Oklahoma State’s meeting with Oregon in Stillwater drew plenty of eyes from the NFL, and not just from the usual crop of scouts with clipboards and team gear.
Among the most notable names in attendance was former Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who ESPN’s Max Olson reported was there as part of Atlanta’s front office leadership. Ryan now serves as the Falcons’ president of football operations after a 15-year playing career that left him atop the franchise’s passing lists in several categories. He spent a few years in television with CBS Sports before returning to the organization that made him the No. 3 overall pick in the 2008 draft.
Ryan was joined by Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham and Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort. The game had already been expected to pull a heavy NFL presence, with the Tulsa World reporting earlier in the week that more than 20 scouts had been credentialed.
The center of the NFL attention was the quarterback matchup between Oregon’s Dante Moore and Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker.
Moore has the kind of profile that puts a game on the league’s calendar. He’s a Heisman Trophy contender, returned to college football for another season after passing on the NFL last year, and is viewed by most as a first-round pick with a chance to go No. 1 overall.
Mestemaker’s path is different, but he’s in the conversation too. The redshirt sophomore made his first start against a power conference opponent on Saturday.
The former North Texas quarterback led the nation with 4,379 passing yards last season, then turned the ball over three times against Tulsa last week and threw for only 241 yards. Even so, he’s still considered a potential first-round pick if he leaves school early.
He’ll be eligible after the season, once he is three years removed from high school.
The NFL interest wasn’t limited to the quarterbacks. Oregon also has several players drawing first-round buzz, including defensive tackle A’Mauri Washington and outside linebacker Matayo Uiagalelei.
Five teams sent multiple scouts to Stillwater: the Cardinals had three, the Falcons had three, the Dolphins had two, the Giants had two and the Ravens had two. The Vikings, Jets, Seahawks, Browns, Cowboys, Lions and Rams each had one scout on hand.
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For the Cowboys, it adds another layer of unpredictability to a marquee nonconference game that already had a little extra edge attached to it. The longer the delay drags on, the more the focus shifts from Xs and Os to patience, routine and how both teams handle a stop-start day that can change the rhythm of a season opener in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon Suddenly Has A Problem Fans Cant Ignore
Boone Pickens Stadium had every reason to feel tense, but Oklahoma State turned Saturday into the kind of upset that can reset a season in an instant. The Cowboys, mired in a 12-game losing streak, stunned No. 6 Oregon 39-31 and gave their fans the rare jolt of a win they had been waiting on since late August, with quarterback Drew Mestemaker driving the performance at the center of it.
Oregons defense had no clean answer for Mestemaker, while Dante Moore and the Ducks needed time to settle in before finding any rhythm of their own. Even with Moore finishing with 191 yards and two touchdowns, the loss carried an extra sting for Dan Lannings program, because it was Oregons first defeat to an unranked opponent under his watch and the kind of result that immediately changes the conversation around a playoff hopeful. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Just Changed Everything With A Shock Oregon Stunner
A long night in Stillwater finally gave Oklahoma State something it had not felt in more than a year: a win. The Cowboys turned a matchup with sixth-ranked Oregon into a jolting 39-31 result, one that arrived after a 90-minute weather delay and carried the kind of release that can reset a seasons mood in a single game.
Drew Mestemaker helped drive it with a poised passing night, while Oregon spent the first half chasing rhythm before Dante Moore found the end zone twice after halftime. The upset also carried a bigger jolt for the Ducks, ending their spotless record against unranked teams under Dan Lanning and reminding everyone around this program that one sharp afternoon can change the conversation fast. [Read more 🡒]