What Wins, What Loses Game for Oklahoma State Against Murray State in 2026
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For the first time in Oklahoma State football history, the Cowboys will play the Murray State Racers. It's a matchup more than 100 years in the making.
The Cowboys are celebrating their 125th anniversary of football and Murray State has played football for more than 100 years. But, until Sept. 19, the two schools have never met on the gridiron.
It's also a matchup of two schools trying to turn things around. The Cowboys were 1-11 last season and haven’t won a Big 12 game in two years. That cost long-time head coach Mike Gundy his job. His replacement, Eric Morris, is trying to turn things around fast in Stillwater.
Murray State also went 1-11 last year and plays in the hardest conference in FCS — the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Last season the Racers played six ranked teams in league play. They’re used to playing talented teams.
Here's what will win and what we'll lose the game for the Cowboys.
What Wins
A Fast Start
For the Cowboys, they need to get off to a fast start on both sides of the ball. It's something they struggled with a year ago. Between quarterback Drew Mestemaker, running back Caleb Hawkins and wide receiver Wyatt Young, Oklahoma State has a tremendous first-strike capability.
The defense should be much more effective at stopping the run with a boatload of transfers and a new defensive system geared toward creating turnovers.
The worst thing Oklahoma State can do in a game like this, where the matchup looks lopsided on paper, is to allow that team to hang around and think they have a shot to win. That's why Oklahoma State needs a fast start against the Racers.
Effective Third-Down Defense
Neither one of these teams was good on third down last season. The Oklahoma State must be better on third down to be successful in Big 12 play and Murray State offers the Cowboys a chance to tune that up before league action begins.
The unit must get Murray State off the field early and often to get the football back to the offense. Murray State’s third-down conversion rate was 33% last year. It was one of their worst statistical categories in 2025. This is one of those “where the rubber meets the road” scenarios. Both teams were poor in this category last year and both hope to be significantly better. The Cowboys are betting their offseason will make them a much better third-down defense.
What Loses
Overconfidence
This is all about mindset. Everything on paper screams trap game for the Cowboys. Oklahoma State will have faced Tulsa and Oregon before this game. The Ducks game is going to get national attention and will serve as an emotional powder keg for the Cowboys. It will be a benchmark game for early progress.
Facing Murray State will feel like a relief. That leaves open the opportunity to fail to take the game seriously. Oklahoma State shouldn’t be overconfident, not after a 1-11 season and not against a team that went 1-11 last year. Oklahoma State must treat this game like it's a Super Bowl. Taking it lightly would be a recipe for disaster.
Not Dominating Murray State’s Defense
On paper, the one thing the Racers have going for them is their defense. Their top three tacklers are back while safety Dylan Rousey was an honorable mention FCS all-American last year. Murray State didn't get to the quarterback much, but they have good defensive players who understand their system including linebackers Conlee Crossno and Clayton Ingram.
The Oklahoma State offensive line needs to dominate the Murray State defense. If it can’t do that, then the Racers will get shots at Mestemaker and Hawkins, throwing a wrench in the Cowboys’ offensive game plan. Murray State’s talent is concentrated on defense. That’s where OSU must dominate.
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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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