Joseph Hanson, Oscar Hammond Set to Return Against Mountaineers

Support PFB with a PFB+ membership — $8 a month or $50 for a year.

The Cowboys will be a bit healthier heading down the country roads.

On his radio show on Thursday, Oklahoma State coach Eric Morris announced that Joseph Hanson and Oscar Hammond are set to return for the Cowboys’ game against West Virginia on Saturday.

“Yup, Joseph’s back, had a great week of practice,” Morris told Dave Hunziker. “Excited to get him back. Got banged up in the Oregon game and wanted to come back. He was not very happy with trainers, doctors, me on the sideline because they wouldn’t allow him to go back in. So, yeah excited to get him back. …

“Super excited to get (Hammond) back. By far our most athletic tight end, and somebody that you can use in the passing game, and our best route-runner, our best pass-catcher out there at tight end. Excited to get him back in the lineup this week.”

Hammond is in his second season at Oklahoma State, but the last time he played in a game he was playing under Morris at North Texas.

Listed at 6-foot-3, 243 pounds, Hammond transferred to OSU from North Texas ahead of last season, but a preseason injury saw him miss the entire year. Then Morris moved up to Stillwater.

In his lone season at UNT after transferring from UCO, Hammond was the Mean Green’s primary tight end, catching 19 passes for 238 yards and a touchdown.

Hanson started the Cowboys’ first two games at right guard but an injury suffered against the Ducks saw him miss most of that game and all of the Murray State game.

Listed at 6-foot-4, 302 pounds, Hanson came to Oklahoma State this offseason from Coastal Carolina. In three seasons with the Chanticleers, Hanson played in 32 games with all 920 offensive snaps he played coming at right tackle, but he moved to guard with the move up to the Big 12.

When he went down, Oklahoma State moved veteran North Texas transfer Johnny Dickson III from left guard over to right guard, as UNT transfer Desmond Magiya took over at left guard.

It sounds as if there’s a possibility even more help comes to the Cowboys’ offensive front.

Braydon Nelson has yet to play this season after suffering an injury in fall camp, but he has been practicing with the team.

“We’ll kind of test everything out (Friday) morning and make a final decision,” Morris said. “I don’t know, but for sure, I mean, he practiced the whole week. He did everything with us. Did the majority of everything. Running with the two offense right now just to get him into shape and get him back into playing condition.”

A 6-foot-4, 327-pound true junior, Nelson played 1,836 snaps for Morris at North Texas across his first two seasons of college football, mostly at left tackle.

Nelson’s absence was further magnified just six plays into the Cowboys’ season when starting left tackle Jacob Sexton went down with a season-ending injury.

Portland State transfer Shaun Torgeson was battling for OSU’s right tackle spot with Michigan State transfer Ashton Lepo, but Torgeson then flipped over to left tackle and has been playing there since.