Oklahoma State opens its 127th season at Tulsa

Saturday, September 5

Tulsa, OK

2:45 p.m. CT

Oklahoma State University

Tulsa

September 01, 2026 | Cowboy Football

Complete notes available here

The Basics
The Oklahoma State football team (0-0 overall; 0-0 Big 12) opens its 127th season when it visits Tulsa (0-0 overall; 0-0 American) at 2:45 p.m. CT on Saturday, September 5, at H.A. Chapman Stadium. It marks the debut game for OSU's Eric Morris, who is the 25th head coach in program history.

On the Air
The game will be televised live on ESPNU with Mike Corey and Barrett Brooks 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.

All About Openers
Saturday's game marks the first time since 2019 that Oklahoma State has opened its season on the road and the first time since 2000 it has opened its season at Tulsa. It is the 11th time OSU has opened its season against Tulsa, and the fifth time it has opened at Tulsa (1977, 1989, 1991, 2000). The only team that OSU has faced more often in season openers is Arkansas (14 times). It also marks the 53rd time overall and just the third time in 19 years OSU has opened a season with a true road game. OSU's overall record in season openers is 80-40-6. OSU has won each of its past two and seven of its past 10 season openers played on the road. When it comes to season openers overall, OSU has won each of its past 11 and 20 of its past 22. Coach Eric Morris is 3-4 in season openers as a head coach, but it should be noted that three of those losses were against schools playing at a higher level than his team and the other was on the road in overtime.

11 Straight Season Opening Wins
Oklahoma State has won 11 straight season openers, the fourth-longest active streak in the FBS. The Cowboys have won 17 of their 18 season openers since 2008 and are one of five FBS teams to do so over that period (Air Force – 18, Ohio State – 18, Alabama – 17, USC – 17).

Longest Active Season-Opening Win Streaks

1	Ohio State	26 (since 2000)
2	Air Force	19 (since 2007)
3	Georgia	12 (since 2014)
4	Oklahoma State	11 (since 2015)
5	UCF	10 (since 2016)

The Gateway First Bank Turnpike Classic
Oklahoma State and Tulsa have a series that includes 78 matchups and dates to 1914. The only school that OSU has faced more often is Oklahoma. OSU leads the all-time series, 45-28-5, with Tulsa holding a 21-17-2 advantage in games played in Tulsa. The Cowboys have won 10 of the past 11 meetings, including a 45-10 win in 2024 in the Cowboys' last trip to Tulsa. OSU has won four straight games at Tulsa, including matchups in 2000, 2011, 2019 and 2024. A win Saturday would extend OSU's longest winning streak at Tulsa in series history to five games. OSU coach Eric Morris holds a 2-0 career record against the Golden Hurricane, defeating TU in 2023 and 2024 while coaching for North Texas. Tulsa coach Tre Lamb is 1-0 against OSU as a head coach. The schools are in the midst of an eight-year scheduling agreement that began in 2024. The two teams, separated by just 72 miles, meet annually from 2024 until 2031, with Tulsa hosting at H.A. Chapman Stadium in even years and OSU hosting in Boone Pickens Stadium in odd years.

In the Rankings
The Oklahoma State football team is receiving votes in both the preseason AP Top 25 and the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll, reaching the equivalent of Nos. 34 and 37, respectively. With the exception of last year, the Cowboys have been ranked at some point in every season since 2008. Through the 2025 season, Oklahoma State has been ranked in the top 15 of the Associated Press poll in 15 of the past 18 seasons and has reached the top 10 in 11 of those 18 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.             Tulsa 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 from North Texas 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 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.

There are 21 players on OSU's roster who played for Morris at UNT, 18 of which who were with the Mean Green last season. Of the 65 different players listed on the opening day depth chart, 14 were on last year's roster at UNT and two more were there two seasons ago.

The most recognizable names from that group are quarterback Drew Mestemaker, running back Caleb Hawkins and wide receiver Wyatt Young. All three have received national preseason recognition and were named among the top 100 players of the 2025 season by ESPN and in the top 100 transfer portal players for 2026 by CBS Sports.

