Oklahoma State starts two-game road stretch at Iowa State

Complete notes available here

The Basics
The Oklahoma State football team (5-2 overall; 3-1 Big 12) begins a two-game road stretch this week as it heads to Iowa State (3-4 overall; 1-3 Big 12) for the first time since 2023. Kickoff for the Halloween matchup is set for 6 p.m. CT Saturday at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa.

On the Air
The game will be televised live on FS1 or FOX with Tim Brando, Devin Gardner and Josh Sims 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.

Six Straight Games Above 30 Points
The Cowboys have scored more than 30 points in six consecutive games for the first time since an eight-game streak during the 2021-22 seasons. If they reach nine, it would tie OSU's single-season streak record that was set in the final nine games of the 2011 season. It would also mark the longest stretch overall for OSU since the school-record 13-game run across the 2011 and 2012 seasons. The only other double-digit streak was a 10-game stretch from 1987-88.

The Most Improved Teams in Program History
The Cowboys are already one of the 11 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	9	2026*	5-2*	2026*, 2021, 2002, 1992, 1987, 1983, 1979, 1953, 1924
11.	3	14	2023	10-4	2023, 2015, 2006, 1997, 1981, 1972, 1964, 1957,
			*in progress		1948, 1939, 1937, 1930, 1929, 1908

Noting the Cowboys in Halloween Games
Oklahoma State is 8-9 in games played on Halloween, and this year's matchup is its first since 2020. The Cowboys have won seven of their past 12 on Halloween:

Date	Opponent	Conf.	Result	Score	Site	OSU/Oppt. AP Rank
10/31/1919	at Texas A&M	*	L	0-28	A
10/31/1925	GRINNELL (HC)	*	L	0-28	H
10/31/1930	HASKELL INSTITUTE		L	12-13	H
10/31/1931	at Kansas		W	13-7	A
10/31/1936	at Washington (Mo.)	*	L	6-39	A
10/31/1942	at Creighton	*	W	20-6	A
10/31/1953	TULSA	*	W	28-14	H
10/31/1959	at Marquette		W	18-12	A
10/31/1964	at Tulsa		L	14-61	A
10/31/1970	KANSAS (HC)	*	W	19-7	H
10/31/1981	at Missouri	*	W	16-12	A
10/31/1987	KANSAS STATE (HC)	*	W	56-7	H	17/NR
10/31/1992	at Kansas	*	L	18-26	A	NR/18
10/31/1998	TEXAS A&M (HC)	*	L	6-17	H	NR/8
10/31/2009	TEXAS	*	L	14-41	H	13/3
10/31/2015	at Texas Tech	*	W	70-53	A	12/NR
10/31/2020	TEXAS	*	L	34-41	H	6/RV

The Series
Saturday's game marks the 60th meeting between Oklahoma State and Iowa State in a series that dates to 1926. The teams met in 38 consecutive seasons from 1960 through 1997 as members of the Big Eight and Big 12. This year's matchup marks OSU's first visit to Ames since 2023. Oklahoma State leads the all-time series 34-22-3, and the Cowboys have won nine of the past 13 and 11 of the past 16 meetings. OSU also leads the series in Ames, holding a 15-14-1 advantage and winning four of those past six matchups. Eric Morris has never faced ISU as a head coach and Iowa State's Jimmy Rogers is 0-1 in his head coaching career against OSU, falling to the Cowboys in the 2024 season opener while he was the head coach at South Dakota State.

In the Rankings
The Oklahoma State football team is ranked No. 24 in the AP Top 25 this week and just outside of the US LBM Coaches Poll, coming in at the equivalent of No. 26. 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. Iowa State 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. The biggest name he brought with him was quarterback Drew Mestemaker, who leads all Power 4 players in passing yards per game and is now widely discussed as the potential No. 1 pick in the next NFL Draft and as a contender for the Heisman Trophy.

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 Power 4 Team with a Top-20 Passer, Rusher and Receiver
The Cowboys have the only trio in the Power 4 that ranks among the FBS top 20 in passing, rushing and receiving yards per game in Drew Mestemaker, Caleb Hawkins and Wyatt Young. North Texas is the only other team in the FBS that can make the claim.

Player	Stat	Value	FBS Rank
Drew Mestemaker	Passing Yards Per Game	332.3	2
Caleb Hawkins	Rushing Yards Per Game	101.7	17
Wyatt Young	Receiving Yards Per Game	91.3	17

An Oklahoma State Win Would ...
• Give it five more wins than last season, matching the best year-to-year improvement in OSU history. The only other years when OSU won five more games than the previous season were 1944 and 1921.
• Improve it to 6-2 or better for the first time since 2023.
• Improve Eric Morris to 6-2 as Oklahoma State's head coach.
• Improve Eric Morris to 2-2 in road games as OSU's head coach.
• Improve Eric Morris to 52-36 in his head coaching career.
• Improve Eric Morris to 37-23 in conference games.
• Improve Eric Morris to 4-1 in Big 12 conference games.
• Improve Eric Morris to 1-0 against Iowa State.
• Improve it to 9-9 in games played on Halloween.
• Improve its all-time record against Iowa State to 35-22-3.
• Give it wins in 10 of its past 14 games and 12 of its past 17 against Iowa State.
• Improve its all-time record against Iowa State in Ames to 16-14-1.
• Give it wins in five of its past seven trips to Ames.
• Mark its 140th win since the beginning of the 2010 season, ranking among the top 15 in the FBS.

Notable Streaks and Trends Entering the Game
• Oklahoma State has scored more than 30 points in six consecutive games for the first time since an eight-game streak during the 2021-22 seasons. OSU's single-season streak record of nine was set in the final nine games of the 2011 season.
• Drew Mestemaker has passed for at least 300 yards in six-straight games, marking the second longest streak in OSU history and the longest since Mason Rudolph's record streak of seven from 2016-2017.
• Mestemaker has passed for at least 200 yards in 22-straight games - the longest active streak in the FBS. He's passed for at least 250 yards in 11 of his past 12 games.
• Mestemaker has thrown at least one touchdown in 21 of his past 22 games.
• Dating back to 2008, OSU is 85-14 when winning the turnover battle.
• Dating back to 2005, OSU is 51-7 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 41-24 in its past 65 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 is one of five FBS players and two Power 4 players (West Virginia's Cam Cook) who have hit 100 yards from scrimmage in six games this season.
• Hawkins scored multiple touchdowns in six of his past 14 games.
• Hawkins has rushed for at least 100 yards in seven of his past 13 games.
• Wyatt Young has had more than 100 receiving yards in seven of his past 15 games.
• Miles Coleman has at least one catch in each of his past 26 games played.
• Wyatt Young has at least one catch in each of his past 22 games played.
• Caleb Hawkins has at least one catch in 19 of his past 20 games played.
• Chris Barnes has at least one catch 17 of his past 18 games played.
• Ethan Wesloski has made at least one tackle in 46 consecutive games, including every game he's played since the beginning of the 2023 season. He's had at least three tackles in 18 straight games.
• Jack Puckett has made at least one tackle in 35 of the 41 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 32 of his past 33 games.
• Quinton Hammonds has made at least two tackles in 18 straight games.
• Jaleel Johnson has made at least two tackles in 13 of his past 16 games.

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Players Mentioned

Chris Barnes

Isaiah Chisom

Miles Coleman

Quinton Hammonds

Caleb Hawkins

Jaleel Johnson

Drew Mestemaker

Jack Puckett

Ethan Wesloski

Wyatt Young

Oklahoma State University Athletics