STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma State's surprising start under new coach Eric Morris with a roster full of transfers has been bolstered by a prolific offense led by Big 12 passing leader Drew Mestemaker and other playmakers who also came from North Texas.
A couple of older newcomers on the other side of the ball, including another player that came with Morris, are leading an often overshadowed defense for the No. 18 Cowboys (4-1, 2-0 Big 12). They go into Saturday's game at No. 20 Houston (5-1, 2-0) with a four-game winning streak, scoring at least 39 points in each of those wins.
Power Four leading tackler Ethan Wesloski is a 23-year-old who played 41 games at North Texas the past four seasons. Fellow linebacker Tate Romney is a 24-year-old transfer from Arizona State and father of two who is fourth in the Big 12 in tackles.
“Such a blessing to have those two guys side-by-side,” Morris said. “They’re both extremely old and have played a ton of football. They’re really smart and I think they feed off one another. They communicate at a high level and they’re responsible for getting everyone lined up. Those guys have been phenomenal for us all year.”
Wesloski is averaging 10.6 tackles per game, and had 17 in each of Oklahoma State's first two conference games. He has been named Big 12 defensive player of the week three times already this season.
“I’ll sacrifice as many tackles as I need to to be able to have other guys execute better at a higher level,” he said.
Romney also had double-digit tackle games (14 and 12) in those Big 12 wins over West Virginia and UCF after never before having more than eight tackles in a game. He played 29 games for Arizona State the past three seasons after three games with BYU in 2022 that followed his two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
At home, Romney has a 1-year-old son and 3-week-old daughter. He said parenthood is every bit as joyful as it is hard.
“I just try to put my time and energy into wherever I’m at,” he said. “So, if I’m here I’m focused on football. When I’m at home I’m trying to play with my son and help my wife take care of our daughter as well. Once my son goes to bed it opens up a little bit more, I can do some homework and stuff like that.”
Junior safety Quinton Hammonds added 11 tackles against UCF, giving the Cowboys three double-digit tacklers in that 42-28 win, and three players among the Big 12's top nine in tackles with his 7.2 per game.
Evan Jackson had a 28-yard fumble return for a touchdown against the Knights. Hammonds and Jackson both came from North Texas.
The Cowboys are looking for their first five-game winning streak since 2023 when they face Houston. The Cougars have dual-threat quarterback Conner Weigman and Patrick Overmyer, who in a win last week over Kansas State tied an NCAA single-game record for tight ends with four touchdown catches.
While Oklahoma State is on a roll, Wesloski is still motivated by the season-opening 24-10 loss at Tulsa.
“It's definitely one that you keep feeding the fire with,” he said. “It's a humbling game. We know that if we don't put our best foot forward, anybody can beat anybody in this game. We know we have to keep up that level of intensity every week to win games.”
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