⚾ OSU BASEBALL FANS, LISTEN UP! Time is running out for you to be a part of the BIG Pro-Am Golf Tournament on November 9th. The program has secured some of the greatest players ever to wear the uniform, and the cause couldn't be more fundamental: scholarships. So, let me peel this one back! OSU baseball fans expect Omaha, and, in full transparency, I think the vast majority of diehards are pretty motivated to figure out what needs to happen to put this program in position to do that. And the first step is to make sure it is competitive in terms of the resources it has compared to the competition, and the ability to offer competitive packages to acquire talent. Money is players, and that's just the way this generation of college athletics works. Totally understood if that turns you off, or if you're not a fan of the way things are headed, but, as they say, it is what it is. So, we either step up or get left behind. But... All of that has been taken into the equation, which is why the focus of the fundraising for OSU baseball is going specifically toward providing scholarships for the players on the roster. You have the ability to know EXACTLY where your money is being spent. If you want to buy a player's books, then earmark that. Want to earmark a specific player? You can do that, too. Now you know what you've helped provide. That's the kind of transparency that is being offered. And here's the thing. For OSU to be at the top of the spending tree in total, the baseball program would need $5 million a year. Not to be negative, or to sell the program short, but that's not going to happen. But we can get closer to that than we are now. It sounds daunting and out of reach until you think of it like this: 1,000 people × $1,000 = $1 MILLION. We can do that. Be a part of the $1,000 Club, and you can start by either sponsoring, playing in, or just donating to the Golf Tournament on November 9th. The expectations are awesome. Don't ever lower them. What I ask, on the other hand, is that we raise the realistic opportunities this program has to reach them by us all doing our part and doing what we can. #GoPokes #OkState

Oscar Hammond recorded his first catch at OSU, and hopefully it's the first of many more to come. If you saw this dude at Collinsville, you know how good he was. That team was so good that they ran the ball a lot, and from the video and live games I watched, Oscar was primarily a blocker. But when they needed a big play or a bailout in a long-yardage situation, they'd target him, and he delivered. He made really good players look like they had no chance, and he drew plenty of attention. Hammond is another positive byproduct of the transfer portal. To be honest, after watching him in high school, I never quite understood how he ended up at UCO. Nothing against UCO. It's a great place to play, but Oscar had the ability to compete at a much higher level. In my eyes, he was always a Power Four-caliber player. And the same goes for North Texas. It's a good program, but Hammond has the tools to be a difference-maker at OSU. Of course, he missed all of last season with an injury and was sidelined again to start this year, so he's still getting back in the saddle. That's why I'm excited to see how his role develops as he gets healthier and more involved in the offense. If what I saw from him at Collinsville is any indication, there's a lot more to come. #GoPokes #OkState

Super excited to get to speak with Saadiq Clements for the first time this season! Saadiq had a very good spring and fall camp. But TBH, while he was effective, he wasn't, IMO, quite as impactful right out of the gate as he's capable of in the first couple of games this season. Then the lightbulb seemed to pop starting with the UCF game, when he recorded five tackles. That game "feels" like it gave him the confidence and momentum to become the disruptor we've seen over the last few weeks. Since that UCF game, he's recorded four tackles against Houston and two more Saturday against Colorado, including the big play right before LaDainian Fields' interception. Interior defensive linemen don't always get the credit they deserve, but plays like that show how much their pressure can change a game. Looking forward to a BIG stretch run to finish this season from Saadiq. #GoPokes #OkState

Coach Morris breaks down the difference between the defense in the first half and the second half, what went right, and what went wrong. He also emphasized how big that opening second-half fumble was. Just as important, once OSU got momentum, the Cowboys didn't give it back. **That's complementary football!** The defense creates a spark, the offense punches it in, and that lights an even bigger fire under the defense. Before you know it, each unit is feeding off the other, and the entire team starts rolling. That's a fun process to watch, and you can absolutely *feel it* when it's happening. I've had plenty of people, often those who lean heavily on advanced analytics, tell me momentum doesn't exist. I disagree. You may not be able to quantify it perfectly, but you can see how it changes the way a game unfolds. Sometimes, football is about more than the numbers on a spreadsheet. #GoPokes #OkState

