Drew Mestemaker’s 10-yard dive will live a long time in Oklahoma State circles, and for good reason. It was the finish to a 12-play, 75-yard drive that pushed the Cowboys back in front in Saturday’s 39-31 upset of No. 6 Oregon, and it came at the exact moment Oklahoma State needed a jolt.
The Cowboys had just lost the lead for the first time all afternoon, slipping behind 31-30 early in the fourth quarter. Mestemaker answered by keeping the drive alive himself, then turning the last few yards into something much bigger than a simple touchdown run.
“So the D-end got upfield fast, so I moved up underneath him and kinda slid out of the pocket,” Mestemaker said. “Everyone was standing in the end zone, so I was like, 'Alright, I'm just gonna get as much as I can here.' That same guy that I jumped over, earlier in the game he hit me low.
“I got close, and I was like, 'I'm gonna just go for it.' I saw him going low right when I jumped, and I was like, 'Oh, this is perfect.'
I felt like I was in the air for a year, and then I hit the ground so hard. But, it's all good because I was in the end zone.”
The landing wasn’t exactly the fun part. Mestemaker said the hit knocked the wind out of him, and he had to ask for a moment before the two-point try.
“I just got the wind knocked out of me so bad,” he said. “I got up and wanted to celebrate and couldn't breathe.
I didn't want the guys to come jump on me, so, I was like 'Just give me a second.' I was honestly good once I got my breath back.”
On the Oregon side, Carl Williams IV was the defender who met Mestemaker in the air, and he appeared to be unconscious after hitting the ground. Medical staff worked on him on the field for a few minutes before he walked off under his own power.
That pause ended up helping Oklahoma State, too. With the delay giving Mestemaker time to recover before the two-point conversion, Eric Morris pointed to the quarterback’s edge in that moment.
“It didn't look like he took a weird hit, and then we're getting ready to go for two, and we had a little time there, thank goodness,” Morris said. “You can see his competitive nature. It came out in a big way today.”
From there, Oklahoma State’s defense slammed the door. Oregon got three more possessions and managed only 11 total yards, with the series ending in a punt, a turnover on downs and a fumble.
Linebacker Ethan Wesloski said the play from Mestemaker changed the mood on the field immediately.
“That was a huge play in this game,” Wesloski said. “He gave us a spark.
As a defense, if you think your quarterback is gonna put his body on the line to win the game, it lets you play with a little swagger, too. To see him do that was awesome.
He did it for us, and now we've gotta get a stop and get the ball back from him. You kind of see a snowball effect from there from our guys.”
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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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Brent Venables, Steve Sarkisian and Dan Lanning all weighed in on the broader College Football Playoff implications, and their comments underscored how thin the line can be between earning respect and absorbing a loss that lingers in the selection conversation. For programs trying to build a playoff rsum, the question is no longer just whether a showcase game helps the brand, but whether the committee will reward the courage of playing it or punish the teams that take the swing and miss. [Read more 🡒]