Drew Mestemaker spent last season putting up huge numbers at North Texas, stacking production in a way that made him one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the country. He threw for an FBS-best 4,379 yards and won the American Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year award.
What he didn’t do, though, was face a power conference team.
That changes in a hurry now that he’s at Oklahoma State. If he had stayed with North Texas, he’d be getting ready for defending national champion Indiana on Saturday.
Instead, Tulsa is next on the schedule. After that, the tests get much bigger: No.
2 Oregon visits next weekend, Big 12 play starts two weeks later at West Virginia, and the league slate also includes Texas Tech and Houston, with Houston viewed as a strong candidate to reach the Big 12 title game.
It’s a steep climb, but Eric Morris isn’t sounding alarms.
Morris has consistently pointed to Mestemaker’s ability to process information and get rid of the ball quickly from the pocket. That mental side of the game is a big reason the quarterback was so productive a year ago, and Morris doesn’t believe the jump in competition changes the formula.
“As he gets older and around the game and smarter, I’ve let him [choose],” Morris said. “There's certain plays where he's got to make a decision.
[I’ll say] ‘Hey, these four plays, which one do you want?’ And he picks it based off what he likes.
So, I think he's always prepared really well. That's what allowed him to have so much success early.
I don't see that changing.”
That confidence comes from experience, too. Morris has worked with and around a long list of quarterbacks during his coaching career, including Patrick Mahomes at Texas Tech, Cam Ward at Incarnate Word and Washington State, Baker Mayfield in Mayfield’s freshman year at Texas Tech, and Chandler Morris at North Texas before Morris transferred to Virginia in 2025.
His offenses have also piled up yards wherever he’s coached. As a coordinator or head coach, his passing games have finished in the top 10 nationally in yards per game 10 times. Last season, that number was 318 yards per game, good for No. 2 in the country.
So for Morris, the issue isn’t whether Mestemaker can handle the stage. It’s how far he can take it. His next step will go a long way toward determining how good Oklahoma State can be in 2026, and when he eventually gets to the NFL.
In Other News...
Oklahoma State Heads To Tulsa With Local Bragging Rights On The Line
Oklahoma States early-season trip to Tulsa brings more than just another nonconference matchup. The Cowboys and Golden Hurricane will meet Sept. 5 at 2:45 p.m. CT in the Gateway First Bank Turnpike Classic on ESPNU, adding another chapter to a series that stretches back to 1914 and has long carried local bragging rights for both programs.
The rivalry has leaned Oklahoma States way over the years, with the Cowboys holding a 45-28-5 edge all-time, but the setup has become more familiar lately thanks to the eight-year scheduling agreement that keeps the teams meeting annually through 2031. With the games alternating between home venues each year, this one gives Oklahoma State another chance to defend its standing in a series that still means plenty around the state. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Still Has One Crucial Battle To Settle In Week 1
Oklahoma State heads into Week 1 with one of the more interesting position battles on its hands, and it comes in the secondary. The cornerback spots on the depth chart are still marked by OR designations, a sign that nobody has fully separated from the pack after fall camp. Head coach Eric Morris said all five corners have put together strong work in camp, giving the staff multiple viable options as the Cowboys prepare for Tulsa.
Even with the competition still open, the first game should offer a clearer picture of how that group is going to shake out. Morris indicated the corners are expected to be used in rotation against Tulsa, with the final pecking order tied to what happens on the field rather than what was shown in practice. For a unit that has been evenly matched all month, Week 1 may end up being the real test that decides who keeps earning those snaps. [Read more 🡒]
Eric Morris Sees Familiar Stakes In Tulsa Showdown
Tre Lambs rise has drawn an easy comparison to Eric Morris, and it makes sense why the Tulsa coach brought it up this week. Both have climbed the coaching ladder through FCS stops before moving into bigger jobs, and both have done it as younger voices trying to prove their systems can travel. Morris, who has seen his own path accelerate in similar fashion, spoke highly of Lambs approach and the way he has gone about reshaping Tulsa.
The matchup adds another layer to a game already carrying plenty of regional interest for Oklahoma State. Morris also pointed to the support Tulsas administration has given Lamb as he tries to rebuild the program, a detail that tends to matter when a coach is trying to establish himself early in a tenure. For two staffs with familiar backgrounds and overlapping ambitions, the meeting carries the kind of stakes that can make a regular game feel a little larger. [Read more 🡒]