Oklahoma State Safety Mose Phillips III Ruled Out Against Colorado, Eric Morris Confirms

STILLWATER, Okla. — Oklahoma State will remain without veteran safety Mose Phillips III when the Cowboys return home to face Colorado on Saturday.

Head coach Eric Morris confirmed during Tuesday's media availability that Phillips will miss the upcoming Big 12 matchup, extending his absence after he sat out Oklahoma State's 35-32 loss at Houston.

Phillips suffered a shoulder injury during the Cowboys' October 10 victory over UCF and was unavailable against the Cougars. His continued absence presents another challenge for an Oklahoma State defense looking to recover from a difficult performance in Houston.

Phillips joined Oklahoma State ahead of the 2026 season after previous stops at Virginia Tech and Missouri. The senior safety brings considerable experience to the Cowboys' secondary, including a productive 2024 season at Virginia Tech when he started 11 games and recorded 65 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, one sack, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles and an interception.

He spent the 2025 season at Missouri before transferring to Stillwater. That experience makes his absence particularly notable as Oklahoma State works through the challenges of Big 12 competition.

Although Phillips remains listed on Oklahoma State's depth chart for the Colorado game, Morris' update confirms he will not be available Saturday. The Cowboys will again have to rely on their remaining defensive backs to handle the responsibilities normally shared with Phillips.

The injury update comes after Houston quarterback Conner Weigman threw for 343 yards and five touchdowns against Oklahoma State.  Houston finished with 505 total yards, including 343 through the air, and converted seven of 13 third-down opportunities.

The Cougars also went three-for-three on fourth down, repeatedly extending possessions and preventing Oklahoma State from completing its comeback. The Cowboys made improvements against the run as the game progressed, but Houston continued to find success through the passing game.

Now Oklahoma State faces another Big 12 opponent without one of its veteran defensive backs. For Morris and his defensive staff, the priority will be improving communication, maintaining assignments and preventing the explosive passing plays that proved costly against Houston.

Oklahoma State enters Saturday's game with a 4-2 overall record and a 2-1 mark in Big 12 play. Colorado arrives in Stillwater at 2-4 overall and 0-3 in conference play after falling 27-24 to Utah last weekend. The matchup marks Colorado's first trip to Stillwater since 2009 and comes during the 105th edition of Oklahoma State's America's Greatest Homecoming.

Saturday's game is also sold out, setting the stage for an important response following the Cowboys' first conference loss of the season. Oklahoma State will host Colorado at 6 p.m. CT on FS1.

While the Cowboys will again be without Phillips, Saturday offers the defense another opportunity to show improvement before Oklahoma State travels to Iowa State on Halloween night. For a secondary coming off a challenging outing, the next test arrives quickly — and without one of its most experienced players.