What Happened Last Time Oklahoma State Cowboys Faced Kansas Jayhawks

Looking back at the last time the Oklahoma State Cowboys faced the Kansas Jayhawks in Big 12 action.

Oklahoma State Cowboys quarterback Zane Flores. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Oklahoma State Cowboys will face the Kansas Jayhawks in the final regular season game of the 2026 football season on Nov. 28.

The Cowboys hope it isn’t their final game of 2026. If the Cowboys exceed expectations, it’s possible they could be competing for a Big 12 Championship game berth. If they meet expectations, a bowl game is likely in the offing. If they fall below expectations, this may be a win needed just to get into a bowl game.

New head coach Eric Morris is hoping to turn the Cowboys around quickly in 2026. Kansas coach Lance Leipold is also trying to get Kansas back above .500. He’s entering his sixth season at the helm, and the Jayhawks haven’t been bowling since 2023. Same goes for the Cowboys.

The two teams were in the Big 8 Conference for decades before the formation of the Big 12. OSU has a 42-31-2 record in the series. With the game set for Stillwater, the 19-14-1 home record is relevant.

Here's a look back at the last time the Oklahoma State Cowboys met the Kansas Jayhawks.

The Last Time Oklahoma State Played Kansas

Kansas Jayhawks running back Daniel Hishaw Jr. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

That matchup was on Nov. 1, 2025, in Lawrence, Kan., so the game contributed to the Cowboys’ current 18-game Big 12 losing streak. Kansas won the game, 38-21. The contest was competitive in the first half before the Jayhawks pulled away. In fact, Oklahoma State scored first.

Quarterback Zane Flores connected with Shamar Rigby on a 12-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter to give the Cowboys a 7-0 lead. Kansas answered with a 39-yard field goal by Laith Marjan in the first quarter, followed by a 3-yard touchdown run by Daniel Hishaw Jr. in the second quarter, to push the Jayhawks ahead, 10-3, at halftime.

The game the followed a familiar pattern from many of Oklahoma State’s games in 2025 — the opponent took control in the second half. Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels threw two touchdown passes in the third quarter — a 3-yarder to Boden Groen and a 5-yarder to Bryson Canty — to push the Jayhawks ahead, 24-7. Flores and the Cowboys did answer late in the third quarter with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Gavin Freeman. That cut the lead to 24-14.

But the same patterned happened in the fourth quarter. Kansas got rushing touchdowns from Hishaw and Leshon Williams, while OSU’s Sesi Vailahi rushed for a score.

Flores threw for 235 yards and two touchdowns in one of his better games of the season, while Rodney Fields Jr. rushed for 56 yards. Freeman had seven receptions for 78 yards. Daniels threw for only 110 yards for Kansas. But Williams rushed for 77 yards and Hishaw rushed for 65 yards. Canty’s touchdown receptions was one of two catches for the day.