Eric Morris Announces Starting Safety Mose Phillips Won’t Play in Houston

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The Cowboys will be without a starting safety for Saturday’s Top 20 matchup in Houston.

On his radio show on Thursday, Morris broke the news that Oklahoma State would be without Mose Phillips. Phillips suffered a shoulder injury in the Cowboys’ win against UCF and was listed as doubtful on Wednesday’s initial player availability report.

“Mose Phillips isn’t gonna play in this game,” Morris told Dave Hunziker. “Has been a great mainstay safety for us. He’s played both free and strong over the course of the season. Super, super intelligent player.”

Phillips started the Cowboys past four games, and even after exiting the UCF game early, his 199 defensive snaps are the sixth-most any Cowboy has played this season.

Expect North Texas transfer Evan Jackson to fill in.

Jackson was a hero of that win against the Knights, as he had the scoop-and-score fumble recovery that blew that game open.

scoop, there it is

📺: ESPN2 | @TheEvanJackson https://t.co/LPQaiVpggM

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) October 10, 2026

Jackson has played 141 snaps thus far in 2026, which is the 13th most of any Cowboy defender and ranks fourth among safeties behind Quinton Hammonds (325), nickel Christian Bodnar (261) and Phillips.

Jackson is a 5-foot-11, 188-pound senior. He played in every game at UNT across the past three seasons, making a dozen starts. On his career, he has 134 tackles and six interceptions.

This’ll also mark a homecoming of sorts for Jackson, as he is from Houston and graduated from North Shore High.

“Evan is super rangy,” Morris said. “Super athletic, explosive. I think it gives us a chance to play him at free and then play Quinton Hammonds at strong safety a little bit more. Quinton has done a nice job going back and forth. He’s played a little bit more free this year, but I think his natural best position is strong safety. So, I really like the matchup of those two in the game against this Houston squad.”