Oklahoma State came out of halftime Saturday with a result that would have looked hard to believe a week earlier: the Cowboys were on top of No. 6 Oregon, 24-17, after 30 minutes at Boone Pickens Stadium.
That kind of turnabout mattered even more because it followed a double-digit loss to Tulsa last week. This time, Oklahoma State looked like a different team almost from the jump, matching Oregon’s talent and then beating the Ducks to the biggest moments of the half.
Cowboys Radio Network caught up with Oklahoma State head coach Eric Morris, who didn’t mince words.
“We’re kicking their butts all over the field,” Morris said. “Those two turnovers killed us.”
Those turnovers loomed large in a first half that swung back and forth, but the Cowboys kept answering. After taking an early 3-0 lead, Oklahoma State lost it, then reclaimed control in the second quarter on a 1-yard touchdown pass from Drew Mestemaker to tight end Carson Kolb. It was Kolb’s first career collegiate catch and touchdown reception.
Oklahoma State kept pressing on the next possession. The defense forced Oregon off the field on downs, and the Cowboys offense followed with a drive that featured multiple downfield connections between Mestemaker and wide receiver Wyatt Young. Caleb Hawkins finished it with a 5-yard touchdown run.
Oregon trimmed the margin to 17-14 after Matayo Uiagalelei intercepted a batted pass by defensive lineman D’Antre Robinson and returned it to the Oklahoma State 1, setting up a Jordon Davison touchdown run. It was the second Ducks touchdown that came off an OSU turnover.
The Cowboys answered again in a hurry. Mestemaker hit Young for a 51-yard touchdown pass on the next drive, pushing Oklahoma State’s lead back to 10.
By halftime, the numbers told the same story as the scoreboard. Oklahoma State had outgained Oregon 350-101, and the Cowboys defense had spent most of the half making life miserable for Dante Moore. Oregon’s receivers dropped a few passes on important downs, and Moore went 1-for-6 as the Ducks managed only 39 yards and one first down in the first quarter.
Oregon’s only lead of the first half came after a tipped Mestemaker pass turned into a Devon Jackson interception return for a touchdown. That gave the Ducks a 7-3 advantage after the opening quarter. Outside of that play, Oklahoma State’s defense had Oregon bottled up.
The Ducks were also missing tight end Jamari Johnson, who was ruled out for the game for an undisclosed reason.
Oklahoma State entered the day dealing with its own lineup issues. The Cowboys had to replace Jacob Sexton at left tackle after the redshirt senior suffered a season-ending right lower leg injury against Tulsa.
Shaun Torgeson started over Desmond Magiya, who had also been in the mix for the job during the week. Morris said on Tuesday that the player who practiced the best would start.
Cowboys Radio Network also reported that Braydon Rigsby and Trudell Berry were out with injuries. LaDainian Fields started after getting hurt last week against Tulsa.
The game itself didn’t even begin on time. A lightning delay in the Stillwater area pushed kickoff back 90 minutes, after strikes began around 9:30 a.m. Any lightning strike within eight miles of the stadium triggers a 30-minute delay, and light rain came and went throughout the morning, including during pregame warmups.
The matchup brought together two programs in very different places. Oregon entered 1-0 and has won at least 10 games in each of the last four seasons under Dan Lanning, with trips to the College Football Playoff in each of the last two seasons and a semifinal appearance last year. Oklahoma State, meanwhile, came in at 0-1 after going 1-11 last season and 4-20 over the past two years since reaching the 2023 Big 12 Championship game.
That stretch led to the departure of longtime coach Mike Gundy, the hiring of Morris from North Texas, and a massive roster overhaul. The Cowboys had more than 90 new players on the roster entering last Saturday’s opener against Tulsa.
Saturday also marked a pair of firsts: Oregon’s first trip to Stillwater and Oklahoma State’s first home game against a Big Ten opponent in program history. The Cowboys were trying to protect a 30-season streak of home opener wins.
Oklahoma State has one more non-conference game on Sept. 19 against Murray State before heading to Morgantown for its Big 12 opener at West Virginia on Sept. 26.
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Oklahoma State Just Delivered The Win Cowboys Fans Desperately Needed
A 90-minute lightning delay did little to cool off Oklahoma State, which walked into a tricky early-season matchup and came away with a 39-31 upset of No. 6 Oregon. It was the Cowboys first win of the season and their first victory over the Ducks in three tries, a result built on a relentlessly productive night that saw them pile up 554 total yards while holding Oregon to 281.
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