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Sometimes individual performances don’t mean team success. Houston beat Oklahoma State 35-32 on Saturday night inside TDECU Stadium. It was the first conference loss for the Cowboys.
Running back Caleb Hawkins had a productive day both running and receiving the ball. He totaled 193 all-purpose yards.
Hawkins longest play from scrimmage happened on a 66-yard reception on a wheel route to draw the Cowboys within a field goal in the fourth quarter.
"His pass pro has been phenomenal all year,” coach Eric Morris said. He's someone who loves to compete. He'll fight to the end with his teammates. The ball continues to find people that plays the way he does."
The Houston defense came into the game only allowing 74 yards rushing per game. Morris learned offense in the Mike Leach air raid system which did not put an emphasis on running the ball. In that system running backs were treated as extra receivers used to catch the ball on screens or downfield out of the back field. Morris has modernized the Leach system and wants to run the ball more often.
Houston held Oklahoma State to 134 yards rushing. Hawkins had 68 of those yards. That made Hawkins versatility and Morris returning to his Mike Leach roots important if the back was going to be an effective part of the offense.
Most of Hawkins production came in the second half. Besides the long completion for a score Hawkins was a consistent target for Drew Mestemaker on third down. The Houston defense wanted to take away Justin Bowick and Wyatt Young in the passing game. That was only partially effective as Young had 99 yards receiving and a score. Bowick added a score of his own as well as a catch on a two-point conversion. That coverage left Hawkins open out of the back field when Mestemaker decided to not try to push the ball downfield.
“Coach told us we had to start off fast and we didn’t do that,” Hawkins said. “He came in there and said we’re not doing that second half magic. We are going to do exactly what we should have done in the first half. We just went out there and tried to establish what we needed to.”
Hawkins joined both Bowick and Young as receivers to hit 100 yards in a game this season.
Hawkins finished with 125 receiving yards. That was two yards shy of Terry Brown’s OSU running back record of 127, set in 1968 against Kansas. It was also only the eighth 100-yard receiving game for an Oklahoma State running back since 1945.
“I’m not sure what my highest receiving game is. It is nice to know that I can get it done,” Hawkins said. “We always talk that no matter how the game is going there is never excuse for less than your best effort.”
The Cowboys defense could not get the stops it needed to win the game. Connor Weigman and the Cougars offense finished with 505 total yards and converted a second-and-six from the OSU 27 to seal the game and keep Hawkins and the offense on the sideline.
Oklahoma State fell to 4-2 (2-1) with the loss. The Cowboys next face the Colorado Buffaloes for America’s Greatest Homecoming Celebration.
