College Football
Preview
Oklahoma State at Houston
When: 4:00 PM ET, Saturday, November 18, 2023
Where: TDECU Stadium, Houston, Texas

No. 23 Oklahoma State and Houston will meet for the first time as Big 12 Conference members on Saturday in Houston as both try to rebound from disappointing defeats.

Oklahoma State (7-3, 5-2) saw its five-game winning streak come to an end in a humbling 45-3 defeat at UCF last week. The Cowboys remain in the mix for the Big 12 title game but are in search of the proper mindset moving forward.

"We're still together as family," Oklahoma State linebacker Zavier Benson said. "We realize there's not much to be said. It wasn't acceptable. We have to own up to that, be men and take accountability of actions.

"I like how everyone's responding in more of a positive manner, realizing we got to start from ground zero again because we got to earn what we lost. It starts with the simple things."

Houston (4-6, 2-5) must win its remaining two games in order to become bowl eligible following a 24-14 home loss to Cincinnati last week. The Cougars have reached a bowl game in each of the last three seasons under coach Dana Holgorsen.

"It was a disappointing loss," Holgorsen said. "Kept it a close game. ... Offensively (it was) just not good enough."

Saturday will mark the first meeting between the programs since 2009 when Houston earned a 45-35 victory. It is not the first conference matchup between the programs, though, as both were members of the Missouri Valley Conference from 1951-56.

For Oklahoma State, it's about getting back on track in its race for the Big 12 title game. The Cowboys were riding high after knocking off rival Oklahoma 27-24 on Nov. 4 before the collapse at UCF.

The Knights held Oklahoma State standout running back Ollie Gordon II to just 25 yards on 12 carries. Gordon is still the nation's leading rusher with 1,250 yards on the ground, including 17 carries of 20-plus yards.

Quarterback Alan Bowman also had a forgettable game against UCF with three interceptions but played well in previous games against ranked teams such as Oklahoma and Kansas.

"It's not like that we're still not a good football team, we just have to rally and understand the mistakes we made," Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said.

That's the mindset Houston has going into the game, too, with Holgorsen dismissing the UCF game.

"This is going to be a heckuva challenge for us," he said. "Throw that game away last week."

Cincinnati held the Cougars to 241 yards of total offense with three turnovers.

Houston has been inconsistent on offense for much of the season, averaging the third-fewest points per game (24.1) in the Big 12.

Over his last three games, Cougars quarterback Donovan Smith has thrown more interceptions (six) than touchdowns (four). But Smith is a dual-threat quarterback who can cause problems for defenses.

On the injury front, the Cougars lost receiver Matthew Golden to a season-ending foot injury. Golden has been a dynamic playmaker, scoring two touchdowns on kickoff returns and six more on TD receptions.

On Saturday, Houston will honor the passing of former players D.J. Hayden, Zachary McMillian and Ralph Oragwu, who died in a car accident in the early-morning hours on Nov. 11. The team will wear a commemorative decal for the remainder of the season.

--Field Level Media

Stats and Records
Team Comparison
  W‑L Strk PF PA Home Away Grass Turf Conf
Oklahoma State 7-3 L1 27.9 26.4 5-1 2-2 1-2 0-0 5-2
Houston 4-6 L1 24.1 30.8 3-3 1-3 1-0 3-3 2-5
Last Meeting
Oklahoma State Houston
Date Away Home Tot Rus Pas Tot Rus Pas
9/12/09 HOU 45 OKST 35 434 194 240 512 146 366
Player Stats
Previous Matchup
Passing Player COMP % YDS TD INT
Oklahoma State Z. Robinson 58.1 240 1 1
Houston C. Keenum 69.6 366 3 1
Rushing Player CAR YDS AVG TD
Oklahoma State B. Johnson 9 82 9.1 1
Houston B. Beall 18 78 4.3 1
Receiving Player REC YDS AVG TD
Oklahoma State D. Bryant 5 85 17.0 0
Houston T. Carrier 7 111 15.9 1
Touchdowns Player TD
Oklahoma State J. Cooper 1
Houston B. Beall 2
Season
Passing Player COMP % YDS TD INT
Oklahoma State A. Bowman 58.0 2139 8 8
Houston D. Smith 65.3 2404 20 10
Rushing Player CAR YDS AVG TD
Oklahoma State O. Gordon II 186 1249 6.7 12
Houston P. Jenkins 82 400 4.9 3
Receiving Player REC YDS AVG TD
Oklahoma State R. Owens 43 530 12.3 1
Houston S. Brown 58 776 13.4 3
Touchdowns Player TD
Oklahoma State O. Gordon II 13
Houston M. Golden 8
Quickchart Matchup
Oklahoma State Oklahoma State Off vs  Houston Houston Def
Oklahoma State 418.9 yards
Houston 411 yards
Oklahoma State 5.1 yards/rush
Houston 4.2 yards/rush
Oklahoma State 6.4 yards/attempt
Houston 7.8 yards/attempt
Houston Houston Off vs  Oklahoma State Oklahoma State Def
Houston 367 yards
Oklahoma State 435.8 yards
Houston 4 yards/rush
Oklahoma State 4.7 yards/rush
Houston 7 yards/attempt
Oklahoma State 8.5 yards/attempt