The Good, the Bad, the Ugly (and an Opportunity) from Oklahoma State’s 20-13 Loss to Iowa State

The Cowboys’ 2025 season is finally over. There will be plenty of time for a postmortem and, more importantly, a look ahead at the Eric Morris era, but for one final time let’s see what worked for the Cowboys and what didn’t with some superlatives.

The Good: Zane Flores’ Second Quarter

The Cowboys’ offense has never been what I would call good this season, but there have been little slivers of competence. A drive or two that reminded us what a functional offense looks like. Zane Flores gave us one of those on his final drive of the first half.

Flores completed all six pass attempts and captained OSU down to the 8-yard line. Then he handed the ball to Trent Howland to seal it with a touchdown to pull within three points. At that point, Flores was 11-of-14 and had completed nine-straight attempts.

He was 12-of-20 the rest of the way with an interception and a sack-fumble, but we’re focusing on the good here. In all seriousness, Flores was dealt a tough hand this season and he kept showing up and showed improvement along the way. He’s still just a freshman. Regardless of whether he stays in Stillwater or not, I think his best football is still ahead of him.

The Bad and Ugly: Turnovers and Missed Opportunities

There’s no reason to end an ugly season on an ugly note, so we’ll just smash these two together.

The Cowboys had two turnovers that led to 10 points for the Cyclones in a game that they lost by seven. That’s not the only reason they lost, but it’s a big part of why. And missed opportunities and self-inflicted wounds also stalled drives and caused the Cowboys to settle for field goals when they had made it into or near the red zone three times.

There’s not a ton to dissect on that. It was just a continuation of a season-long trend for a team in turmoil. While many of these players may return, you kind of have to wipe the slate clean.

The Opportunity: To Appreciate Those That Are Leaving

Whether they be the seniors that were honored today, those who will transfer out or the coaches that held things together, I think this is an apt time to appreciate what the Cowboys went through and that they did so with respect.

It’s not easy being a lame duck interim head coach at your alma mater, or the second acting defensive coordinator in a calendar year, but guys like Doug Meacham and Clint Bowen and others on the staff did nothing but build credit in my eyes. And I think that, like the players who kept bringing effort week in and week out, probably did themselves some favors when it comes to finding their next landing spot.

Next up, an exciting offseason as the OSU faithful become North Texas fans for at least the next couple of weeks.