Off-Week Came at Right Time for Oklahoma State

Some much-needed reset days are ahead for the Cowboys.

Oklahoma State running back Kalib Hicks is brought down by a pack of Oregon defenders as the Oregon Ducks host the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Sept. 6, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On Saturday, the Oklahoma State Cowboys suffered one of their worst losses in program history, falling to the now fourth-ranked Oregon Ducks.

It was all Oregon from the get-go, with the Ducks jumping out to a 20-0 lead in the first frame and never looking back. Back-to-back Oregon pick sixes in the third quarter would be a microcosm of the day, which saw little go the Cowboys’ way.

Now, Oklahoma State is in need of a hard reset. Which it can potentially get with several days off.

While the Cowboys would’ve likely preferred an extra week to prepare for the Ducks, they can at least take solace in the fact they’ll have a bye week before continuing their season. They’ll see nearly two full weeks of off-time, next playing an in-state matchup against Tulsa on Friday, Sept. 19.

There’s plenty of questions surrounding the Pokes currently, and they’ll need to be answered in the coming days if the team is to have a shot in an open Big 12 Conference. 

Can the offense find an identity? It struggled both on the ground and in the air against Oregon, largely falling flat in both areas. The Ducks are undoubtedly one of the best teams in the country — though OSU likely could’ve mustered more than it did.

The injury to starting quarterback Hauss Hejny in the season opener certainly didn't help things, but Mike Gundy and co. are going to have to get creative in order to find ways to score points until he comes back. Getting slinder Zane Flores comfortable and in rhyhtm early is likely at the forefront of those conversations.

On the other side, how will the team solve its increasingly porous defense? Along the same lines, little went right for OSU’s defensive unit against Oregon, failing to stop lengthy drives often. The Ducks went to the short-range ground game with frequency, picking up chunk run plays, and aired it out to much success when the ground-game stalled. 

Defense will be especially important to contending in conference play, as a number of teams have talented offensive weapons.

These things and more are likely what's being discussed by the program in the coming days. Tulsa is certain to offer an opponent that the team can answer questions against, though they'll need to do some soul-searching and game-planning in the meantime.