Stock Up, Stock Down: Oklahoma State Offense Struggles Again, Defense Takes Slight Step Forward

TUCSON, Arizona — The Cowboys were again on the wrong side of a blowout this weekend.

Oklahoma State fell to Arizona 41-13 on Saturday at Arizona Stadium. Relative to how things have been going, let’s take a look at what’s trending in the right direction and what’s trending in the wrong direction.

Stock Down: The OSU Offense as a Whole

It was another bad (bad, bad) day for the Cowboy offense in Tucson, as the group mustered just 158 total yards and seven first downs against the Wildcats.

By land or by air, the results were mostly the same.

Cowboy ball carriers ran 31 times for 89 yards (2.9 yards per carry). That’s OSU’s worst yards per carry day of the season. For what it’s worth, the Arizona run defense is stout, as the Wildcats are giving up just 3.0 yards per carry this season.

The passing game was again poor. OSU completed 13 of its 28 attempts (20 from Zane Flores, six from Sam Jackson V and two from Banks Bowen). That’s a 46% completion percentage, which marks the second time this season OSU has completed less than 50% of its passes (37% against Oregon). The Cowboys threw for just 69 yards, marking the second time (Oregon) OSU has thrown for less than 100 yards in a game this season.

Stock Up: Noah McKinney’s Mentality

It’s been a strange few weeks (seasons) for the Cowboys.

Mike Gundy’s firing opened a 30-day portal window for the Cowboys, so along with dealing with turnover on the staff, the Pokes are now dealing with turnover within the locker room.

While some are jumping at the opportunity to preserve the year of eligibility or look for greener pastures, OSU offensive lineman Noah McKinney spoke eloquently after the Cowboys’ loss in Tucson about still wanting to play for Oklahoma Sate.

Asked #okstate offensive lineman Noah McKinney what it’s like being in a locker room going through coaching changes and guys shutting things down.

He paused, gathered his thoughts and said this: pic.twitter.com/NT7PNDseWb

— Marshall Scott (@MarshallScottOK) October 5, 2025

“Guys want to be here, and guys still want to play for Oklahoma State and still represent the brand of what Oklahoma State is,” McKinney said. “Just because Coach Gundy is gone, doesn’t mean we can’t represent what Oklahoma State football is and do it. So, for  the guys that are still here and doing it, we’re just gonna fight and battle our ass off to the end.”

After a rough few seasons with little to celebrate, that has to be nice to hear for Cowboy fans.

Stock Down: Quarterback Health

Another Cowboy passer went down in the line of duty against the Wildcats.

Zane Flores took a sack in the third quarter, as an Arizona D-lineman drove Flores’ throwing shoulder into the turf. The Cowboy QB trotted to the sideline without moving that arm much and quickly went into the medical tent. Not long after, he re-emerged from the tent and was escorted back to the locker room.

Interim coach Doug Meacham said after the game he was unsure of the severity of the injury.

Flores started the year as the Cowboys backup but was thrust into action when Hauss Hejny suffered a Jones fracture a few series into the season.

And those injuries add to some QB health issues the Cowboys have faced going back to 2022 when Spencer Sanders got hurt. OSU got through the 2023 season unscathed at the position, but 2024 saw Flores earn a medical redshirt for a lower body injury and Garret Rangel break his collarbone.

When it rains, it pours.

Stock (Slightly) Up: OSU’s Defense

There wasn’t much further down the Cowboys’ D could go after giving up 612 yards to Baylor, 631 yards to Oregon and last season as a whole.

Saturday’s game was the first that Clint Bowen was coordinating the defense after the program parted ways with Todd Grantham following that Baylor game.

Giving up 41 points and 478 yards was not good by any means, but OSU held Arizona to 1.4 yards per carry and forced three turnovers (scoring on one of those).

That’s a step in the right direction, especially considering much of the roster attrition OSU faced last week was on that side of the ball and the fact that the Cowboy D was on the field for 34:30 in the desert.