Eric Morris Knows Multiple Meanings of Oklahoma State’s Big 12 Opening Victory

The Oklahoma State Cowboys return home for a bye week full of meaning for Eric Morris, his players and his program.

Oklahoma State Cowboys head coach Eric Morris and players. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After the Oklahoma State Cowboys beat the West Virginia Mountaineers on Saturday, head coach Eric Morris made a point of calling something out.

He told his players that it had been 1,036 days since the Cowboys (3-1, 1-0 in Big 12) won a conference game. The few players that remained from last year’s 1-11 team knew it. The precious few players that were part of the program then the streak began in 2023 definitely knew it.

Morris focus his comments one player in particular — defensive end Jaleel Johnson. He’s the only captain that was on last year’s team and is a fifth-year Cowboys player. He’s seen it all. Morris knew it.

“There was the biggest smile on that kid’s face, and I made him take a picture of it,” Morris said to reporters on Saturday. “Hopefully, we'll post that this week, and you'll be able to see how big his smile and how beautiful it was.”

The Latest Streak These Cowboys Ended

Oklahoma State Cowboys defensive end Jaleel Johnson. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Before Saturday, Oklahoma State’s last Big 12 win was a 40-34 double-overtime win over BYU at Boone Pickens Stadium on Nov. 25, 2023. The Cowboys went to the Big 12 Championship game and lost to Texas.

The streak began on Sept. 21, 2024, with a 22-19 loss to No. 12 Utah. The Cowboys were ranked No. 14 that week and were ranked the following week when they went to Kansas State and lost, 42-20.

After that the national rankings disappeared but the losing continued. The Cowboys lost their remaining seven league games, including a 3-point loss at BYU. The season ended with a 52-0 shutout loss to No. 25 Colorado as the Cowboys finished 3-9.

It got worse in 2025. The Cowboys went 1-11, winning only the season opener over UT Martin. Long-time head coach Mike Gundy was fired three games into the season and replaced by interim coach Doug Meachem, who was unable to win a game. Morris was hired away from North Texas to replace him.

Since the loss to Tulsa, the Cowboys have beaten nationally ranked Oregon to end a 21-game losing streak against FBS teams. The Cowboys beat Murray State and West Virginia to put together their first three-game winning streak since the start of the 2024 season. The 18-game Big 12 losing streak is done. The Cowboys are ranked in the AP Top 25 again, one day short of two years to the day of their last ranking.

Oh, and the win at WVU was also Oklahoma State’s first Big 12 road win since Nov. 18, 2023, when they beat Houston, 43-30.

Morris gets all of it. The hungry fan base, the hungry players like Johnson and the road ahead. He can’t wait. This is exactly what he wanted. He got all the foreshadowing he needed in August from the Cowboys quarterback who led one of the program’s most successful teams.

“Brandon Weeden told me, ‘Hey coach, if you get this thing going, you'll be surprised. You light a match underneath this thing, it'll catch on fire and be incredible, like you've never seen.’”