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10 Thoughts on Oklahoma State’s 39-31 Victory Against No. 6 Oregon

10 thoughts on a wild day in BPS.

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[Devin Wilber/PFB]

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STILLWATER — The Cowboys took the scenic route to a 1-1 record, and what a scene it was.

Oklahoma State upset Oregon 39-31 on Saturday in Boone Pickens Stadium.

The fans stormed the field, ripped down the goalpost and took it to Theta Pond. The Cowboys were humming up and down the BPS turf. And — for at least a day — everything seemed like it once did.

Here are 10 thoughts on that game.

1. It Was Sort of Domination

Similar to how OSU’s loss to Tulsa could’ve been worse, the Ducks’ loss in Stillwater could’ve been a lot worse.

OSU outgained the Ducks 554-281. Oregon ran for 90 yards to OSU’s 237. OSU had 25 first downs to Oregon’s 12.

Outside of a few batted passes that Oregon intercepted, this game might’ve been over midway through the third quarter.

2. Drew Mestemaker Is A Dawg

If you ever find yourself questioning Drew Mestemaker’s grittiness, just rewatch this play right here:

That dude is a D-A-W-G DAWG.

In his BPS debut against the No. 6 team in the country, Mestemaker threw for 317 yards, ran for 109 yards and accounted for three touchdowns.

After a nightmare Week 1, Week 2 couldn’t have been scripted any better for OSU’s new QB1.

3. The Nastiest Ball I’ve Seen an OSU QB Throw in Some Time

Oh my goodness, this ball.

Need another angle?

Mestemaker could not have placed that in Wyatt Young’s hands any better. That defender closest to Young had to be in immense shock when he all of a sudden saw the ball appear.

That’s why NFL-types are drooling over OSU’s quarterback.

4. Take A Bow, Skyler Cassity

A lot of thought No. 1 has to do with Oklahoma State’s 31-year-old defensive coordinator.

Dante Moore — perhaps the No. 1 pick in next year’s NFL Draft — went 14-for-29 for 191 yards against the Pokes. Between this season and last, Moore has only thrown for fewer yards in four games. In that same stretch, he’s averaged 246.4 passing yards a contest entering Saturday.

On top of that, the Oregon defense ran for 90 yards Saturday. Only twice in the past two seasons have the Ducks ran for fewer yards in a game.

This Cowboy defense dominated the Oregon Ducks. That’s no other way to put it.

5. OSU’s Pass Rush Feasted on Money Downs

Against Tulsa last week, the Cowboys were credited with one quarterback hurry and no sacks.

Against the mighty Oregon Ducks, OSU hurried Dante Moore three times and sacked him on four occasions.

The sacks:
Malik Charles on 3rd-and-9 from the Oregon 26 (second quarter)
Isaiah Chisom and Ethan Wesloski on 1st-and-20 from the Oregon 40 (second quarter)
Jaleel Johnson on 4th-and-7 from the OSU 43 (third quarter)
Keviyan Huddleston on 3rd-and-6 from the Oregon 29

All but one came on third or fourth down, as the Cowboys forced Oregon to go 5-for-14 on third and 0-for-3 on fourth.

Through two games now, teams are 6-for-25 on third down against the Cowboys. That’s Jim Knowles-type behavior.

6. Dan Lanning Lost His Mind

Seemingly, punting physically hurts these two coaches, but Morris learned from last week while Lanning didn’t.

With about seven minutes to play, the Ducks were down 36-31 and had a 4th-and-8 on their own 33.

For whatever reason, Oregon went for it. Moore’s pass fell incomplete, and the Cowboys essentially spawned in field-goal range to go up a full score (eight points) with 3:13 to go.

I’m all for aggressiveness, but that was one of the more wild fourth-down attempts I recall. It’s a little extra wild considering the Ducks went 0-for-3 on fourth down against Boise State — one of the main reasons the Broncos hung around in that game.

After going 2-for-6 on fourth down against Tulsa, Morris was 1-for-1 Saturday. Despite more than a couple fourth-and-short opportunities presenting themselves, he didn’t take the bait.

Morris said after the game that he ditched the analytics book he followed all of last season to go with more of a feel on fourth downs. It worked.

7. Helluva Response from the O-Line

Oklahoma State’s offensive line took it on the shins for much of the week, but what a response to have against what might be the best defensive line in the country.

Mestemaker was hurried on three occasions but wasn’t sacked Saturday. Meanwhile, the OSU ground attack bullied out 237 rushing yards on 5.9 yards a pop.

The Cowboys were without Jacob Sexton. Guard Joseph Hanson went down in the first half and didn’t return. Center Tyler Mercer missed a handful of plays. And no matter who was in there, the line kept Mestemaker clean and kept providing openings for whoever was running the ball.

8. The UNTrio Shined

The Big 3 that moved up from Denton all shined in what was their BPS debut.

We’ve already ran down Mestemaker’s day, but Caleb Hawkins ran for 110 yards and a score on 23 carries. And receiver Wyatt Young caught five balls for 121 yards and a score.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Hawkins’ performance is he didn’t have a negative rush. Some of that credit obviously goes to the offensive line, but Hawkins essentially only falls forward. It was a day of chipping away for Hawkins, as his biggest gain was a 26-yard run in the second quarter. Outside of that, he didn’t have a run of more than 9 yards, but he just kept churning forward.

Along with the dot Mestemaker threw Young on that flea-flicker, Young also caught a James Washington-esque post route for a 52-yard touchdown. Freaky arm strength from Mestemaker on the throw, as he was drifting backward and chunked it off his backfoot.

9. The Season Is Reset

Just like most predicted, the Cowboys are 1-1.

Unlike anyone predicted, that came because the Pokes beat Oregon and lost to Tulsa.

A mere seven days after we were ready to take a lot of stuff off the table for the Cowboys, it’s all back on — the Big 12, X number of wins — it’s all possible again.

Maybe Oregon ends up not being national title-level good. But if OSU can beat that team, you’re going to have a hard time convincing me the Cowboys can’t beat anyone else on the schedule. That, obviously, doesn’t mean they will beat everyone else (see Tulsa), but even the most daring of predictions again seem possible.

10. The Streak Is Over

After 729 long, long days, the Cowboys beat an FBS football team again.

Rock bottom was evasive.

Was it the 52-0 loss to Colorado to end the 2024 season? Was it Hauss Hejny breaking his foot minutes into the 2025 season? Was it a 69-3 loss in Eugene resembled a high school team taking on a college team? Was it the first home loss to Tulsa since the 1950s? Was it the fact that a wide receiver was playing quarterback for a chunk of the 2025 season? Was it the 42-0 loss in Lubbock? Was it a 1-11 finish? Was it losing to Tulsa again?

Wherever rock bottom was, the Cowboys have climbed their way out. Maybe this doesn’t last forever, but what had to be the worst streak of OSU football ever is finally over.

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