Eric Morris Explains What Went Wrong for Mestemaker at Tulsa, Expects Bounce Back

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STILLWATER — On Saturday, quarterback Drew Mestemaker took ownership of “the most embarrassing offensive performance he’s ever been a part of.”

It sounds like he showed up with a similar mindset this week.

Running back Caleb Hawkins said Mestemaker was “Super vocal, he came back on Monday at practice and told us straight up: ‘Hey, that’s unacceptable. We’re not gonna have a performance like that again. We’re gonna pass the ball better, we’re gonna run the ball better and we’re just gonna get everything in harmony again.’”

Most won’t need, or want, a reminder, but Mestemaker completed 59% of his passes for 241 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

It looked rough in every sense of the word, and the graders at Pro Football Focus agreed, giving him an overall offensive score of 50.9, which marks a new career low.

“I thought we were a little off early and maybe we’re extra excited right?” Morris said of Saturday’s game. “We missed some early throws early in the game, and then pressure got to us at certain points where we didn’t protect very well, and some of those throws weren’t Drew’s problem. We had some busts on both sides of the football. That happens everywhere in America, but those are things that exposed us in the game right?”

PFF agreed with Morris, and PFB’s rewatch where pass protection was concerned. PFF charted that Mestemaker was under pressure for 17 of his 54 dropbacks. He completed 4-of-13 passes (31%) for 52 yards and both interceptions. His receivers were also credited with one drop on these plays. The OSU QB’s grade under pressure plummeted to 36.2.

During the other 69% of his dropbacks, Mestemaker graded out at 61.7, and PFF had him completing 25-of-36 attempts (69%) for 189 yards and a touchdown. Plus, his receivers are credited with two drops that would have bumped his adjusted completion percentage up to 77%.

For context, Mestemaker was under pressure on 26% of his dropbacks last season and completed 49% of his attempts but threw only five touchdowns while also tossing five interceptions. Considering he only threw nine picks all of last season, it’s fair to wonder if he could be especially vulnerable to poor decisions in these moments.

That could be another problem again this week, as Oregon edge rushers Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tuioti were the first thing that stood out to Morris when discussing the Ducks’ defense.

“I mean, you got two guys that have played that much football, long and aggressive and can get after the passer, set the edges in the run game,” Morris said. “They have so much experience up front in their starting four guys. … Obviously (the defense) they’re fast, they react, they tackle well, they create a bunch of issues, and so for us to stay in front of the chains and not be in predicaments down and distance getting in third-and-longs is going to be something key.”

PFF ranked that duo 62nd in the nation, incredibly they tied among pass rushers with more than 100 attempts last season. They combined for 11 total pressures in No. 6 Oregon’s opening win over Boise State.

Morris also expressed some disappointment with OSU’s ability to hit big plays through the air. Mestemaker finished 1-of-3 on throws 20-plus yards downfield. It had to be extra frustrating for Mestemaker considering he spent the offseason talking up both his play and willingness when it came to looking deep.

“Maybe a little antsy early and missed a couple,” Morris said of Mestemaker. “He’s just so accurate, especially intermediate (passes). I probably would have liked to have gotten a couple shots. They really put an umbrella on the defense.”

Mestemaker completed 39% of his deep shots last season, which resulted in eight touchdowns and only one interception. Arguably, the best area of the field for him to attack was between 10-19 yards away, as Mestemaker completed 65% of those throws, averaged 12.2 yards per attempt, and tossed nine touchdowns compared to only three interceptions.

On Saturday against Tulsa, Mestemaker completed 4-of-10 such throws for 63 yards, his lone touchdown and two interceptions.

Despite the healthy amount of criticism Morris has tossed his quarterback’s way since the end of Saturday’s loss, the OSU head coach isn’t concerned about Mestemaker’s response to tough coaching.

“Phenomenal, he’s someone that’s going to take it first,” Morris said. “And I think that just great competitors have that built in them, right? And Drew is exactly the same, and he’s never been one that’s going to point a finger. And so yeah, I think he took it really well.”

His teammates expressed similar sentiments throughout the last several days.

“He’s a baller,” OSU center Tyler Mercer said. “I think he’s gonna respond in the right way. He’s kept his cool. He’s kept level-headed. He’s a mature player, a mature quarterback, so he’s been in situations like this. We’ve seen him do well and pass for a lot. So, I believe in him. The whole team still has faith in him. The whole team has faith in the team itself. Yes, it was a rough weekend last weekend, but I don’t think that’s a good representation in any of (our) play.”