For the first time in more than two decades, Oklahoma State took the field without Mike Gundy leading the program. Interim head coach Doug Meacham inherited a locker room reeling from blowout losses to Oregon and Tulsa and staring at a daunting Big 12 opener against Baylor. What he produced on Saturday wasn’t a win, but it was a blueprint for how the Cowboys might salvage their season.
Oklahoma State fell 45–27 to the Bears at Boone Pickens Stadium, but the score alone doesn’t tell the story. Meacham’s squad rolled up a season-high 448 yards of offense, hit on multiple trick plays, and trailed by just one score late in the third quarter. It was a game the home crowd could feel, and it was the first sign of a pulse from a team that had been lifeless in September.
“It’s a testament to Mike building a culture here, picking the right kind of guys that will fight through adversity and come together as a team,” Meacham said after the game. “I was really impressed with that part. Had a lot of fun. They were having fun. That’s really what it’s all about.”
One of the sharpest differences between Saturday and OSU’s first three contests was how aggressively Meacham dialed up the offense. The Cowboys had been conservative and predictable, leaning on short runs and quick throws with minimal results. Against Baylor, they opened the toolbox.
Receiver Sam Jackson V completed three of four passes for 46 yards, including a 26-yard reverse-pass touchdown to tight end Josh Ford to tie the score at 7-7. Running back Trent Howland added a 13-yard completion on a third-quarter drive, then barreled into the end zone from a yard out for his second rushing touchdown of the afternoon.
“Moving forward, I mean, if I’m on defense and he’s on the field, you better back up a little bit or base up a little bit because that kid’s a weapon,” Meacham said of Jackson’s ability to throw on gadget plays.
The result was OSU’s most dynamic offensive performance of the season. Quarterback Zane Flores threw for a career-high 232 yards, and Howland posted career highs of 84 yards and two rushing scores. The Cowboys converted six of 16 third downs and repeatedly pushed the pace, outgaining Baylor 349–285 in the first half and trailing just 28–20 at the break.
As promising as OSU’s offense looked, the afternoon belonged to Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson. The redshirt senior torched the Cowboys for 393 yards and four passing touchdowns, each to a different target, and added a two-yard rushing score in the fourth quarter to seal the win. His 73-yard strike to Kobe Prentice on the opening drive of the second half flipped momentum back to the Bears just as Boone Pickens Stadium was buzzing.
Robertson spread the ball with surgical precision. Tight end Matthew Klopfenstein, receivers Michael Trigg and Kole Wilson, and Prentice all caught touchdown passes. Josh Cameron chipped in six catches for 98 yards. Even Baylor’s running game, led by Bryson Washington’s 77 yards and a score, was explosive — the Bears topped 600 total yards for the second time this season.
Baylor coach Dave Aranda admitted he wasn’t sure what to expect from Meacham’s revamped Cowboys. “Much like a presidential election when there’s a change, you figure it’s going to completely go the opposite,” Aranda said. “And that was kind of the talk when there was a change, and for sure that’s what we got.”
What he also got was a vintage road performance from his offense and a steadying second-half defense. After surrendering 349 yards in the first two quarters, Baylor clamped down, holding OSU to just 99 yards in the fourth quarter and allowing no points after Howland’s third-quarter touchdown.
Oklahoma State dropped to 1–3 overall and 0–1 in Big 12 play, still searching for its first win over an FBS opponent. Yet the mood in Stillwater felt markedly different from the team’s lopsided September losses. The crowd of 45,689 stayed engaged deep into the second half, and the players showed visible energy on the sideline after big plays.
The Cowboys’ defense, though leaky, also delivered key moments. They forced a fumble and got a turnover on downs during a third-quarter stretch that allowed the offense to claw within one possession. With nine minutes remaining, OSU even had a chance to get off the field on third down, but Robertson found Trigg for a 35-yard gain, setting up the drive that ended with his rushing touchdown.
That sequence highlighted both the promise and the reality of this current roster: creative enough to generate points, but still vulnerable to elite quarterbacks. Even in the first half, Baylor’s ability to score quickly — three plays, 78 yards on its opening drive — foreshadowed how thin the margin for error would be for Meacham’s team.
There’s no question the Cowboys’ defense must improve if OSU is going to pull off upsets later this fall. Allowing 612 yards, including 219 on the ground, is rarely a winning formula. But for the first time in weeks, Oklahoma State played with a clear identity. Trick plays and tempo replaced plodding drives. Young players like Flores and Howland showed development. And the team looked engaged for four quarters.
Baylor’s win also reinforced its own trajectory. The Bears have now won five straight road games dating back to 2024, including an early-season victory at No. 16 SMU. If the defense stabilizes, Aranda’s offense appears potent enough to contend in the Big 12.
For Oklahoma State, the task is simpler but no less daunting: build on the flashes of creativity, tighten up the coverage breakdowns, and finally finish drives. Doing so could turn the good vibes from Saturday into wins. In that sense, this loss may be less a setback than a starting point.
“It was a significant improvement,” Meacham said.
Next week’s trip to Arizona offers another chance for the Cowboys to chase their first FBS win of 2025. If the energy and innovation from Saturday carry over, OSU could finally be trending in the right direction — even in the shadow of a new era.
Matt Hofeld is a college football analyst and contributor covering the Big 12. Follow him for more Oklahoma State and conference-wide analysis throughout the 2025 season.
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