STILLWATER (AP) - Oklahoma State ripped up the script Saturday and turned a rough start to the Eric Morris era into the kind of night fans will remember for a long time.
Mestemaker threw for 317 yards and two touchdowns and added 109 yards and a score on the ground as Oklahoma State snapped a 21-game skid against FBS opponents with a 39-31 upset of No. 6 Oregon, the first true shocker of the 2026 season.
The Cowboys, coming off a 1-11 season that cost longtime coach Mike Gundy his job and a 24-10 loss to Tulsa in Mestemaker’s debut, saw their field stormed in Stillwater after beating the preseason No. 2 Ducks.
Oklahoma State’s first victory under Morris came against an Oregon team that entered as a 23 1/2-point favorite and had already shown some cracks in its season-opening win over Boise State. The loss was a major hit to the Ducks’ national title hopes.
Mestemaker, who played for Morris last season at North Texas and is one of 88 new players on the roster, answered after a rough opener of his own. When Oregon briefly moved in front 31-30 on Dante Moore’s 38-yard touchdown pass to Evan Stewart early in the fourth quarter, Mestemaker led a 75-yard response. He finished the drive by launching himself over defenders at the goal line on a 10-yard touchdown run for a 36-31 lead.
The 2-point try failed, but Sam Keltner later added his fourth field goal of the day after Oklahoma State’s defense forced a turnover on downs, helping seal the Cowboys’ 31st straight home-opening win.
The game started late, delayed 90 minutes by weather, and Moore eventually settled in after a sluggish beginning. He threw two second-half touchdown passes, but his final line was a modest 14 of 21 for 191 yards. Oklahoma State outgained Oregon 554 yards to 281.
Mestemaker had Oklahoma State ahead 24-17 at halftime after throwing for 179 yards and two touchdowns, while also running for 75 yards on the Cowboys’ first play. Oregon was outgained 353-101 before the break, but its defense kept the Ducks alive by intercepting two tipped passes. Devon Jackson returned one of them 96 yards for a touchdown to make it 7-3.
Matayo Uliagalelei picked off Mestemaker at the Oklahoma State 11 in the second quarter and brought it back to the 1, setting up Jordan Davison’s next-play touchdown that trimmed the margin to 17-14.
Oregon’s best stretch came early in the third, when Moore started 1 of 7 and then led a 75-yard march on the Ducks’ first possession of the half. He finished it with a 36-yard touchdown to Dakorian Moore, pulling Oregon within 27-24.
For the Ducks, Dan Lanning’s team has now stumbled through two straight games against a heavy underdog, and those opening weeks could loom large when College Football Playoff selections are made.
For Oklahoma State, the message was simpler: last week’s embarrassment was gone, replaced by an inspired performance against the same opponent that beat the Cowboys 69-3 last season.
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Oregons Road Opener Is Already Turning Into A Strange Test
What was supposed to be an early road test in Stillwater quickly turned into a weather delay before the first meaningful snap. Oregon and Oklahoma State had their warm-ups interrupted at Boone Pickens Stadium, and the matchup, originally set for 9 a.m. PT, was pushed back as thunderstorms moved through the area and forecast models hinted at more trouble later in the day.
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 🡒]