It’s no secret that the 2024 college football season has not started off as Oklahoma State Cowboys fans had hoped.
The team is currently 0-2 through two games of conference play and finds themselves in a must-win situation in Week 6. Unfortunately, Oklahoma State will have to find a way to win without the help of one of its stars.
After suffering an injury in the Cowboys’ Week 5 loss to Kansas State, junior linebacker Nick Martin will be inactive for Oklahoma State’s home matchup against the West Virginia Mountaineers.
Martin, a junior linebacker from Texas, has been the Cowboys’ second-leading tackler in 2024, with 47 total tackles on the season. In 2023, Martin led the Big 12 Conference with 140 stops and solidified himself as one of the league’s premier linebackers.
His absence is massive as Oklahoma State’s team as a whole has really struggled to make plays. Outside of Martin, Oklahoma State’s next biggest playmaker on defense has been veteran safety Trey Rucker who is having a First-Team All-Big 12 type season.
In addition to his impressive tackling numbers, Martin has also caused some defensive havoc in multiple different stat categories. Through five games, the Texas native has recorded a sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and two pass breakups on the year.
While the loss of Nick Martin is certainly key for Mike Gundy’s defense, the Cowboys will need to find some other playmakers to fill the void and help corral Garrett Greene and the West Virginia offense on Saturday. The matchup takes place in Stillwater at 3:00 p.m. CT.
