After running the play in practice all week, Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Bowick waited for the play call Saturday, and it finally came late in the second corner.
Bowick lined up wide to quarterback Drew Mestemaker's left side and ran a crossing route across the middle of the field. Mestemaker connected with him, and Bowick hit the corner and turned upfield for a 36-yard touchdown – his second score in OSU's 59-0 win Saturday night against Murray State at Boone Pickens Stadium. Just like they practiced.
"When I first heard that play call, I was happy," Bowick said.
He knew that play would work, just like everything else worked for him all night. Bowick caught a career-high nine passes for a career-best 178 yards and two touchdowns, all in the first half before starters were pulled.
Bowick's career has been riddled with injuries, and the redshirt senior took the long route to Power Four football because of it, even with his 6-foot-5, 209-pound frame, speed and ball skills. He transferred to OSU (2-1) for his final year to showcase what he can do in a prolific offense, and the Justin Bowick show finally took center stage Saturday.
"That's why I came here, to be explosive and get yards like that," Bowick said. "I'm very proud of that, and it felt good to have a 100-plus-yard game."
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Oklahoma State receiver Justin Bowick leaps for a catch Saturday against Murray State. Bowick recorded his first 100-yard game since 2024.
His career day against Murray State (1-3) was a full-circle moment. Bowick began his career at Eastern Illinois , and the Panthers played the Racers in the season opener during Bowick's freshman year.
He hardly played and recorded no snaps that day. A game against Murray State might not mean as much to anyone else, but for Bowick, it was a reminder of just how far he's come.
Bowick didn't play as a junior in high school at Pace Academy in Atlanta, then he tore the achilles "off the bone" going into senior year.
"So, it was like, I didn't really play my junior and senior year – the most important years," Bowick said. "… That (achilles tear) was probably the most pain I've felt. But it also gives me the drive I have now, knowing about sitting out and what that feels like."
Those injuries led Bowick to Eastern Illinois, and after a 35-reception, 500-yard season as a sophomore in 2023, he moved up from the FCS to FBS at Ball State . He said from the time he arrived at EIU, he knew he would rise to play in the Power Four.
"We've got to have faith and keep working," Bowick said. "You know your opportunity is gonna come to make plays and things like that."
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Oklahoma State receiver Justin Bowick celebrates after crossing the goal line on a 24-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter Saturday against Murray State.
Another injury kept him out of Ball State's first six games in 2024, then he returned to start the next four games before redshirting. Bowick showed enough in those four games – 20 catches for 383 yards and three touchdowns – to earn his first shot in the Power Four at Illinois.
That 2025 season with the Fighting Illini finally got him on the big stage, but the offensive system didn't allow for many big performances, ranking 58th in passing offense. Bowick still felt he had more to offer. He played in 12 games and was a big red-zone target, but he only caught 22 passes for 265 yards and five scores.
Bowick never caught more than four passes or had more than 50 receiving yards in a game at Illinois. And entering Saturday, he hadn't recorded a 100-yard game since he did it back-to-back weeks (171 and 148 yards) in November 2024.
"It feels like forever ago," Bowick said. "It really does."
Saturday was a long time coming, and there had been flashes. A week earlier against Oregon , Bowick caught five passes for 82 yards. Now with 16 catches for 281 yards and three touchdowns through three games, Bowick is already creeping up on matching his production from all of last season.
The perks of being in coach Eric Morris' offense, which was the No. 2 passing offense in the country at North Texas a year ago.
"That's the reason I came here, for Coach Morris and his play calling," Bowick said. "I've been loving it ever since I stepped foot on this campus."
Bowick showcased his whole skill set. He used his size to high-point balls over the top of defenders, he showed off his route running on the 36-yarder and shook off tacklers on a 24-yard touchdown off a slant route.
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Oklahoma State receiver Justin Bowick stiff arms a defender on the way to a 24-yard touchdown in the second quarter Saturday against Murray State. Bowick began his career in the FCS because of injuries in high school but always knew he could play in the Power Four.
No one was less surprised to see Bowick's big day than the OSU defense, which has witnessed all of that in practice for months.
"Freaky is definitely a word to use. I think that's God-given," said linebacker Isaiah Chisom. "I think his athletic frame – he's a big-bodied receiver. So, you definitely have to bring your A-game every time."
What stands out about Bowick most to Morris is his "professional" approach to the game, the way he practices, the way he takes care of his body. That's something Bowick said he began to take more seriously a year ago. He's always in the training room, trying to stay on top of his health. Nothing's taken for granted.
Bowick's path to OSU taught him that professional mindset, and now he's reaping the rewards.
"I think he's having fun playing in a wide open offense, you know, in something where he's getting targets," Morris said. "And I thought he did a phenomenal job today."
