Parker Kingston emerging as key playmaker for No. 13 BYU while Oklahoma State struggles

PROVO, Utah — Making big plays all over the field is what BYU wide receiver Parker Kingston does best.

Kingston will be a definite factor for the No. 13 Cougars when they host Oklahoma State on Friday, like he has been all season for BYU (6-0, 3-0 Big 12). So far, Kingston has thrown a 33-yard touchdown pass, caught a 20-yard TD pass, and returned a bobbled punt 90 yards for a score in one of the season’s wildest plays.

The redshirt sophomore ranks fourth in all-purpose yardage for BYU while averaging 15.6 yards per play. He’s capable of making things hard for the Cowboys (3-3, 0-3) both on offense and on special teams.

“He’s just that type of guy that’s good at everything,” BYU receiver Chase Roberts said. “Throw him on the ping pong table and he’s going to whip you in ping pong.”

Kingston is one of only three players in Big 12 history to have multiple games where he's thrown a touchdown pass and caught a touchdown pass in the same game. He's on the watch list for the Paul Hornung Award, given annually to the nation's most versatile player.

“He’s a great athlete with a high football IQ,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. “He’s bought in to his role. He’s bought in to doing whatever he can do to help the team win and I love having him on the team.”

Executing trick plays is quickly becoming Kingston’s trademark. He played quarterback at Roy High School in Utah and was a 1,000-yard rusher and a 1,000-yard passer as a senior. Kingston has drawn on that experience multiple times in college. He's thrown four passes over the past two seasons for the Cougars and completed three.

All three completions ended up being touchdown passes. Kingston credited BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick for knowing how to incorporate his versatility into the game plan.

“He calls it at the right time every single time and it’s always open,” Kingston said.

Speed helps Kingston be effective on both offense and special teams. He’s one of the faster players on BYU’s roster, with a 100-meter time of 10.79 seconds.

Quarterback questions

A three-game losing streak led Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy to re-open competition for the starting quarterback job during the Cowboys’ bye week.

Gundy has benched Alan Bowman in favor of Garret Rangel multiple times over the last three games. Bowman, Rangel and freshman Zane Flores were all in the mix this week. Gundy declined to publicly name a starter ahead of Friday’s game.

“We’re working all of our guys, getting them good quality work, and I told the coaches that we needed to make a decision by Thursday after practice,” Gundy said.

Bowman, the incumbent starter from last season, has struggled mightily to move the chains on offense. The seventh-year senior has thrown six interceptions over Oklahoma State’s last three games and has completed only 51% of his pass attempts. It’s a far cry from the efficiency he showed in 2023 when he completed 61% of his passes while throwing for 3,460 yards.

“It’s very simple when it comes to his issues,” Gundy said. “We need him to sit in the pocket, we need him to step up and work forward and deliver the ball.”

Generating more consistent quarterback play faces an added complication while facing BYU. The Cougars rank No. 1 nationally in pass efficiency defense (90.59) coming into Friday’s game.

Scoring everywhere

BYU is the only FBS team to score touchdowns on a fumble return, an interception return, a kickoff return and a punt return so far this season. Sixteen different players have found the end zone for the Cougars through six games.

The Cougars are one of 11 FBS teams ranked in the top 30 in both scoring offense and scoring defense. BYU is scoring 34.3 points per game and allowing only 16.3 points per contest.

Running game woes

Despite returning Doak Walker Award winner Ollie Gordon II, Oklahoma State has struggled to generate a potent rushing attack. The Cowboys are gaining only 91.2 yards on the ground per game — ranking 15th in that category. Gordon is averaging 3.8 yards per carry and has tallied only 384 rushing yards so far this season.

Stopping the run has also been a big headache for Oklahoma State. The Cowboys are allowing opponents to rush for 235 yards per game and average 5.5 yards per carry — last in the Big 12 in rushing defense.