In a long and grueling matchup against the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the UTM Skyhawks crawled their way to a respectable 20-point loss in their season opener. 

The Skyhawks were on a trajectory for a blowout in the first quarter. The OSU offense—led by QB Hauss Hejny on the ground and through the air—scored on their first two possessions, going up 14-0. A number that would be insurmountable for the Skyhawks as their only points of the game would come on the following possession. 

After a few plays to get past midfield, quarterback (QB) Jase Bauer would throw backwards to wide receiver (WR) Bryce Bailey near the sideline who would then launch the ball downfield to running back (RB) John Gentry who caught the ball one-handed and in stride for the Skyhawks first, and only, points of the night.

The Skyhawks would go on to punt on their next five possessions — only interrupted by an interception in the fourth quarter. The Skyhawks would achieve just 225 total yards against the Cowboys — a number they went under only twice last year. 

“We moved the ball at times—between the twenties—but we got to be better in the high red zone,” said head coach Jason Simpson on the team’s offensive woes against the Cowboys. The Skyhawks reached the red zone just twice — neither resulted in points. 

Defensively the Skyhawks held on a little better, especially after the Cowboys subbed out redshirt freshman QB Hauss Hejny for fellow redshirt freshman in Zane Flores. After the Cowboys went up by 14, the Skyhawks kept them out of the end zone until late in the fourth quarter. 

A matchup like this is not uncommon for the Skyhawks, who have played FBS opponents in three straight season openers and will continue in 2026 with a matchup against West Virginia. 

The goal for each of these games is always to win, but the Skyhawks also use these opportunities to iron out issues and improve as a whole. 

“You put the tape on, and you see how did we match up? You’ll probably see times when we didn’t take good steps, probably lost at the point of attack and on the back end,” Simpson said. “It’s great teaching tape from the standpoint that there can be no shortcuts when you’re playing against quality opponents.” 

The Skyhawks next game takes them to El Paso, Texas where they will face the UTEP Miners on Sept. 6 at 8 p.m.