STILLWATER - Drew Mestemaker’s 54-yard strike to Wyatt Young against Houston was the kind of throw most people would circle immediately as the night’s headline play. Eric Morris didn’t exactly go there.
The Oklahoma State head coach was asked Tuesday what stood out about the pass, which landed as the team’s third-longest offensive play of the season, and his answer came with a built-in comparison few coaches can make.
“Yeah, probably not fair to ask me that question because you know I had the privilege of coaching Patrick Mahomes and Cam Ward,” Morris said. “And I’ve seen, you know, we used to make these tapes of them throwing no looks and rolling and doing all this crazy stuff in games, practice the whole nine yards.
“So that’s probably not fair to ask me that question just because it’s probably a little bit more normal in my eyes than what it should be, just because I’ve seen it over the course of the last 10 years or so.”
That’s a pretty high bar, and it explains why Morris sounded almost casual about what looked outrageous to everyone else. Mestemaker lined up on the right hash, held the ball after the snap, then spun to his right and rolled all the way back left until he crossed the left hash before firing while still on the move.
“Throwing off platform and getting his body in great position to be able to deliver,” Morris said, coming dangerously close to actually praising the throw. “Like to get your body in a position to throw that running full speed left is not easy to do, but it’s something that we do practice.”
Morris also said the Cowboys had worked on the play five or six times last week. It wasn’t clear whether that was the full number of reps or if he meant that many to each side, because he also noted Oklahoma State was prepared to call it either way.
“Liked it a little bit better on the left hash and letting him roll right,” Morris said. “We had it in on both hashes, and so you know I just think when you go out there and you see somebody do something with your eyes, obviously that’s the first time probably you know a bunch of people in America seen him roll left and throw that.
“And we had probably five or six reps of it during the course of the week, and he’d been super accurate getting it out there, and so trusting him to be able to get out there and throw. So it didn’t surprise me, but I’d also seen it a couple different times where it was just as pretty.”
Mestemaker’s release point came nine yards behind the line of scrimmage, and the ball traveled about 49 yards in the air before Young made the catch. On replay, it looks possible Young may have eased up just a touch to secure it, though nothing about the catch took away from the play’s wow factor.
For Miles Coleman, the throw was exactly what he’s come to expect, even if it still turns heads in real time.
“It was unreal,” Coleman said. “You know, I see that kind of every day, but you know, seeing it live and seeing like just the consistency with him, it’s been amazing. It was a great route by Wyatt, and just seeing that throw rolling to his left, it’s one of a kind.”
Coleman was asked about it several times Tuesday as reporters came through, and his reaction didn’t really change.
“I’ve seen him do it for a while now, but it still surprises me each and every day,” Coleman said. “His consistency in every throw, the velocity, his accuracy is one-of-a-kind. He’s a special player and he’s the ultimate competitor.”