There is plenty more to this team than UNT transfers, though. There are 24 returners from last year's Oklahoma State roster and 70 other newcomers who were added. The returning group is headlined by defensive end Jaleel Johnson, a fifth-year senior from Oklahoma City with a prototype NFL frame who has spent his entire college career at Oklahoma State. He's joined by safety Cameron Epps and defensive linemen DeSean Brown and Landon Dean as fifth-year, career Cowboys who appear on the two-deep. Defensive lineman Iman Oates, cornerback LaDainian Fields, defensive end Malik Charles and linebacker Trip White are also returners who could contribute in 2026.

Other newcomers who have garnered attention include linebackers Ethan Wesloski, Tate Romney and Isaiah Chisom, defensive linemen Braylon Rigsby, Jerry Lawson, James Williams and Saadiq Clements, defensive backs Quinton Hammonds, Evan Jackson and Christian Bodnar, running back Tre Page III, wide receivers Chris Barnes, Justin Bowick and Miles Coleman and offensive linemen Jacob Sexton and Tyler Mercer.

The Eric Morris Era Begins
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 Marks 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 ...
•    Increase a school record to 12 consecutive wins in season openers. The next longest were eight straight from 1981-88 and from 1928-35. It also marks the fourth-longest active streak in the FBS.
•    Give it wins in 12 straight, 18 of its past 19, 21 of its past 23 and 38 of its past 46 season openers.
•    Improve Eric Morris to 1-0 as Oklahoma State's head coach.
•    Improve Eric Morris to 4-4 in season openers, with three straight wins over the past three years.
•    Improve Eric Morris to 47-34 in his head coaching career.
•    Improve Eric Morris to 14-12 in non-conference games.
•    Improve Eric Morris to 3-0 against Tulsa and 2-0 at Tulsa.
•    Improve its all-time record against Tulsa to 46-28-5 and its record at Tulsa to 18-21-2.
•    Improve its record in season openers to 81-40-6.
•    Mark its 135th win since the beginning of the 2010 season, ranking among the top 15 in the FBS.
•    Make it 30-7 in its past 37 non-conference games and 52-13 in its past 65 non-conference games.
•    Make it 99-37 in its past 136 games vs. opponents outside of the AP Top 25, dating to 2010.
•    End the longest losing streak in program history at 11 games.

Notable Streaks and Trends Entering the Game
•    OSU has won a program-record 11 consecutive season openers, which is also the fourth-longest active streak in the FBS.
•    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 87 of its past 90 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 95 of its past 99.
•    OSU is 40-23 in its past 63 games decided by fewer than 10 points.
•    OSU is 52-10 in its past 62 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 15-straight games - the longest active streak in the FBS. He's passed for at least 250 yards in five straight games.
•    Mestemaker has thrown multiple TDs in five straight games and at least one in 14 of his past 15 games.
•    Caleb Hawkins has scored multiple touchdowns in six of his past seven games. He's scored at least three touchdowns in five of his past six.
•    Hawkins has rushed for at least 100 yards in four of his past six games.
•    Wyatt Young has had more than 100 receiving yards in five of his past eight games.
•    Israel Polk has at least one catch in each of his past 24 games played.
•    Miles Coleman has at least one catch in each of his past 19 games played.
•    Wyatt Young has at least one catch in each of his past 15 games played.
•    Caleb Hawkins has at least one catch in each of his past 13 games played.
•    Chris Barnes has at least one catch in each of his past 12 games played.
•    Ethan Wesloski has made at least one tackle in 39 consecutive games, including every game he's played since the beginning of the 2023 season. He's had at least four tackles in 11 straight games.
•    Jack Puckett has made at least one tackle in all 34 games of his career and at least three tackles in each of his past 30 games. He played at the Div. II level until 2026.
•    Isaiah Chisom has made at least two tackles in 26 straight games.
•    Quinton Hammonds has made at least two tackles in 11 straight games.
•    Jaleel Johnson has made at least three tackles in eight straight games
•    Christian Bodnar has made at least three tackles in six straight games.
•    LaDainian Fields and Jakobe Sanders have each started six straight games for OSU, the longest streaks of any player on the roster.