Oklahoma State goes from upsetting No. 6 Oregon to hosting 55.5-point underdog Murray State. The Racers are 1-2 after consecutive 1-11 seasons, making Saturday less about whether OSU can win and more about whether the Cowboys can dominate an FCS opponent before Big 12 play.
STILLWATER — This week's challenge for Oklahoma State isn't necessarily beating Murray State. It's showing it can dominate a team it's supposed to beat.
One week after stunning No. 6 Oregon 39-31 at Boone Pickens Stadium, Oklahoma State gets a dramatic step down in competition Saturday night when FCS Murray State comes to Stillwater.
The Racers enter at 1-2 and are 55.5-point underdogs. They have won just three games since the start of the 2024 season and haven't posted a winning season since going 6-5 in 2021.
So unlike last week's matchup, there isn't one Murray State star demanding all of Oklahoma State's attention.
This week's Know Your Foe is about the Racers as a whole — and whether Oklahoma State can take care of business convincingly before Big 12 play begins
A Program Trying to Find Its Footing
The first two seasons under Murray State coach Jody Wright haven't been easy.
The Racers finished 1-11 in both 2024 and 2025. Their lone victory in Wright's first season came against Mississippi Valley State, while last year's only win came in the season finale, a 31-17 victory against Indiana State.
That at least gave Murray State something positive to carry into Year 3. The Racers opened this season with a 28-14 loss to Eastern Illinois before falling 38-14 at FBS Middle Tennessee. They finally broke through last week with a 27-18 victory over Valparaiso to enter Stillwater at 1-2.
And that victory provided perhaps the best glimpse yet at what Murray State wants to be offensively. The Racers finished with 388 yards — exactly 194 rushing and 194 passing.
Tyrell Campbell led the ground attack with 117 yards on only 14 carries. It's a balanced offensive performance Murray State will now try to carry into its biggest test of the season.
Three Quarterbacks Give OSU Something to Prepare For
Murray State's record might not be intimidating, but defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity still sees several wrinkles his defense will have to handle.
"They do a good job motioning, so there'll be a motion or shift every play," Cassity said. "We'll have to do a good job executing and communication in all our coverage adjustments."
Then there's the quarterback situation. Murray State has played three quarterbacks this season, giving Cassity and his staff multiple styles to prepare for.
"They also play multiple quarterbacks, so we'll see something different from each one," Cassity said. "Have already played three this season. All three in different games, so we'll have a plan for all three."
For an Oklahoma State defense coming off a game in which it held Oregon to 281 total yards, Saturday offers a different test of discipline and communication.
Murray State's Defense Has Been Better Against the Pass
The Racers are allowing 363.7 yards per game through three contests. Their pass defense, however, has been a relative strength.
Murray State is allowing only 183.3 passing yards per game, which ranks 23rd among FCS programs, according to Oklahoma State's game notes. The bigger weakness has been on the ground, where opponents have averaged 180.3 yards. Murray State did show significant improvement in that area last week, limiting Valparaiso to only 56 rushing yards.
That creates something to watch against an Oklahoma State offense that just ran for 237 yards against Oregon, including 110 from Caleb Hawkins and 109 from quarterback Drew Mestemaker.
Can Oklahoma State Dominate an FCS Opponent?
This will be the first meeting between Oklahoma State and Murray State, but the Cowboys have plenty of history against FCS competition. OSU is 32-0 against FCS or Division I-AA opponents since Division I split in 1978.
But undefeated doesn't necessarily mean dominant. Last season, OSU beat UT Martin 27-7 but led only 17-7 at halftime and went scoreless in both the second and third quarters before finally pulling away late.
In 2024, the Cowboys beat eventual FCS semifinalist South Dakota State 44-20 but led only 17-6 at halftime.
Central Arkansas hung around in a 27-13 OSU victory in 2023. And in 2021, Missouri State pushed the Cowboys in a 23-16 game.
The exception was 2022. OSU demolished Arkansas-Pine Bluff 63-7, scoring 35 points in the first quarter and leading 49-7 by halftime.
There's another notable difference between that blowout and several of the closer FCS games: timing.
The games against UT Martin, South Dakota State, Central Arkansas and Missouri State were all season openers. Arkansas-Pine Bluff came in Week 3. So does Murray State.
This Game Is More About Oklahoma State
That's ultimately what makes Saturday interesting. Oklahoma State has already experienced both extremes of a season in two weeks.
The Cowboys opened with a disastrous 24-10 loss at Tulsa before responding with one of the biggest wins in recent program history against No. 6 Oregon.
Now comes a game OSU is expected to control from the opening kick. There shouldn't be any question about whether Oklahoma State can beat Murray State. The Cowboys are favored by more than seven touchdowns, have never lost to an FCS opponent since the Division I split and just proved they can beat a top-10 team.
The more interesting question is how they handle it. Can the offense build a comfortable lead early? Can the defense maintain the communication and intensity Cassity saw against Oregon? Can OSU put the game away quickly enough to get younger players meaningful snaps before conference play?
After what happened at Tulsa, the Cowboys already know what can happen when their execution doesn't match expectations. And after what happened against Oregon, they know what their ceiling can look like when it does.
Murray State isn't coming to Stillwater with the star power Oregon brought last weekend. That might be exactly why Saturday represents another important test for Eric Morris' Cowboys.
