3 Keys To Success For Oklahoma State Against Cincinnati

Necessary things the Cowboys must do to compete with Cincinnati.

An Oklahoma State helmet is pictured before a college football game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys (OSU) and the Houston Cougars at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Oklahoma State Cowboys are gearing up for homecoming weekend as the No. 24 Cincinnati Bearcats come to town. Cincinnati has proven that it is an offensive powerhouse this season and that it can compete with almost anyone, as it comes into this matchup 5-1.

On the opposite side of things, Oklahoma State is entering this matchup 1-5 and is looking for any positive they can cling to. The Cowboys have continued their string of lackluster play as they are without an FBS win this year, and haven’t won a Big 12 matchup since 2023. 

The Cowboys will be fighting an uphill battle the whole game, but there are critical factors they must succeed at in order to have a fighting chance. 

3 keys for OSU’s success:

Third-down conversions

Oklahoma State has struggled to keep its offense rolling as a whole, and it's the same story when third down rolls around. OSU has converted on only 32 of its 96 third-down attempts, making its third-down efficiency just 33%. 

It’s gotten so bad that Oklahoma State punter Wes Pahl has the third most punt attempts in all of college football so far this year. The Cowboys can not afford to have as many drives stalled this week, as the Cincinnati offense will make them pay. 

Passing Defense

The Pokes' secondary is in for one of its biggest challenges yet in quarterback Brendan Sorsby and the Cincinnati receivers. Sorsby has accumulated 1,448 passing yards and has thrown for 14 touchdowns on the season. The OSU secondary will have to cause commotion that Sorsby isn’t used to, as he’s only thrown one interception this year. 

This, however, will be a challenge as the Pokes allow, on average, 298.7 passing yards per game. If the Cowboys want a chance to win, they’ll have to step up and cause the Bearcats to have to earn every yard through the air. 

Quarterback Play

The Cowboys are currently on their third quarterback of the year as Sam Jackson V will make his second start for the Pokes this weekend. Jackson didn’t have the start everyone had hoped for as he only threw for 84 yards and threw an interception. 

Of course, this is only Jackson’s second game with the keys to the offense. Although if he can get the offense on a roll quickly, the Cowboys will have a chance to shock the world and take down a ranked team on homecoming weekend. 

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