Oklahoma State opened its season with a loss at GIA, falling to New Mexico while Steve Lutz’s Cowboys were short-handed.
The good news for OSU is that the national picture still looks strong. The Cowboys stayed at No. 18 in the AP Poll, and this week they also cracked the Coaches Top 25.
Around the program, Mike Gundy’s recent TNT appearance kept making the rounds over the weekend as he spoke about his time at Oklahoma State.
There’s also a fresh profile on Drew Mestemaker in the Wall Street Journal, and it traces how far his rise has come. The piece notes that junior college coaches used to return his calls, and now he’s being talked about as a projected first-round pick in April. The article summed it up this way: “All of a sudden, the player who couldn’t keep his emails out of the junk folder has become the quarterback NFL teams are lining up to draft, as a projected first-round pick in April.”
Elsewhere in the Big 12, a weekly recap described the Pokes as a second-half team and pointed to Houston, this week’s opponent, for its big win over K-State in Manhattan.
And Saturday should bring a familiar sight back to Boone Pickens Stadium. News On 6 highlighted the return of several faces and wondered aloud: “Fun to see these guys back at Boone Pickens Stadium on Saturday. Is this the first time since James Washington graduated that OSU hasn’t been tempted to hand him a helmet?”
In Other News...
Oregon State Rolled But Two Concerns Still Followed The Beavers
Oregon States 66-14 win over San Diego State at Reser Stadium looked like the kind of complete performance a coach wants to bottle up and save for later. The Beavers controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides, with the offense rolling and the defense delivering a steady answer whenever the Aztecs tried to settle in. Jesse Legree was among the players who stood out, and the overall feel was of a team that dictated the game rather than reacting to it.
Still, the cleanest wins usually leave a few things to sort through, and this one was no exception. The return of Pac-12 referees added its own layer, with a handful of officiating mistakes mixed into the afternoon, while Oregon State also had some issues to clean up in the kicking game and at cornerback. After a lopsided result like this, those are the kinds of details that matter most, because better opponents tend to find every crack. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State Now Faces A New Problem In Washington State Game
Washington State is adding a fresh wrinkle for Oregon State to sort out this week, with coach Kirby Moore turning to Owen Eshelman at quarterback. Eshelman redshirted last year and has been preparing as the starter, so the Beavers will now have to game-plan for a quarterback they have not seen in college action yet.
The move comes after Caden Pinnick struggled through the first six games, leaving Washington State in search of a spark on offense. For Oregon State, it means another layer of uncertainty in a matchup where the Cougars are trying to reset the position and make the Beavers adjust on the fly. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State Gets Needed Reinforcements As One Injury Concern Grows
Oregon State is getting some welcome signs of help as the season moves along, even if the injury picture is still uneven. Receiver Xayvion Noland is expected to be available this week after missing the previous game, which gives the Beavers another option as they try to steady the offense and keep some rhythm going around a line that has been shorthanded.
The bigger concern remains on the defensive side, where linebacker Kord Shaw is not close to a return and appears unlikely to be back this season. Along the offensive front, there is some movement in the right direction: left tackle Josiah Timoteo has been practicing again, and interior lineman Carter Guillaume is edging nearer to being ready, giving Oregon State at least a little hope that its front could get healthier soon. [Read more 🡒]