William Mason has a pretty awesome story. He moved from Michigan to Coweta, and I got to see him more than once while he was there. Not in person, though, just on film. That's one reason why, if you've followed our coverage from Day 1 of practice, you've heard us say that he belongs at the OSU level. Mason is big, quick, tough, and has absolutely ZERO entitlement. And that's a combination that wins. In today's transfer portal era, it's refreshing to find young men who use the word "no" as motivation to get better. In Mason's case, "no" meant continuing to work and earn his opportunities, even when he wasn't getting the reps that, as Coach Morris has said himself, he'd earned. So he found a niche on the kickoff team, and much like a team that keeps grinding and finding ways to win, players like Mason do the same thing. They find a way to contribute, and coaches take notice. You have to give him his props and respect for that. He still has plenty of goals ahead of him, but no one can ever take away what he experienced Saturday night. That's his. It's his forever, and he earned it. #GoPokes #OkState

Gotta give some LUV to big #5, Saadiq Clements. Clements leads all OSU defensive tackles with 16 tackles on the season. He had two on Saturday against Colorado, including one in the second half that, IMO, led directly to the interception thrown to LaDainian on the very next play. Saadiq ran Wilson down and landed on him hard. That’s a hit that takes your breath away, and when that happens, the last thing you want to do on the next play is take another hit. So, it’s no surprise Wilson got the ball out early and threw it right to LaDainian. All of this works together. You rattle the cage of the QB, he makes mistakes. You physically and legally make him uncomfortable, he makes mistakes. You speed up his decision-making, he makes mistakes. This is why I’ve said it many times: Yes, Colorado is prone to mistakes, but OSU forced them into their biggest mistakes on Saturday by playing aggressive, disciplined, and fundamentally sound defense. Well done, Saadiq! Keep ringin’ that cowbell! 🔔 #GoPokes #OkState

**The latest Roll the Tape has dropped! 🎥** youtu.be/566QnDWpjNo This is an Xs and Os breakdown of Homecoming 2026, and I think you'll find that Coach Cassity actually had things dialed up pretty well in the first half. Isaac Wilson just got on a heater. Of course, there are always a few things you'd like to have back in both scheme and execution, but that's no different than any other week. Then OSU came out to start the second half, dialed up a corner blitz, forced a fumble, and it was ALL Cowboys from that point on. The offense was outstanding, too. So many players had a hand in it, from William Mason to Morgan McPhaul to Oscar Hammond, plus the usual contributors. From an Xs and Os perspective, it was about as complete a game as you'll see. And, as always, the man pulling the trigger executed at a level that, TBH, only he can reach at times. Great win! And as you win, each game gets bigger. But you can't think that way. It's all about going **1-0 every week.** These shows take some time to put together, so I'd love for you to check this one out! #GoPokes #OkState

The Cowboys gave up just five first downs on the ground Saturday against Colorado and allowed the Buffs only 1.9 yards per rush. That's a GREAT job of taking that part of the game away from Colorado, and it played a huge part in setting the stage for the turnovers this defense created in the second half. Defensive lineman Jerry Lawson was a big part of that effort, finishing with three tackles, two of which were essentially tackles for loss. He also added a forced fumble. Great night for Lawson as part of what's been a great year so far. He has the second-most tackles among OSU's interior defensive linemen with 14 on the season, behind only Saadiq Clements, who has 16. Shoutout to Saadiq on that one! I didn't realize he led all of OSU's defensive tackles in tackles this year. Job well done, Jerry. More Cowbell, please! #GoPokes #OkState

Caleb Hawkins had another crazy good day on Saturday. And, JMO, but he looked like he had a little extra burst. As great as he's been, this past game was the best he's looked purely as a runner of the football in terms of quickness, decisiveness, vision when bouncing and bending runs, and then going from 0 to top speed. Hawkins had 123 yards on 19 carries, averaging a cool 6.3 yards per carry. He also added five catches for 72 yards and, as always, was huge in pass protection, picking up the Colorado blitz, something they rely on to have success. Hawkins has 712 yards on the ground so far this year on 142 carries, which is five yards per carry, and he's done that with a long of just 39 yards. That goes to show how effective he's been on the routine plays within this offense. He's added 25 catches for 272 yards, and it would take a lot of work, but I'd love to know how many yards this offense has gained simply because he picked up a blitz and gave Mestemaker the time to throw a shot ball. I'll bet it's OVER 300 yards or so. So, he's accounted for almost 1,000 yards himself. Combine that with the yards he's helped create in pass protection, and that's the complete picture of what makes him elite. #GoPokes #OkState

