5 Oklahoma State football players to know on Saturday against Iowa State

AMES — Flash back to the 2023 season.

Iconic Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy had just led his team to its second Big 12 title game appearance in three years. The Cowboys were blown out by Texas in that game, but beat Texas A&M in the Texas Bowl to reach double-digit wins for the seventh time in Gundy’s decorated tenure.

Now flash forward to Saturday’s 11 a.m. matchup with Iowa State. Gundy’s gone. Oklahoma State hasn’t won a conference game since that 2023 season. It’s senior day in Stillwater and the Cyclones have won there just twice in the 21st century.

So does that create the perfect storm for a stunning Cowboys’ upset?

That’s highly unlikely — and Las Vegas oddsmakers had ISU (7-4, 4-4 Big 12) pegged as a two-touchdown road favorite as of Monday afternoon. But it’s far from impossible because Oklahoma State (1-10, 0-8) has lost its last two games by just one score.

So saddle up, folks.

Here are five Cowboys to know in Saturday’s game, which will be broadcast on ESPNU:

QB Zane Flores

It’s been a very rough couple of years for the highly-recruited Nebraskan, who redshirted when Oklahoma State played for a Big 12 title two seasons ago.

Flores — who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 215 pounds — then took a medical redshirt last season while battling an injury, and he’s struggled to stay healthy ever since. Flores has thrown for 1,288 yards and three touchdowns in eight games this season, but missed nearly a month because of injury. He’s also thrown six interceptions, and his latest misfire came after UCF took the lead late last week, essentially dooming the Cowboys to a last-minute, 17-14, road defeat.

All three of Flores’ touchdown passes have come in the past three games, though, and he’s a modest threat to run the football, as well. So if the Cyclones can’t get pressure on him, he’s fully capable of beating them with quick throws and improvised runs.

WR Gavin Freeman

Unlike most of the players on Oklahoma State’s roster, Freeman knows what it feels like to beat ISU more than once. That’s because he transferred in from Oklahoma after playing a bit role for the Sooners in back-to-back wins over the Cyclones in 2022 and 2023.

The 5-8, 185-pounder from Oklahoma City serves in more of a showcased role for the Cowboys. Freeman leads the team in touchdown catches with four and receiving yards with 435. He’s very shifty, which is why he’s used in the running game occasionally, but hasn’t been much of a downfield threat. His longest catch has spanned just 33 yards. Five other Cowboys have caught passes for greater gains, but Freeman’s dependability and toughness has made him a fan favorite amid a lost season.

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RB Rodney Fields Jr.

The 5-9, 195-pound redshirt freshman from tiny Wright City, Okla., is extremely versatile and valuable both as a runner and a pass catcher.

Fields is averaging five yards per carry and leads the Cowboys in rushing yards with 614. He’s also amassed 299 receiving yards to rank fourth on the team in that area. Fields has totaled 97 or more all-purpose yards in four of the past five games, but has scored just two touchdowns this season (one rushing, one receiving).

S Parker Robertson

Robertson, a former walk-on and special teams star, recorded the first sack of his career two weeks ago in a tough, 14-6, loss to Kansas State. The 5-11, 185-pound redshirt senior leads the Cowboys in tackles (70), passes defended (five) and forced fumbles (two).

Robertson’s also tied for the team lead in interceptions with two and has been voted in as a team captain on multiple occasions. He was placed on scholarship before the 2024 season.

LB Wendell Gregory

More than 15 Power Four programs offered the powerful and athletic Marietta, Ga., native a scholarship in 2023 and it’s easy to see why.

Gregory, a who redshirted at South Carolina last season, stands 6-3 and weighs 255 pounds. He’s an elite pass rusher and leads Oklahoma State with four sacks, but three of those came in the season opener. Gregory also leads the team in tackles for loss (12) and quarterback hurries (six).

Comments: robgray18@icloud.com