STILLWATER – It’s certainly been a rough go of it for the Oklahoma State Cowboys the past few seasons. With the 39-17 loss to Houston, they’ve now lost 14-straight FBS games and 12-straight Big 12 games, 13 including the Big 12 title game to Texas.
Despite the losses, there are glimmers of hope on this team. The defense is making some steady improvements, especially some of the younger guys like Landyn Cleveland.
Cleveland is a sophomore out of Dallas (TX) Legacy HS and had the best game of his young career Saturday against Houston. He finished with five total tackles, two of which were solo stops, and two pass break ups. But more impressively, they weren’t just pass break ups, they were near interceptions.
“The first one came, I was looking and thinking I wasn’t going to get there, and it hit my first hand,” Cleveland told the Cowboy Radio Network after the game. “But the second one, it hit both hands and I just got to come down with it.”
Cleveland played in the final eight games of the 2024 season, recording three total tackles. He’s up to 10 total tackles through the first six games of this season, which includes one tackle for loss and the two pass breakups against the Cougars. But going back to his high school days at Legacy, Cleveland was a highly regarded prospect who recorded several interceptions his junior and senior season, and back-to-back 100+ tackle seasons.
He’s always had great football instinct, and he’s getting a chance to put it on display as a young player on the defense with experienced players ahead of him getting injured or entering the portal.
“Since I was little, it’s always been like that, I don’t want to look bad on film, or I don’t want to look bad to my coaches,” Cleveland told the Cowboy Radio Network. “So, every time I see the ball, I’ve got to get there. I should be on the screen around the ball.”
After his first dropped interception, I joked on social media about him being a defensive back instead of a wide receiver. But that it was an impressive play nonetheless to read the pass the whole way. After the game, Cleveland took to social media to send a heartfelt message to the fanbase.
He had a similar message about his teammates who have stuck around and stuck together.
“Over these past couple of weeks, it’s just been rocky just with the Oklahoma State program, but we’ve all come together and all committed as one. The [defensive backs], we all come together as one, the linebackers, [defensive] line, we all come together as a group. Offense, you see [them] start putting points on the board, starting to move the ball. We all just need to keep ironing out the little lumps.”
The Cowboys have a chance to try and work out a few more lumps next week as they play host to Cincinnati for America’s Greatest Homecoming.