OSU in Ames, no matter how good or bad Iowa State is, always gives me cold sweats. The Cyclones are tough to beat in Ames. #GoPokes #OkState

Sam Keltner went 5-for-5 on field goals Saturday night, connecting from 47, 30, 41, 21 and 30 yards. He now holds the OSU record for the most consecutive made field goals to start a career, passing Dan Bailey, who opened his OSU career with 17 straight makes before going on to win the Lou Groza Award in 2010. What's cool is that Keltner grew up a Cowboys fan. He knew all about Bailey as a kid, and the Groza Award Bailey won is something Keltner walks by every day. It's a reminder of what's possible, and a motivating factor for him. Coach Morris and this offense aren't looking to kick field goals. The goal is to score touchdowns. So a field goal doesn't necessarily feel like a momentum shifter, and in many ways, that's because it isn't. It doesn't necessarily build momentum, but it also doesn't automatically hand it back to the other team. When an offense has to settle for a field goal and then misses it, though, that's when momentum can swing in a hurry. That's why Keltner's steady presence has been a MUCH bigger factor than I think he gets credit for. #GoPokes #OkState

We've said this many times before, but Coach Morris is all about winning. His offense is a great combination of an Air Raid base, combined with every type of run scheme possible. And not just run scheme, but a belief that the run sets up the pass in many ways. OSU runs inside zone, outside zone, they've run counters, traps, power, gap scheme, zone read, and they've shown several different people who can run the ball. So, when Coach says he believes you have to run the ball, it's not "air raid" lip service. He proves it by the way he runs this offense. And when the play-action game is working, and the defense has to respect the run, as Drew Mestemaker said, that's when this offense becomes virtually unstoppable. #GoPokes #OkState

LaDainian Fields...Proud of you sir! Fields absolutely balled out on Saturday night. He had the big tackle in the 1st half where he blew up a screen play, then several other very physical plays in the run game too. Then, he had the 2 picks. Despite the fact that the defense didn't play great in the 1st half, I think Saturday was the best game he's played in an OSU uniform. And, when I say that, there are layers to that. First, he played great at the end of last year, but it was such low stakes that, while he shined in the metrics, I still think the takeaways were fairly limited. So, when I say "best in an OSU uniform", I'm taking into account the opponent, and importance of the game and in him playing well. Also, the secondary got beat up pretty good by Social Media and the likes after the Houston game. Like everything, I'm sure some of it was fair, while other parts of it wasn't. Then the 1st half Saturday happened, and, TBH, that was adversity. And he handled that by putting together a GREAT half of football, which goes to show how competitive he is, and his ability to tune out the noise and just do what he's capable of...Which is quite a bit. Also, gotta say, with the way he played on Saturday, he deserved more of an opportunity to celebrate what he'd accomplished than what I gave him in this interview. This was a poor job on my part matching tone and detail with the moment. So, my bad on that! Well done LaDainian...Keep ringin' that Cowbell! #GoPokes #OkState

The defense rallied in the second half and played about as well as it can. Not only did it pitch a shutout, but it also created turnovers. And you can bet big #32, Ethan Wesloski, was right in the middle of the action. Wesloski leads the team with 70 tackles, including 29 solo stops, which also leads the team. That tells you a lot about his ability to use leverage and angles to make tackles in space. He also has 4.5 TFLs and 3.5 sacks. But there are numerous other plays where he doesn't get credit on the stat sheet, yet his pressure is the primary reason the opposing offense is forced into a mistake. You saw that on LaDainian Fields' interception. Wesloski tied Fields for the team lead in tackles again Saturday, which was fitting considering those two teamed up for the first interception. Ethan brought the pressure, and LaDainian came away with the pick. Wesloski finished with two TFLs and two sacks of his own. #GoPokes #OkState

