STILLWATER, Okla. — The Oklahoma State Cowboys put on a show for the locals against UCF — eventually.

The Cowboys (4-1, 1-0 in Big 12) beat the Knights (3-3, 1-2), 42-28, in a game that was tied 21-21 at halftime and saw OSU outscore UCF 21-7 in the second half. It included a Cowboys defensive touchdown and another fine performance from quarterback Drew Mestmaker.

Head coach Eric Morris said he was privately worried about the game because of how well the Knights stopped the run. OSU did enough to claim the victory and move on to its showdown with Houston on Saturday.

Here are six winners and losers from the game.

Winner: Learning More Ways to Win

The Oklahoma State Cowboys have won four games in a row. Does anyone remember the last time that happened? Oh, that would have been back in 2023 when the Cowboys went 10-4 and reached the Big 12 Championship game. It seems with every win this season the Cowboys do something they haven't done in a while.

Morris knows his team wasn’t sharp against UCF but liked the grit they played with and it paid off.  The defense had tackling issues in the first half, running back Caleb Hawkins’ first-quarter fumble led to a UCF touchdown and the sideline lacked energy in the first half. All of that was addressed.

He knows Oklahoma State isn't going to overwhelm teams offensively every single week. The Cowboys are going to have to find ways to scratch and claw out wins. That's what they did on Saturday.

The Cowboys overcame UCF’s strategy of bleeding the clock by getting key stops on third and fourth down and forcing punts. He watched his quarterback, Drew Mestemaker, and the rest of the offense maximize points on possessions. He also watched his defense pitch in with a great scoop-and-score by safety Evan Jackson who took advantage of a backwards pass that turned into a fumble.

Against West Virginia the Cowboys learned that they could pick apart a vulnerable secondary to win. Against UCF they learned that they could use several little moments to stack on top of one another to win a game. It’s the kind of growth that Morris wants week to week.

Loser: UCF’s Road Woes

The Knights were short-handed on Saturday. Nine players were listed as out, including quarterback Alonzo Barnett III. Another, wide receiver Duane Thomas Jr., was a game time decision and he didn't play. UCF is doing what it can with what it has.

UCF’s game plan in the first half was terrific. The Knights used short passes in the flat to create space. They used a run option game with quarterback Keyone Jenkins to move the OSU defensive line out of running lanes. But the Cowboys figured it out and in the second half the adjustments limited UCF to seven points, which came late in the game.

The Knights have lost 12 straight road games. Their last road win was against TCU on Sept. 14, 2023, which also happened to be the team’s Big 12 opener. UCF lost its remaining four road games in 2023, all five of its road games in 2025 and its first three road games this season. It’s something head coach Scott Frost must turn around, especially since his Knights were in all three road games this year.

Winner: Luke Webb

The Cowboys like to roll out defensive lineman like computer companies like to roll out operating systems — constantly. But defensive tackle Luke Webb is beginning to carve out a role for himself on this defensive line.

He made two terrific plays on Saturday, both on fourth down. Unfortunately, the first one didn't lead to a change of possession, but the second one did and it came in a key moment in the fourth quarter when the Cowboys needed a stop. He read a running play out of a pass look and sniffed it out perfectly.

Webb's playing time has steadily increased since the beginning of the season. More importantly, the quality of his impact on the game is worth noting. It felt like he was on the field more often against UCF and that's likely due to Landon Dean not being in the lineup. Dean was taking some of his snaps.

With Dean out at least for the time being, Webb took full advantage of the opportunity and proved that he has more to offer this defense.

Winner: Offensive Creativity

When your own special teams coach asks you if you're really going to hand the football to a tight end, then you know you're doing something different.

That's what Morris ran into when he schemed up a play early in the week that would allow tight end Morgan McPhaul to run the football. The Cowboys tight end ran for their second touchdown of the game, and it came out of their standard diamond formation with McPhaul lined up to the left of quarterback Drew Mestemaker. Even he said after the game he likely never would have thought to use a tight end in that situation. But it worked.

And there was another wrinkle on that series. The Cowboys used defensive end Malik Charles as a blocker. Morris is looking for ways to get more out of the Cowboys’ red zone possessions. The Cowboys scored every time they got into the red zone on Saturday, though not all of them were touchdowns. But the offense’s red zone percentage was low going into the contest and that explains the creativity.

Morris is looking for opportunities and handing the football to McPhaul, while likely not a look you're going to see often, is another example of his willingness to draw things that other coaches might not think of.

Loser: Playing Time for Braydon Nelson

I'll be honest. I thought Cowboys left tackle Braydon Nelson was going to play more on Saturday. He was probable all week and a game-time decision. While I didn't expect him to start, in my bold predictions piece I wrote that I thought Nelson might get 30 snaps. I was totally wrong. He got five.

Nelson entered the game in the second quarter to spell left tackle Shawn Torgeson and played one possession. After that possession he came off the field and had a short conversation with Morris. No one asked him about Nelson after the game and the way the contest developed it wasn’t a necessary question. But expect that question to come on Tuesday.

This is as much about working Nelson into the lineup as it is about how well Torgeson and right tackle Ashton Lepo have played this season. Assuming Nelson has no recovery issues from the game, he's going to play more this season. But the impact that I thought he was going to make on the game in his debut didn't transpire as I expected.

Winner: Desmond Magiya

All Desmond Magiya keeps doing is playing snaps for the OSU offensive line. It doesn't matter if it's at left tackle or left guard or right guard, he has become Morris’ indispensable plug-in. Because he can play multiple positions and do it well, he can start or he can spell starters and that's what he's done throughout the season.

On Saturday Johnny Dickson III, the starting left guard, was a game-time decision. I'll be honest — I thought I saw Dickson on the field that first possession, but he didn’t play. Magiya started the game at left guard and played the entire contest. And he played well.

The Cowboys couldn't get their outside zone running game moving against UCF’s stout defensive line, so they used more inside zone run and it took time for that to become effective. Because of how well Magiya blocked in the inside zone run scheme, he and the rest of the interior offensive line — center Tyler Mercer and right guard Joseph Hanson — eventually wore that interior down enough for Oklahoma State to run the football more effectively.

Every offensive line must have a Desmond Magiya. Because he played for Morris at North Texas, he knows the scheme and he knows what the head coach is looking for. That's why his play has been so consistent from week to week, no matter the position.