Oklahoma State hosts UCF for Big 12 home opener

Complete notes available here

The Basics
The Oklahoma State football team (3-1 overall; 1-0 Big 12), fresh off its lone open week of the 2026 season, hosts UCF (3-2 overall; 1-1 Big 12) Saturday in the Cowboys' first home conference game of the year. It marks UCF's first trip to Stillwater, as well as the fourth time overall and the first time since 2007 that a team from Florida has played in Stillwater. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CT at Boone Pickens Stadium.

Stripe the Stadium - Orange and Black
Saturday marks OSU's 2026 "Stripe the Stadium" game, and fans are encouraged to wear orange or black clothing depending on their seat location. A color-coded stadium map is available on the football schedule at www.okstate.com and on the official social media pages for OSU Athletics and Cowboy Football.

Season Tickets Sold Out - Limited Number of Single-Game Tickets Still Available
Season tickets are sold out to Oklahoma State football games this year, but there are still opportunities to get tickets to see the Cowboys in Stillwater. With four home games remaining and the Homecoming matchup against Colorado sold out, a three-game mini-pack is the best way to get in to the games with remaining ticket inventory. It provides access to the October 10 game against UCF, the November 1 game against Texas Tech and the November 28 game against Kansas. Single-game tickets can also be purchased to each of those games. Tickets are available at www.okstate.com/tickets or by contacting the ticket office at 877-ALL-4-OSU. Fans can still secure their tickets to sold out games through SeatGeek, the official secondary partner of OSU Athletics.

On the Air
The game will be televised live on ESPN2 with Lowell Galindo, Kirk Morrison and Dawn Davenport on the call. It will also be carried live on the Cowboy Radio Network, with Dave Hunziker handling play-by-play, John Holcomb providing analysis and Deion Imade reporting from the sideline. Fans outside of the Cowboy Radio Network can listen to the OSU broadcast for free through The Varsity Network app.

The Series
Saturday's game marks the third game between Oklahoma State and UCF in a series that began in 2023, with UCF claiming the first two. This year's game is the first time the teams have met in Stillwater. It marks just the fourth time that a team from Florida has played in Stillwater, as the Cowboys previously hosted Florida State in 1977 and Florida Atlantic in 2006 and 2007. Eric Morris has never faced UCF as a head coach and UCF's Scott Frost is 1-0 in his head coaching career against Oklahoma State.

In the Rankings
The Oklahoma State football team is ranked No. 18 in the AP Top 25 and is receiving votes in the US LBM Coaches Poll, reaching the equivalent of No. 26. It marks OSU's highest AP ranking since September 15, 2024, when it was No. 14. With the exception of last year, the Cowboys have been ranked at some point in every season since 2008. Including the 2026 season, Oklahoma State has been ranked in the top 15 of the Associated Press poll in 15 of the past 19 seasons and has reached the top 10 in 11 of those 19 years. Although the first College Football Playoff rankings won't be released until November, it's worth noting that OSU has been part of the CFP rankings in eight of the past 11 seasons entering 2026. The Cowboys have also been included in 43 of the all-time CFP Rankings, which ranks among the most appearances in the country. UCF is not ranked.

Oklahoma State from a Distance
After not winning a conference game in 2024 or 2025, Oklahoma State essentially pushed the reset button for the 2026 season. OSU brought in head coach Eric Morris to take the reins of the Cowboy program, and he then brought in more than 40 new staff members and 91 new players to build a fresh foundation for the future. The 91 newcomers are strongly believed to be the most on one team in the history of major college football, surpassing Colorado's 87 in 2023. They came with experience, too, as the Cowboys added more than 45,000 Division I snaps of experience to bring their team total to nearly 55,000.

It didn't take long for the new group to make a big impact - in game two Oklahoma State became the first team in college football history to end a double-digit losing streak against an AP top-10 team. OSU's win over No. 6 Oregon earned a long list of accolades, including OSU being named the FWAA's Pop Tarts Bowl Crazy Good Team of the Week and many national honors for quarterback Drew Mestemaker. The Cowboys built on that a 59-0 win over Murray State and then a 41-24 win at then-unbeaten West Virginia to earn its first AP ranking in two years.

OSU's offense has produced 2,193 yards to mark its most through four games since 2017. It is ranked No. 2 in the FBS in total offense (548.3), No. 7 in passing offense (327.0), No. 8 in tackles for loss allowed (2.5), No. 11 in sacks allowed (0.75) and No. 23 in rushing offense (221.3). The Cowboys also boast the only trio in the FBS to rank among the FBS top 15 in passing, rushing and receiving yards per game in Drew Mestemaker, Caleb Hawkins and Wyatt Young.

On defense, the Cowboys rank No. 2 in the nation in red zone defense (.600), No. 8 in the FBS in fewest first downs allowed (61), No. 12 in fourth down defense (.222). No. 15 in passing defense (158.5) and No. 16 in third down defense (.278).

The Only FBS Team with a Top-15 Passer, Rusher and Receiver
The Cowboys have the only trio in the FBS that ranks among the FBS top 15 in passing, rushing and receiving yards per game in Drew Mestemaker, Caleb Hawkins and Wyatt Young.

