Oklahoma State visits Houston for AP Top 25 matchup

Complete notes available here

The Basics
The No. 18 Oklahoma State football team (4-1 overall; 2-0 Big 12) visits No. 20 Houston (5-1 overall; 2-1 Big 12) Saturday to wrap up the first half of the Cowboys' 2026 regular season. It is OSU's first game at Houston since 2023 and OSU's first AP Top 25 matchup since 2024. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT at TDECU Stadium.

On the Air
The game will be televised live on FOX with Jack Kizer and Mark Helfrich 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.

Three Straight Games Above 40 Points
The Cowboys have scored more than 40 points in three consecutive games for the first time since a three-game streak in 2018. If they score 41 or more Saturday, then the four-game streak would mark the longest since a four-game run from October 22, 2011 - November 12, 2011. Beyond that, the only longer streak in program history was seven consecutive games to open the 1988 season.

The Most Improved Teams in Program History
The Cowboys are already one of the 25 most improved teams in Oklahoma State history when it comes to win totals. Here are the best teams in terms of improved win totals from the year prior:

Rk	Win+/-	Seasons	Most Recent	Record	Years
1.	5	2	1944	8-1	1944, 1921
3.	4	8	2021	12-2	2021, 2002, 1992, 1987, 1983, 1979, 1953, 1924
11.	3	15	2026*	4-1*	2026*, 2023, 2015, 2006, 1997, 1981, 1972, 1964, 1957,
			*in progress		1948, 1939, 1937, 1930, 1929, 1908

Back to the Lone Star State
Saturday's game marks the 149th game in program history that Oklahoma State has played in the state of Texas, which is more than any other state outside of Oklahoma and 54 more than second-place Kansas. It is also the only game on this year's regular season schedule in the Lone Star State. The Cowboys have played at least one game in Texas every year since the formation of the Big 12 in 1996 - a streak of 31 seasons including 2026. All but four of those years (2012, 2023, 2025 and 2026) have included multiple regular season games there. Since the start of the 2009 season, Oklahoma State is 25-19 in 44 games played in Texas. Including only true road games, OSU is 20-13 in 33 games at Texas schools since 2009. OSU's 2026 roster includes 39 players from Texas.

The Series
Saturday's game marks the 23rd game between Oklahoma State and Houston in a series that began in 1951. This year's game is the first meeting in Houston since 2023 and the second meeting in Houston since 2006. The overall series in Houston is tied at 5-5-1. While the 2026 season marks the fourth year Oklahoma State and Houston have both called the Big 12 home, the teams previously shared membership in the Missouri Valley Conference from 1951-1956 and faced each other in 11 straight seasons from 1951-61 to start the series between the programs. OSU has won six of the past 10 meetings, as well as three of the four games at Houston during that stretch. The Cowboys won the latest game in Houston, 43-30, in 2023. Eric Morris has never faced Houston as a head coach and Houston's Willie Fritz 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 for a second straight week, and it moved up to No. 20 in the US LBM Coaches Poll. 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. Houston is No. 20 in the AP Top 25 and No. 18 in the coaches poll, swapped with OSU in both polls.

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 who entered the AP poll for the first time in two years after the West Virginia win, have continued their momentum and bring a four-game winning streak to Houston.

OSU ranks No. 6 in total offense, No. 6 in passing offense, No. 6 in tackles for loss allowed, No. 8 in fewest penalties and No. 12 in red zone defense. 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. Linebacker Ethan Wesloski leads all Power 4 players in tackles per game.

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.

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.

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.

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	315.0	3
Caleb Hawkins	Rushing Yards Per Game	104.8	14
Wyatt Young	Receiving Yards Per Game	92.4	15

An Oklahoma State Win Would ...
• Give it five straight wins for the first time since 2023.
• Improve it to 5-1 or better for the first time since 2022.
• Give it four more wins than last season, matching the third-best improvement in school history.
• Give it back-to-back conference road wins for the first time since the 2021-22 seasons.
• Improve Eric Morris to 5-1 as Oklahoma State's head coach.
• Improve Eric Morris to 2-1 in road games as OSU's head coach.
• Improve Eric Morris to 51-35 in his head coaching career.
• Improve Eric Morris to 36-22 in conference games.
• Improve Eric Morris to 3-0 in Big 12 conference games.
• Improve Eric Morris to 1-0 against Houston.
• Improve its all-time record against Houston to 11-11-1.
• Improve its all-time record at Houston to 6-5-1.
• Improve it to 21-13 in true road games at Texas schools since 2009.
• Mark its 139th win since the beginning of the 2010 season, ranking among the top 15 in the FBS.

Notable Streaks and Trends Entering the Game
• Drew Mestemaker has passed for at least 300 yards in four-straight games, matching the third longest streak in OSU history held by Brandon Weeden and the longest since Mason Rudolph had streaks of seven and five from 2016-2017.
• 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.
• Dating back to 2008, OSU is 84-14 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.
• Caleb Hawkins has scored multiple touchdowns in six of his past 12 games. He's scored at least three touchdowns in five of his past 11.
• Hawkins has rushed for at least 100 yards in six of his past 11 games.
• Wyatt Young has had more than 100 receiving yards in seven of his past 13 games.
• Israel Polk has at least one catch in 25 of his past 27 games played.
• 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.
• Christian Bodnar has made at least three tackles in nine of his past 11 games.
• LaDainian Fields has started 11 straight games for OSU, the longest streak of any player on the roster.

Eric Morris and His Offense
• Through 2025, Eric Morris has spent the past 13 seasons as a head coach or offensive coordinator. During that stretch, his teams have produced a top-five passing offense in the country nine times, ranked in the top 10 in total offense 10 times and ranked in the top 25 in scoring offense 10 times.
• His offense led the country in scoring offense and total offense in 2025. He also had the top FBS offense in 2016 at Texas Tech and the top FCS offense in 2020 at Incarnate Word. UNT finished sixth in the country in total offense in 2023 and third in 2024.
• His offenses have been dominant through the air as nine of Morris' first 13 years calling plays have resulted in a top-five passing offense in the country. UNT finished second in 2025.
• Morris led UNT to an average of 499.46 yards of total offense per game from 2023-25. That mark led all of FBS in that timeframe, ranking ahead of second-place Ole Miss with 492.56 yards per game.

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

Statistic	Value	Best through 5 Games Since
Completion Percentage	68.6	2011 (75.1)
Passing Yards	1,612	2017 (1,996)
Pass Efficiency	166.6	2017 (180.7)
Total Yards	2,607	2019 (2,661)
Yards Per Carry	5.1	2019 (6.0)
Rushing Yards	995	2020 (1,003)
First Downs	132	2022 (132)
Points	191	2022 (232)
Passing TDs	14	2022 (14)

A Defensive Awakening
Oklahoma State's defense has produced some improved numbers as well:

Statistic	Value	Best through 5 Games Since
Passing Yards Allowed	899	2020 (873)
Points Allowed	107	2021 (93)
First Downs Allowed	88	2021 (83)
Total Yards Allowed	1,644	2021 (1,526)
Opp. Pass Efficiency	125.4	2021 (113.2)
Rushing Yards Allowed	745	2022 (594)
Opp. Yards per Carry	3.9	2022 (3.3)
Opp. Rushing TDs	6	2023 (6)

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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