Four Immediate Takeaways from Oklahoma State Football's Win Over UCF
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STILLWATER, Okla. — The Oklahoma State Cowboys had to grind things out, but they won their fourth straight game, beating the UCF Knights, 42-28, on Saturday.
This was Oklahoma State’s first home game since beating Murray State on Sept. 19. It was also the Cowboys’ (4-1, 2-0 in Big 12) first game since beating West Virginia on Sept. 26 and moving into the AP Top 25.
The Knights (3-3, 1-2) made everything hard for the Cowboys the entire game and used a strategy that ensured they could exert some control over the game even though nine players were out for the game. For most of the game, it worked.
Here are four immediate takeaways from Saturday’s game.
Shortening The Game
Entering the contest UCF had two issues. The first was its gameplan. Without quarterback Alonza Barnett III, the Knights have used a shorter passing game with backup quarterback Keyone Jenkins. He’s been effective, but the Knights aren’t going downfield much.
The second was Oklahoma State’s offense, a unit that can hit big plays but has also excelled at possessing the ball. The Cowboys were No. 21 in the country in time of possession at 33:01.
It was clear by halftime that the Knights were looking to shorten the game and possess the ball as much as possible. That became even more important to them after recovering an OSU fumble on the first drive of the game and turning it into points to take the lead.
The Cowboys had the ball less than 13 minutes in the first half. The game was tied, 21-21. It wasn’t like Oklahoma State wasn’t trying to run the ball or possess it for long periods of time. The Knights were just doing a great job of holding the football.
So, the second half became about two things for OSU — maximizing possessions on offense and getting UCF off the field on defense.
The first two drives of the third quarter took more than half the quarter. The Knights had their opening possession sputtered and it led to a punt. The Cowboys took that and turned it into a 40-yard field goal by Sam Keltner. OSU would have liked seven points, but that was the point of what UCF was attempting — and why OSU couldn’t afford to be aggressive in that moment.
The strategy ultimately didn’t work because …
The Cowboys Defense Did Enough
scoop, there it is
— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) October 10, 2026
📺: ESPN2 | @TheEvanJackson pic.twitter.com/LPQaiVpggM
The first quarter was marked by plenty of missed tackles. The Knights used a quarterback zone option read to help shift the Cowboys’ defensive line and create holes. The tackling got better in the second quarter until the final drive, which led to a touchdown that tied the game.
The tackling overall remains a problem. But the defense’s penchant for making big plays in big moments was a primary reason why the Cowboys hung on to win.
UCF’s first drive ended with a punt because of linebacker Isaiah Chisom’s great edge run read on second down at the UCF 47 led to a 4-yard loss on a Taevion Swint rush. On the next play, Cowboys defensive end DeSean Brown flushed out Jenkins and into a 1-yard loss as safety Vincent Holmes and linebacker Tate Romney chased him out of bounds. The Cowboys turned that into a field goal.
The next drive was more important. UCF drove to the Cowboys 29-yard line and was in position to score. Running back Duke Watson fumbled on first down. Cowboys defensive lineman Braydon Rigsby batted down a Jenkins pass on second down. Then, Watson was stopped on a run up the middle to line up the Knights for a 45-yard field goal that UCF missed.
The Cowboys turned into a field goal.
On the next drive, OSU had to have a stop. The Cowboys didn’t just get a stop — they got a touchdown. On second-and-8 at the UCF 39 Jenkins threw out in the flat to his receiver but it turned out to be a backward pass. When the receiver didn’t control it, the fumble was picked up by OSU safety Evan Jackson, who ran for the touchdown to give the Cowboys a commanding lead.
The defense had issues. But on three straight drives the unit did enough to stop the Knights and help the Cowboys win their fourth straight game.
The O-Line Rotation
I was interested to see how Morris and his staff would handle the offensive line, specifically at left tackle and left guard. All the linemen we expected to be available were available. But the starting lineup had one tweak. Desmond Magiya was at left guard for Johnny Dickson III, who was a game-time decision. For comparison, wide receiver Wyatt Young and offensive tackle Braydon Nelson were also game-time decisions and played.
Every time I checked left guard during the game, it was Magiya. Morris and offensive line coach Cody Crill must have felt that Magiya was the better option, or Dickson just wasn’t close enough to give them what they needed.
As for Nelson, he was at left tackle on one drive in the second quarter that I can recall. He appeared to get around fine on the drive. But as Nelson came off the field, I saw him and head coach Eric Morris talk as he came to the sideline. He didn’t seem to be favoring anything. But I didn’t see him after that the rest of the first half.
Pro Football Focus didn’t show Nelson with snaps. I’m certain he played one possession in the game. Morris will likely have more after the game.
Showing Faith in Caleb Hawkins
A fumble early in the game can be a killer and not just for the offensive team. It can be a killer to playing time. I’ve seen it too many times to count in college football.
Cowboys running back Caleb Hawkins fumbled on the second play of the game and lost it, giving UCF a free possession that the Knights turned into a touchdown. What happens next depends on the coach and the player’s track record. Hawkins had a great track record under Morris at UNT last year. He hadn’t fumbled this year. On the next drive Morris made sure to go right back to his sophomore back.
He touched the ball on four of the first five plays on the next drive. He had a rush for eight yards, a reception for 23 yards, a run for eight yards and a reception or nine yards. That helped set up Mestemaker’s touchdown run.
Confidence can be fleeting in football. Morris made sure to prop up his star running back early in the game and it led to a solid performance. The sledding for him was far more difficult than I expected, but UCF’s defensive line did a great job of containing the outside zone run and Hawkins did his best to make the inside runs he got work.
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Matthew Postins is the publisher of Oklahoma State on SI. He is an award-winning sports journalist who was formerly the editor of the College Football America Yearbook and covers the Big 12 Conference for Heartland College Sports.
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