Oklahoma State had been buried in a brutal stretch, but Saturday brought a jolt the Cowboys desperately needed.
A team that went 1-11 last season and dropped its opener to Tulsa last Saturday ended a 12-game skid by taking down No. 6 Oregon, 39-31, in Stillwater. The Ducks entered as 24.5-point favorites, but Oklahoma State controlled the game with a stronger showing on both sides of the ball.
The result made history, too. Oklahoma State became the first team in FBS history to snap a 10+ game losing streak with a win over an AP top-10 opponent.
Drew Mestemaker was central to the upset. The Oklahoma State quarterback threw for 317 yards and two touchdowns, while also piling up 109 rushing yards and another score on six carries. He did toss two interceptions, but he repeatedly delivered the kind of throws that kept the Cowboys moving and Oregon on its heels.
Caleb Hawkins gave Oklahoma State another steady punch in the run game. The back finished with 23 carries for 110 yards and a touchdown.
Oregon still had a late opening in the fourth quarter, but the comeback never materialized. On a regular toss play, the Ducks fumbled, and Oklahoma State pounced on the loose ball to help seal the win.
It was also a milestone moment for Eric Morris. The victory was his first as Oklahoma State’s head coach after he arrived last November following three seasons at North Texas.
Next up, the Cowboys will look for No. 2 under Morris when they host Murray State next Saturday.
In Other News...
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 🡒]