A New Start for the Oklahoma State Offense Showed Optimism for the Future
Cincinnati beat Oklahoma State 49-17 on Saturday night at Boone Pickens Stadium. The loss spoiled the Homecoming festivities in Stillwater and extended the Cowboys conference losing streak to 13.
Quarterback coach Kevin Johns took over offensive play calling duties prior to the game. In spite of the loss the offense showed signs of cohesion. The Cowboys finished with 377 yards, including 230 in the first half, well above its season average of 300.
“Kevin was really calm, and the staff was really organized,” interim coach Doug Meacham said. “His play calling was good. He had a really good run plan to create some extra room in the running game.”
The Cowboys opened the second half with a 20-yard touchdown run from Rodney Fields to finish a 62-yard drive and pull the Cowboys within 11. The drive also included tight end Quinton Stewart’s first catch since 2022, a 30-yard completion up the sideline to set up the touchdown run.
“Our game plan was to run the ball” senior offensive guard Bob Schick said. “When you run the ball everything else is easier and that showed tonight.”
Fields continued his string of solid performances, finishing with 163 rushing yards and a touchdown on 21 carries.
“He can get small through tight spaces,” Meacham said. “He can stop and start, and he’s compact so when he’s got just enough his short speed is really good.”
The Cowboys once again struggled to avoid costly mistakes. The most catastrophic error was a 100-yard pick six on a drive which could have seen the Cowboys get back to within 11.
“Minor miscues just turned catastrophic,” Meacham said. “We were doing some really good things and there’s about five plays in there that make it look really bad.”
Despite the losing streak, the Boone Pickens Stadium crowd still got the attention of the coaches and players because of the fun environment they provided. After making headlines last week for the Section 231 shirtless men, Homecoming week saw a new group join in on the fun. A group of around 60 students in banana costumes calling themselves “Pete’s Peelers” joined the men in 231 for their own spectacle.
“You would have thought we were up by 40,” Meacham said. “I’m not clear on what the deal was with the banana people, but that’s college kids having fun, and they’re all going to have incredible memories to come from it.”
The Cowboys still have time to end the losing streak this season and are gaining confidence offensively.
“There’s a feeling at times that we’re about to turn the corner,” Meacham said. “As boring as it sounds, we’re going to get back to the drawing board and do the best that we can as coaches to win the next one.”
