Instant Recap: Oklahoma State Upsets No. 6 Oregon 39-31

BOX SCORE

A week after an embarrassing loss, the Cowboys just pulled off a historic upset.

Oklahoma State defeated No. 6 Oregon 39-31. After a 90-minute weather delay, Eric Morris caught lightning in a bottle.

In a battle of potential first round QBs, Drew Mestemaker looked more like the pro. The sophomore QB went 26-for-43 for 317 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He ran for 109 yards and the game-winning touchdown. Conversely, Heisman hopeful and projected No. 1 overall pick Dante Moore finished 14-for-29 for 191 yards and two scores.

The Cowboys dominated the Ducks in the first half. If it weren’t for two batted passes that were picked off, it would have looked like mirror image of last year’s trip to Oregon when the Ducks held a 41-3 at the break.

Mestemaker took off on the Cowboys’ first offensive play and picked up 75 yards. He stepped out of bounds at the 3-yard line. The Cowboys would have to settle for a field goal, but something had changed inside Boone Pickens Stadium. The Pokes would find the end zone three times in the first half.

Drew Mestemaker with a massive 75-yard rush on Oklahoma State’s first play of the game 😤 pic.twitter.com/zTyXZb8ISH

— ESPN (@espn) September 12, 2026

The offense may have been reminiscent of ones we used to see in Stillwater in years past, but it was the defense that looked impressive in the first half, and throughout. The Cowboys held the Ducks to 101 yards and five first downs in the first. Oregon’s first two TDs came off a pick-six and a 1-yard score, both off batted Mestemaker passes that were intercepted.

Oregon might have been lucky to be down just a touchdown at halftime, but it looked like a different coming out of the visitor’s locker room in the third quarter.

The Cowboys marched down the field on the opening drive of the second half, but once again stumbled at the end zone and had to settle for 3. The Ducks’ offense finally woke up and made the Pokes pay. After going 5-for-15 for 56 yards in the first half, Dante Moore went 5-for-5 on the drive, culminating with a 36-yard touchdown to Dakorien Moore to pull within 27-24 just three minutes into the third. The Ducks’ defense also came out of the locker room looking different. They forced OSU’s first three-and-0ut of the game on the very next possession.

Just when it felt like Oregon was going to turn it on, the Cowboys’ defense came up with a huge play. After a false start stymied their drive, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning elected to go for it on fourth-and-7 at the OSU 38-yard line. Jaleel Johnson came up with a huge sack to give OSU the ball at midfield. OSU sacked Moore four times.

The Cowboys were rolling before a missed facemask on Oregon defender Devon Jackson killed the drive. Eric Morris then picked up a penalty complaining about the egregious miss which led to Oregon getting the ball at the 50-yard line on a kick out of bounds. A couple plays later, the Ducks really made them pay for it. Moore found Evan Stewart for a 38-yard touchdown to push Oregon back in front 31-30 just nine seconds into the fourth quarter.

Morris has talked a lot about how much confidence he has in his quarterback. After a performance he called “embarrassing” in the loss to Tulsa, Mestemaker took over the game and led his team to historic win.

He put his body on the line for what would be the game-winning play.

DREW MESTEMAKER GOES AIRBORNE FOR THE TOUCHDOWN pic.twitter.com/IQwxd1KrFB

— College Football Report (@CFBReport) September 12, 2026

And time and time again, the Cowboys’ defense came up big. OSU out-gained Oregon 554-281 and held the Ducks to just 4.8 yards per play.

In another head-scratching fourth-down decision, Dan Lanning opted to go for it on fourth-and-8 at their own 33, down 5 with less than seven minutes to go. Moore’s ensuing incomplete pass set the Cowboys up for a field goal to extend their lead to 39-31 with 3:11 to go.

The game started and ended with a Drew Mestemaker run. After Oregon running back Dierre Hill Jr. fumbled a pitch with 1:55 left, and the Cowboys recovered, the Cowboy QB sealed the win with a 7-yard run to get the first down.

This win makes Oklahoma State the only team in college football history to break a 10-plus losing streak to FBS teams to a Top 10 team. Coming in, Oregon was 35-0 against unranked teams.

Next up, the Cowboys host Murray State at 6 p.m. next Saturday in Stillwater.