Burning Answers: Lessons Learned in OSU's Loss to Kansas State

The Cowboys kept it close but couldn't get a win against the Wildcats.

Oklahoma State's Zane Flores (6) gets by Kansas State's Daniel Cobbs (4) in the first half of the college football game between Oklahoma State University and the Kansas State Wildcats at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday Nov. 15, 2025. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oklahoma State lost another game, but it was a much tighter contest than most.

On Saturday, OSU lost 14-6 to Kansas State in Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, falling to 1-9 on the season and remaining winless in Big 12 play over the past two seasons. Meanwhile, the Wildcats inched closer to bowl eligibility, gaining their fifth win of the year, but this one was the Cowboys’ to lose throughout the afternoon.

Answers to burning questions for OSU’s matchup against Kansas State:

Can Zane Flores build on his performance at Kansas?

Unfortunately for the Cowboys, Flores was unable to find some of the same success he had against the Jayhawks. Of course, that was the case for the entire offense. 

Still, Flores completed 24 of his 36 passes for 233 yards, but he also threw a couple of interceptions, which only added to OSU’s issues taking care of the ball. Still, his ability to throw for 233 yards in a game where offense was hard to come by for the Cowboys could still be viewed as an encouraging sign as the Pokes head into their final two contests.

How will OSU’s crowd look?

Considering the Pokes came into the contest at 1-8 and were facing a team with a losing record at 11 a.m., there was a real chance that there would be almost no energy inside Boone Pickens Stadium. Instead, there was about as good a crowd as the Pokes could have hoped for, given the circumstances.

Still, for a mid-November matchup against Kansas State, it was an incredibly lackluster home crowd compared to what the program had become accustomed to throughout the Mike Gundy era. While this sort of turnout is understandable and perfectly acceptable for 2025, it can’t become the standard in Stillwater.

Can the Cowboys keep this one close?

Although the offense turned the ball over five times and squandered various scoring opportunities, Clint Bowen’s defense again shined bright. Since taking over as defensive coordinator, the Cowboys have steadily improved on that end, and Saturday was a perfect example.

Neither led by more than one possession at any point in the 14-6 slugfest, and the Cowboys’ ability to keep it close was simultaneously encouraging and disheartening. While holding Kansas State to 284 yards and 14 points is certainly a welcome sight for the Pokes, not being able to win that game is just another example of how bad this OSU team has been all season.

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