Can a Cowboy Freshman Breathe New Life into the Program?
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The Oklahoma State Cowboys are still searching for their first Big 12 Conference victory in close to two seasons, and there may be no end in sight. The Pokes are in the midst of a massive mid-season coaching search, and the fans of Oklahoma State football have all but forgotten about winning games as the coaching search has taken center stage.
With four games remaining in the football season for the Cowboys, a brand new option enters the picture this week for the Oklahoma coaching staff. The 2025 freshmen class for the Cowboys can officially play in four college football games and still be eligible for a redshirt season. In all likelihood some new faces will be on the field on Saturday as fans of Oklahoma State football get a brief glimpse into the future.
Wednesday’s are for full extension @MercyOklahoma pic.twitter.com/tQShToB9tp
— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) July 30, 2025
Enter Matrail Lopez, the 5-11 sparkplug from Idabel, Oklahoma. A true freshman wide receiver, Lopez carried ghosts of his own—his father, Sammy, the high school coach who'd beamed at his son's signing day before fate snatched him away in 2024. Matrail's senior year had been a blaze: 693 receiving yards, nine touchdowns, plus rushes and returns that tallied 24 scores total. Now, redshirt be damned, Meacham is ready to toss Lopez in the fire against a Tulsa defense favored by 24.5 points.
Lopez hasn’t played a snap yet. Redshirt rules loomed until injuries and despair forced interim coach Doug Meacham’s hand. There were rumblings around the program that Lopez was set to burn his redshirt before an early-season thumb injury sidelined the hotshot wide receiver. With his hand fully recovered, Big Trail is ready to show Cowboy Nation what he can do on the football field.
That Oklahoma Connection 🤝 #GoPokes | @LopezMatrail pic.twitter.com/1gnk27iFUp
— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) December 4, 2024
Lopez’s impact starts in the slot. Kansas plays man-heavy coverage with safety help over the top, but Lopez’s release is violent—quick, fast and explosive. If the Cowboy QB can survive the Jayhawks’ blitz (2.1 sacks per game), Lopez’s quickness forces mismatches. A jet motion package could exploit Kansas’s pursuit angles; Lopez averaged 14.2 yards on sweeps in high school.
His return game is the X-factor. Kansas currently ranks third in the Big 12 in net punting. One explosive return flips field position, shortens Oklahoma State’s margin for error, and ignites a dormant sideline.
Lopez won’t save the season. But a solid receiving day, and a spark return? That’s enough to make Kansas sweat, give the Cowboys life, and remind the Big 12: even in a lost year, freshmen can burn bright.
Taylor Skieens has been an avid sports journalist with the McCurtain Gazette in Idabel, Oklahoma for seven years. He holds the title of Sports Editor for one of the oldest remaining print publications in the state of Oklahoma. Taylor grew up in the small lumber town of Wright City Oklahoma where he played baseball and basketball for the Lumberjax.