Player	Stat	Value	FBS Rank
Drew Mestemaker	Passing Yards Per Game	317.8	2
Caleb Hawkins	Rushing Yards Per Game	110.3	12
Wyatt Young	Receiving Yards Per Game	102.5	13

OSU's Offense is No. 2 in the Nation
Through four games, Oklahoma State ranks No. 2 in the FBS in total offense. Here are the national leaders:

Rk	Team	G	Plays	YDS	Yds/Play	Off TDs	YPG
1	Miami (FL) (ACC)	5	338	2,774	8.21	32	554.8
2	Oklahoma State (Big 12)	4	310	2,193	7.07	17	548.3
3	LSU (SEC)	5	415	2,739	6.6	28	547.8
4	Memphis (American)	5	339	2,706	7.98	25	541.2
5	Texas St. (Pac-12)	5	392	2,658	6.78	22	531.6

An Offensive Awakening
Oklahoma State's offense has produced some impressive numbers this season:

Statistic	Value	Most through 4 Games Since
Completion Percentage	68.7	2011 (74.5)
First Downs	110	2012 (126)
Total Yards	2,193	2017 (2,347)
Passing Yards	1,308	2017 (1,620)
Rushing Yards	885	2019 (1,082)
Yards Per Carry	5.4	2019 (5.5)
Pass Efficiency	163.6	2019 (166.8)
Points	149	2022 (191)
Passing TDs	12	2022 (13)

The Eric Morris Era is Underway
Eric Morris is in his inaugural season as Oklahoma State's head coach in 2026. He was named the 25th head coach in program history on November 25, 2025. An elite offensive mind and talent developer, Morris had been the head coach at North Texas since 2023. His hire marked the first time since 1969 that Oklahoma State hired a sitting head coach and the first time in school history OSU hired a sitting head coach from a school that is in the FBS. In three seasons at UNT, Morris built the Mean Green from a 5-7 record in his first season to a team that won 12 games in year three and reached a conference championship game with a College Football Playoff berth on the line. Those three seasons produced three of the top four seasons for total offense per game in North Texas history.

91 Newcomers Mark the Most in College Football History
The 2026 Oklahoma State roster features 91 newcomers, which is strongly believed to be the most on one team in the history of major college football, breaking the mark of 87 set by Colorado in 2023. Newcomers make up 79% of the 115-man roster. The team includes 66 new transfers, 24 returning players, 13 returning letterwinners, five players who had at least four OSU starts last season and 18 total players who had played in a game for Oklahoma State prior to 2026. The transfers arrived with a combined total of 45,088 total snaps of Division I experience.

A Top-10 Transfer Portal Class
Of those 91 newcomers, 66 are new transfers (57% of the team). That group makes up a transfer portal class that ranks No. 7 in the nation according to both The Athletic and 247Sports.

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

Notable Streaks and Trends Entering the Game
•Dating back to 2008, OSU is 83-14 when winning the turnover battle.
•Dating back to 2005, OSU is 50-7 when not committing a turnover.
•OSU has won 88 of its past 91 games when holding its opponent to fewer than 20 points, dating back to Sept. 13, 2003. Including games when opponents have scored 20 points or fewer, OSU has won 96 of its past 100.
•OSU is 41-23 in its past 64 games decided by fewer than 10 points.
•OSU is 54-10 in its past 64 games when leading at halftime, dating back to Sept. 17, 2016.
•OSU has won five of its past seven overtime games.
•Drew Mestemaker has passed for at least 200 yards in 19-straight games - the longest active streak in the FBS. He's passed for at least 250 yards in eight of his past nine games.
•Mestemaker has thrown at least one touchdown in 18 of his past 19 games.
•Caleb Hawkins has scored multiple touchdowns in six of his past 11 games. He's scored at least three touchdowns in five of his past 10.
•Hawkins has rushed for at least 100 yards in six of his past 10 games.
•Wyatt Young has had more than 100 receiving yards in seven of his past 12 games.
•Israel Polk has at least one catch in 25 of his past 26 games played.
•Miles Coleman has at least one catch in each of his past 23 games played.
•Wyatt Young has at least one catch in each of his past 19 games played.
•Caleb Hawkins has at least one catch in 16 of his past 17 games played.
•Chris Barnes has at least one catch in each of his past 15 games played.
•Ethan Wesloski has made at least one tackle in 43 consecutive games, including every game he's played since the beginning of the 2023 season. He's had at least three tackles in 15 straight games.
•Jack Puckett has made at least one tackle in 34 of the 38 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 30 straight games.
•Quinton Hammonds has made at least two tackles in 15 straight games.
•Jaleel Johnson has made at least two tackles in 11 of his past 13 games.
•Christian Bodnar has made at least three tackles in nine of his past 10 games.
•LaDainian Fields has started 10 straight games for OSU, the longest streak of any player on the roster.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Chris Barnes

Christian Bodnar

Isaiah Chisom

Miles Coleman

LaDainian Fields

Quinton Hammonds

Caleb Hawkins

Jaleel Johnson

Drew Mestemaker

Israel Polk

Jack Puckett

Ethan Wesloski

Wyatt Young

Oklahoma State University Athletics