ranked third in the Big 12 and 11th nationally for rushes over 10 yards, with 15. He managed only one 10-plus yard rush versus Oklahoma State.
Oklahoma State recorded six plays of 20 yards or more and held UCF to just three.
- Oklahoma State's biggest play of the day came on a 48-yard pass from Mestemaker to Miles Coleman with 10:18 left in the third, marking Coleman's longest reception as a Cowboy. His 69 total receiving yards also set an OSU-best for the junior.
The Cowboy defense held UCF scoreless in the third quarter, the sixth time this season that it has allowed zero points in a quarter.
Kicker Sam Keltner went 2-for-2 on field goal attempts, making a 40-yarder and a 29-yarder.
- Including Saturday's two, he is now 12-for-12 on field goal attempts to start his Oklahoma State career.
- 12 consecutive field goals matches the seventh-longest streak in school history and is the longest streak to start a Cowboy career. It's the longest streak since Tanner Brown made 16 straight in spanning the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
- Keltner is also 19-for-19 on PAT attempts.
The Knights entered the game ranking 11th in FBS and second in the Big 12 in interceptions heading into Saturday's contest. Despite that, Drew Mestemaker didn't throw an interception, and OSU only turned the ball over once with a fumble on the second play of the game.

Game Notes

Including Saturday's victory, Oklahoma State has won its last four games. OSU's last four-game winning streak extended from the final game of the 2023 season into the first four games of the 2024 campaign.
- The Cowboys are 2-0 to start Big 12 play for the first time since 2022.
The Cowboys continued a dominant string of offensive performances, picking up their third straight game with 40-plus points, and their fourth straight with 30-plus points.
- The Pokes put up 42 points on the day, marking the most points the Knights have given up all season and most since Nov. 15, 2025, against Texas Tech.
OSU put up 414 yards of total offense on UCF.
- That total eclipsed UCF's season average of 343.3 yards allowed per game.
Justin Bowick had six catches for 98 yards and a touchdown on Saturday to bring his season totals to 26 catches for 442 yards and five touchdowns.
- Prior to transferring to Oklahoma State, his most productive season was 35 catches for 499 yards and five touchdowns while at Eastern Illinois in 2023.
Bobby Deal returned a punt 21 yards in Saturday's game. On the year, OSU averages 15.5 yards per punt return on 11 attempts.
- 15.5 yards per punt return over the course of a season would rank fourth in school history. The record is 18.40 yards per punt return in 2008, spearheaded by return men Dez Bryant and Perrish Cox.
Left tackle Braydon Nelson made his first start in the Orange and Black.
Saturday marked the Cowboys' second straight game where the opponent scored first, yet they still went on to win.
OSU linebacker Tate Romney had a career performance against the Knights. He netted 14 total tackles, breaking his career high mark of 12, a record which he set just two weeks ago against West Virginia.
- Additionally, Romney tied his career high with six solo tackles and two tackles for loss, both of which he also set against West Virginia.
Ethan Wesloski recorded 17 total tackles for the second game in a row, tying his career high.
- Wesloski has led OSU in tackles four times through five games this season.
Wyatt Young has now scored a touchdown in four consecutive games for the first time in his career.
Justin Bowick hauled in a touchdown reception for the third straight game. Now with five on the season, the fifth-year senior has tied his season-high for receiving touchdowns in just five games.
Evan Jackson's fumble recovery touchdown in the fourth quarter marked the first fumble recovery touchdown by a Cowboy since Malcolm Rodriguez on Sep. 25, 2021, against No. 25 Kansas State. It also marked the first non-offensive touchdown this season for OSU. In addition, it's Jackson's first fumble recovery and defensive touchdown of his collegiate career.
The Cowboys had 22 first downs in the contest. They've had 20-plus in every game this season, matching last year's total.
Cameron Epps capped off the Cowboy victory with an interception on the last play of the game. It was Epps' first interception since Oct. 28, 2023, against Cincinnati.
OSU kept up its clean play, only netting three penalties on the day and improving to 3-0 when committing fewer than six fouls.
Despite losing the time-of-possession battle by over 10 minutes, the Cowboys still claimed victory, improving to 2-0 when trailing in time of possession.
UCF has now lost 12 consecutive road games.
Saturday's game marked Oklahoma State's second consecutive home sellout.
Oklahoma State "Striped the Stadium" for Saturday's contest, with sections alternating between fans dressed in orange and fans dressed in black.
Saturday's game marked UCF's first trip to Stillwater. The previous two matchups between Oklahoma State and UCF were played in Orlando.
As part of Saturday's game, the Oklahoma State Athletics Hall of Honor class of 2026 was recognized on the field. The class consists of Hunter Mahan (men's golf), Tony Allen (men's basketball), Chase Jackson (women's track and field), Vanessa Shippy-Fletcher (softball) and James Washington (football)
- Washington was a first-team All-American who won the 2017 Biletnikoff Award presented to the nation's top receiver. Prior to the game, he led the sellout crowd in OSU's traditional "Orange Power" chant.

The Oklahoma State Win...

Marked the 50th career win as a head coach for Eric Morris.
Improved it to 4-1 or better for the first time since 2022.
Marked its first against UCF.
Improved Eric Morris to 4-1 as Oklahoma State's head coach.
Improved Eric Morris to 3-0 in home games as OSU's head coach.
Improved Eric Morris to 50-35 in his head coaching career.
Improved Eric Morris to 35-22 in conference games.
Improved Eric Morris to 2-0 in Big 12 conference games.
Improved Eric Morris to 1-0 against UCF.
Improved its all-time record against UCF to 1-2.
Improved its all-time record against UCF in Stillwater to 1-0.
Improved its home record against teams from the state of Florida to 3-1.
Marked its 138th win since the beginning of the 2010 season, ranking among the top 15 in the FBS.

Notable Streaks and Trends

Dating back to 2008, OSU is 84-14 when winning the turnover battle.
Drew Mestemaker has passed for at least 200 yards in 20-straight games - the longest active streak in the FBS. He's passed for at least 250 yards in nine of his past 10 games.
Mestemaker has thrown at least one touchdown in 19 of his past 20 games.
Miles Coleman has at least one catch in each of his past 24 games played.
Wyatt Young has at least one catch in each of his past 20 games played.
Caleb Hawkins has at least one catch in 17 of his past 18 games played.
Chris Barnes has at least one catch in each of his past 16 games played.
Ethan Wesloski has made at least one tackle in 44 consecutive games, including every game he's played since the beginning of the 2023 season. He's had at least three tackles in 16 straight games.
Jack Puckett has made at least one tackle in 35 of the 39 games of his career and at least three tackles in 30 games. He played at the Div. II level until 2026.
Isaiah Chisom has made at least two tackles in 31 straight games.
Quinton Hammonds has made at least two tackles in 16 straight games.
Jaleel Johnson has made at least two tackles in 12 of his past 14 games.
LaDainian Fields has started 11 straight games for OSU, the longest streak of any player on the roster.

Oklahoma State University Athletics

Postgame notes - UCF

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Players Mentioned

Chris Barnes

Justin Bowick

Isaiah Chisom

Miles Coleman

Cameron Epps

LaDainian Fields

Quinton Hammonds

Caleb Hawkins

Evan Jackson

Jaleel Johnson

Sam Keltner

Drew Mestemaker

Braydon Nelson

Jack Puckett

Tate Romney

Ethan Wesloski

Wyatt Young

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