‘I Know What I’m Capable Of’: Despite Inconsistent Workload, Howland Powers to Big Performance Against Baylor

STILLWATER — The Cowboys’ depth at running back has led to some inconsistent work for the OSU ball carriers, but after one stepped out from the crowd last week against Tulsa, another did Saturday in Trent Howland.

Howland had just six carries all season entering Oklahoma State’s 45-27 loss to Baylor. All of those carries came in OSU’s game against Oregon.

Howland didn’t play in the Cowboys’ season opener against UT-Martin and was on the field for just one snap against Tulsa.

But Howland, for the most part, played the featured back role against the Bears. He carried 16 times — his most in a game since 2023 when he was at Indiana — and ran for 84 yards and two touchdowns.

“It’s been a lot of up and down, but me being an older guy, I’ve been in it for a minute,” Howland said. “I know how to keep my composure and settle with whatever comes, but like today I had my opportunity. So, when it’s time to flip that switch and go, I have to go. Yeah, there’s a lot of emotions into it, but I know what I’m capable of and they do now, too. So let’s just keep moving forward.”

Howland also threw a pass against the Bears. The 13-yard completion to Royal Capell was the first pass Howland had thrown in a game since he was a sophomore in high school, he said. That last high school pass was incomplete, so Howland said he was determined to make this one count.

“I wasn’t nervous,” Howland said. “I told the slots, ‘I’m gonna throw the ball no matter what.’ I took a little hit on it, but I got it to Royal.”

When the Cowboys have handed Howland the rock, it’s usually gone well. He averaged 5.6 yards on 41 carries last season playing behind Ollie Gordon. That was the highest yards per carry total on the team among Cowboys with at least 10 rush attempts, and it wasn’t particularly close. OSU struggled to run the ball last season. The other three Cowboy running backs who took handoffs in 2024 (Gordon, Rodney Fields Jr. and Sesi Vailahi) combined to average 4.2 yards a carry.

The offseason brought a lot of change to Stillwater — a new offensive coordinator, a new running backs coach and two portal additions to the position group (Kalib Hicks and Freddie Brock IV). That meant there were five quality backs at the Cowboys’ disposal. Apparently the 6-foot-2, 247-pound bruising Howland didn’t have the best of spring balls, which might’ve led to his slow start.

“Trent’s a load,” offensive coordinator and interim head coach Doug Meacham said. “Trent — and I’m going to tell this to his face — in spring ball he’s a big, pretty guy, a little soft. I don’t know, but shoot, he runs hard. He runs behind his pads. Now he looks a lot better. He can throw a football. He can catch a football. He’s got as good a set of hands as anybody. And he’s a big body. I mean, he’s 235, 240, whatever he is. I mean, that’s a good one-two punch, like him and (Rodney) Fields because Fields is shifty, he can slip through little creases. This guy can just hammer you. So, I’m really proud of him.

“You could kind of see it a little bit in Oregon until he got hurt. He’s turned the corner. I’m not saying he’s got it all figured out. But I’m proud of him because we need every man we can get to contribute. There’s a time there I didn’t know if he was going to be one of those guys, and now it’s obvious to me that he is. I’m so proud of him.”