Going live right now...6:15 with Coach Holt to wrap up the awesome Homecoming weekend. Come on over and join the chat, and let's talk Cowboy Football. 🎙️youtube.com/live/tehmXJVP97g We're gonna try to have live shows on Sunday and Wednesday nights from here on out, so put it in your calendar and come join the show. #GoPokes #OkState

Remember earlier in the game when Coach Morris called the exact same play, twice in a row to JBo, in the backside dig? Well, remember the TD to McPhaul, where we threw the ball behind the LOS and, thus, legally picked the man-to-man defender? Well, here it is again, but this time to Oscar Hammond. Again, same concepts, different window dressing, great execution. #GoPokes #OkState

Another tremendous play from right guard, Joseph Hanson. For the 2nd time on the drive, he used his down-block angle to set the double team for Mercer, then climbed and took care of a linebacker. Dude was in straight-up beast mode! #GoPokes #Okstate

Check out the big uglies on the right side of the line on this zone play. Right tackle Ashton Lepo set the edge and gave Hawkins a two-way go. Because Lepo did such a good job, right guard Joseph Hanson was able to climb to the second level. Then both Hanson and center Tyler Mercer turned their butts to the hole and gave Caleb the lane he needed to make this run. This play, also, was sneakily one of the biggest of the game. Obviously, the forced turnovers and TD plays steal the show, but there are always a couple of plays like this one that, without them, the TD plays may never even take place. OSU had just taken the lead and was looking for that two-score lead that they've been so dominant with. We had thrown an incomplete pass on first down, so it was second-and-10. And to be able to just turn around and hand it off on second-and-10 was, IMO, the statement that Colorado was broke, and it was time to put the foot to the pedal and take control of that game. And that's exactly what the Cowboys did! #GoPokes #OkState

Boone Pickens was BONKERS in this sequence. I get it that Colorado is penalty-prone, but the fans made a HUGE impact on the back-to-back false-start penalties. I was on the field, and I can tell you, there were moments in the 3rd quarter last night that were some of the loudest I've heard at BPS. I've been at some really high-stakes games in the past where literally every second of every defensive possession is like that from start to finish. But for a game against a 2-win team, that was pretty impressive! Last night was such an awesome atmosphere that Robert Smith, the color analyst on the Fox broadcast, was blown away pretty good by how great it was. And he's never been easily impressed by anything OSU has ever done, and last night was his 1st trip to Stillwater and BPS. Well done to ALL! #GoPokes #OkState

OSU made some adjustments defensively in the second half, although I think that, almost every time, gets blown out of proportion. The adjustments are being made in real time, and while halftime does give you some time to get organized, so does each offensive possession. So, I say that to say, I think, beyond tightening up the corners and coverage overall, the “adjustments” aspect was more about getting vertical, thinking less, and playing faster. That, IMO, was the biggest difference between the first and second halves. Then, also, let's just give Isaac Wilson a TON of credit for the way he played in the first half. The dude made every type of play, was trusting his eyes, made the right reads, and, when he does that, he's talented enough to make a defense wrong. I do think OSU gave him a lane to play with that kind of confidence in the first 30 minutes, and they took away ALL of those lanes in the second half. But part of the defensive issues was simply the other team's QB playing a near-perfect game. #GoPokes #OkState

Just so many different layers to like about this TD to Morgan McPhaul. First, the motion moves the safety out of the hole that McPhaul is attacking. Then, the play-fake to Hawkins holds the linebacker, and because the ball is thrown behind the line of scrimmage, it's legal for JBo to make contact before the ball is caught. Pretty awesome man-beater concept, and because it was run on first down, the run fake had maximum effect. Again, anyone can draw up plays. That's what all these coaches do all day, every day. It's their job. But it's the timing (first down) and the way it gets set up that separates good from elite. The interesting part of this is that red-zone touchdown scoring has probably been the most criticized part of this offense. And, TBH, it's almost assuredly been the most creative part of the play calling throughout the year. Also, the goal was not to reward a player here, because the reason Morgan was given this play to run is that he obviously proved he was the best one to do it. All you have to do is watch how he rerouted to make sure he caught the ball when it was still behind the LOS. But it sure is a nice secondary benefit to give someone like him, who does all the things that go widely unnoticed, this kind of reward. #GoPokes #OkState