Oklahoma State Defense Makes Statement in Season Opener

Oklahoma State is back in the win column, and its defense is the key reason why.

The Cowboys had one of the worst defenses in college football last season, but 2025 is a new year, and the Pokes wasted no time proving that. With new defensive coordinator Todd Grantham making his OSU debut, his swarming defense was a force to be reckoned with against UT Martin.

In Thursday night’s 27-7 win over the Skyhawks, the Cowboys showed just how different this year’s defense might be. In allowing only seven points, OSU allowed its fewest points since its 2022 matchup against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

Perhaps even more impressive, the 225 yards the Cowboys allowed were the fewest from an OSU defense since Jim Knowles’ 2021 unit held Texas Tech to 108 total yards. Considering the Cowboys have been looking for their defensive leader for the past few years, Grantham had quite an encouraging start to his OSU tenure.

There were also plenty of standouts on that side for OSU, with  Bryan McCoy Jr. and Brandon Rawls finishing with 14 and 11 tackles, respectively. Kale Smith came up with a crucial interception in the fourth quarter, as well.

Yet, it was freshman linebacker Wendell Gregory who stole the show, racking up three sacks. Along with tying a freshman Big 12 record for sacks, Gregory is also now tied for third in the OSU record books for most sacks in a game, becoming the first Cowboy with three sacks since Jordan Brailford did so in 2018, but he’s still not satisfied after his “mediocre” performance.

“I want to improve every day,” Gregory said. “If that’s pass rushing, getting stronger, blocking a team’s run, getting in gaps. I like to perfect my craft, so each and every day, I just want to get better at some little thing.”

Assuming Gregory can continue to build on those little things, he could soon be one of the clear leaders of the OSU defense, if he’s not already to that point. Although he’s only a freshman, Gregory is already making some massive plays.

Gregory also credited Grantham for the impact he’s already had on the Cowboys’ defense. Citing his abundance of experience and hard-nosed approach to the game, Gregory didn’t hold back about the influence of OSU’s defensive coordinator.

“He’ll get in your behind, he’ll get on you,” Gregory said. “He wants nothing but excellence, so we go over play after play. He came from the NFL, so those plays are pretty difficult. Early mornings, long nights in the film room with coach Grantham.”