STILLWATER - Oklahoma State doesn’t have to sit with the Tulsa loss for long. Drew Mestemaker and the Cowboys get a fast reset, and the stage is a big one: No. 6 Oregon comes to Stillwater on Saturday at 11 a.m. on ESPN.
That’s the kind of matchup that can swing the conversation in a hurry. After Oklahoma State opened with a 24-10 loss at Tulsa, the talk around Mestemaker and the offense flipped hard.
What was supposed to be a unit carrying over North Texas’ No. 1 scoring offense in 2025 into the Big 12 suddenly looked a lot like the 2025 OSU offense that finished No. 134 of 136 in total offense. The Cowboys had 10 points, two fumbles, two interceptions and four failed fourth-down tries in the opener.
Even then, that 2025 team at least managed 12 points against Tulsa.
“That's not us,” Mestemaker said. “We need to play better and it’s just on to next week.”
Now the Cowboys get a chance to answer against a quarterback and offense that draw national attention every week. Oregon senior Dante Moore is a projected top five NFL Draft pick, a Heisman Trophy contender and the leader of one of college football’s best attacks. If OSU can hang with that group, the story around Mestemaker and the Cowboys changes fast.
Coach Eric Morris knows that. He also knows the outside noise has already started.
“There’s a bunch of people obviously disappointed, and then we have a bunch of people reading press clippings and social media saying how bad we are and what a disgrace we are and all that stuff,” Morris said.
“Like, are we mentally tough enough to block that out? And we have another opportunity, like a great opportunity.
Obviously when you build something up to where you want to do, you want to play the best. This is a team that is up there in the conversation to being one of the best in the nation this year, and rightfully so.
It’s something we’ve got to go out there, and we’ve got to get one game better.”
Oregon’s interest in Mestemaker adds another layer to the matchup. Even after the Tulsa loss, Morris said the Ducks would be “licking their chops,” but Dan Lanning still made it clear he respects the quarterback. Oregon had interest in signing Mestemaker this offseason, and Mestemaker said in August on the Brandon Walker College Football Show that he had considered Oregon, LSU, Michigan and “maybe Texas Tech a little bit” before deciding to follow Morris to Oklahoma State.
Lanning said he never spoke with Mestemaker directly, though he didn’t shut the door on the possibility that someone on his staff checked in. Either way, the Ducks coach came away with a strong evaluation.
“I will say that Drew is an unbelievable player and you see his arm strength show up,” Lanning said. “He is a guy that can stand flat-footed and throw a 60-yard bomb.
He has a really strong arm and they have a really good passing attack. There is a reason they were the number one scoring offense last season at North Texas.
That shows up and he is obviously the guy that makes that tick for them."
Inside the OSU locker room, the response has been straightforward. Running back Caleb Hawkins said Mestemaker told the team Saturday’s performance at Tulsa was unacceptable, and that the offense has to get back in sync. The Cowboys want to run it better, throw it better and get the whole operation working together again.
Offensive lineman Tyler Mercer said Mestemaker has handled the loss without losing his footing.
The challenge gets even steeper with Jacob Sexton out injured and Oregon bringing a defense that ranked No. 12 in the country in total defense last season. Oklahoma State is a 22.5-point underdog, but Mercer sees that line as a chance rather than a warning.
"Good opportunity, I mean, definitely a challenge,” Mercer said. “Like, top D-tackles, D-ends, linebackers, safeties, they have all the guys top in the nation.
More than anything, an opportunity instead of something to look down on, I guess. Just like, hey, let's go out, fire guns-a-blazing and see what we can do."
In Other News...
Oklahoma State Draft Hopes Ride On One Massive Oregon Showcase
The spotlight for Oklahoma States trip to Oregon is already bigger than a late-September nonconference game usually gets, and the NFL has made sure of that. More than 20 scouts, including two general managers, have requested credentials for the matchup, a clear sign the visiting locker room and the Ducks sideline both figure to be under a heavy pro-grade microscope with several draftable players on the field.
For the Cowboys, the game offers a chance to put more than just a result on tape. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker has draft potential, while wide receiver Wyatt Young has drawn attention as a possible NFL slot fit, but the standard only rises when the opponent brings prospects like Dante Moore, AMauri Washington and Jamari Johnson into the same conversation. Oklahoma State does not need a perfect afternoon to justify the buzz, but it does need a cleaner one if its own draft hopes are going to keep building. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Must Fix One Major Problem Before Oregon Arrives
Oklahoma State has spent the week staring straight at the same problem that showed up in last weeks loss to Tulsa: getting enough heat on the quarterback. That issue gets a lot bigger with No. 6 Oregon coming to Stillwater on Saturday, because the Ducks do what dangerous passing teams always do - make a defense pay if the rush never arrives and the secondary has to hold up too long.
Dante Moore is back on the schedule, and the Cowboys know exactly what kind of challenge he brings to the matchup. Oklahoma States defense has to find a way to disrupt him early and slow Oregons passing game, or the Ducks could settle into the kind of rhythm that has already hurt the Cowboys once before. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State May Catch Oregon At The Worst Possible Time
Oregon is already carrying the look of a team with plenty of firepower, and the Ducks may get another piece back just in time for their meeting with Oklahoma State on ESPN. Wide receiver Dakorien Moore has been talking up Iverson Hooks growth and the kind of impact he can have, while Dan Lanning has sounded upbeat about the receivers availability after he sat out the season opener.
For the Cowboys, that timing matters. Oregon is favored going in, and adding another receiver into the mix only makes an already difficult assignment more complicated for an Oklahoma State defense that will have to sort out the Ducks passing game on the road. The matchup was tough enough already, but it looks like the Ducks might be getting healthier at exactly the wrong time for the Cowboys. [Read more 🡒]