After a dominant three-game stretch, No. 18 Oklahoma State has stamped itself as a Big 12 contender heading into Saturday’s conference game against injury-depleted UCF in Stillwater, Okla.
The Cowboys (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) hope their momentum was not slowed by their bye week as their most recent outing was a 41-24 victory on Sept. 26 at West Virginia. During the off week, Oklahoma State improved one spot in The Associated Press Top 25 poll after entering the rankings on Sept. 27 for the first time since 2024.
In the win over the Mountaineers, quarterback Drew Mestemaker passed for a season-high 389 yards and three touchdowns, Caleb Hawkins had 180 yards and a score on the ground and Wyatt Young led the Cowboys with eight catches for 192 yards and a touchdown as the Cowboys rallied from an early 14-3 deficit.
It marked the third straight game that Mestemaker increased his passing yardage from the previous contest, but he will be hard-pressed to continue that trend against a UCF unit that ranks 27th nationally in pass efficiency defense.
“I’ve been seeing the field a lot better this year than I did last year,” Mestemaker said. “I’ve been able to see the full picture of the defense and what the defense is trying to get to. I think I would scramble out of the pocket too quick last year.
“I just feel so confident in the offense right now that I feel like whenever I check (into or out of) plays, I feel really good about making them.”
The Knights (3-2, 1-1) head to the Sooner State on the heels of a 27-17 loss on Saturday at then-No. 20 Houston. They led 17-0 with six minutes left in the third quarter before the Cougars scored the game’s final 27 points.
Quarterback Keyone Jenkins passed for a career-best 253 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score to lead the UCF attack.
Jenkins continues to fill in for No. 1 quarterback Alonza Barnett III (hamstring), who has missed the past three games. UCF coach Scott Frost said Monday he “doesn’t think” Barnett will return against Oklahoma State.
With Jenkins at quarterback, the Knights have taken a conservative approach on offense. Multiple injuries on both sides of the ball also have hampered them.
“It kills me not to let it rip, but we got to make the decision (based on) what’s best for the football team,” Frost said. “It’s more my personality to go fast, let it rip, try to make plays. That being said, we’ve got a defense that does a good job of getting turnovers and timely stops, and we don’t want to put them out on the field forever.
“When you have so much uncertainty on who’s available and who’s not, it’s a challenge. You want a game plan to get certain guys the ball, and when you’re not sure if you’re going to have them or not, you’ve got to look somewhere else.”
UCF won the first two meetings with Oklahoma State, which includes last year’s 17-14 decision in Orlando.
