Game Preview: Oklahoma State Looking for First Big 12 Win vs. Houston
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Oklahoma State is desperate for its first Big 12 win, but beating Houston won’t be easy.
Going into this matchup against the Cougars, OSU is riding a four-game losing streak and a 13-game FBS losing streak, dating back to last season. For the Pokes to get their first win over a Big 12 team since 2023, they will likely need to have some luck go their way.
Over the first five games, not much has gone in OSU’s favor, and it has had only one truly close contest, which was a loss to Tulsa where it entered the fourth quarter with a double-digit deficit. Considering OSU’s offense has been almost nonexistent in most games, facing a Houston team that hasn’t been explosive either could be exactly what OSU needs.
This season, Houston hasn’t scored more than 36 points and is coming off an 11-point outing against Texas Tech in its first loss of the year. Still, OSU’s defense has been among the worst in the country up to this point, with all three of OSU’s power conference opponents piling on the points.
Allowing 45 and 41 points in Big 12 play and dealing with more midseason departures, OSU’s defense could be ready to give Houston its season-high. While Conner Weigman hasn’t been perfect, he’s done enough to get the Cougars to a 4-1 mark and has a dual-threat ability that could certainly torch the OSU defense.
Meanwhile, OSU’s quarterback situation is an absolute mess. After losing Hauss Hejny in the first quarter of the season, Zane Flores had taken over, but an injury he suffered against Arizona will keep him out at least for this weekend.
That leaves either Sam Jackson V or Banks Bowen to take over against the Cougars, with a relative likelihood that both will end up under center at various points. Considering that OSU’s passing game clearly won’t be at its best, the Cowboys will be desperate for some big games on the ground from guys such as Rodney Fields Jr.
If OSU’s offense can find some success against a tough Houston defense, it would still need the defense to show up in interim defensive coordinator Clint Bowen’s second game in the position. With such a tough situation, it seems nearly impossible for Bowen to find any success, but he might be able to put something together to slow down the Cougars.
Overall, this will be an uphill battle for the Cowboys, but there are at least some signs of optimism for OSU to keep this one close in Stillwater.
Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.