‘Woke Us Up’: OSU Players Describe How Tulsa Loss Paved the Way for Upset Against No. 6 Oregon

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STILLWATER — Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity designed what looked like the perfect trap for presumptive first-round quarterback Dante Moore on Saturday, but it was what he said to his players ahead of the game that might have sealed the Cowboys’ win.

​“He walked in and said, ‘Hey, you know, ESPN came in, had our interview with us, they didn’t ask about any single one of you defensive players,’” defensive end James Williams said. “And that was all we needed to hear. I was like, ‘Bet, they’re gonna ask about me after the game.’”

​Williams certainly made good on his promise when he fell on an Oregon fumble with 1:55 left to all-but seal the Cowboys’ win.

​“As soon as I felt it didn’t (pop out), I was like, yes, we got it, we got it, we got it, we won,” Williams said.

​The Cowboys spent the last week in college football’s basement after the 24-10 loss to Tulsa, but should now be the talk of the country after handing No. 6 Oregon a 39-31 loss that rarely felt as close as the final score reflected.

​“In my opinion, without the two tip passes that end up being interceptions in that first half, we might have won the game by 25-plus points,” coach Eric Morris said in the opening minutes of his postgame press conference.

​The Cowboys’ win snaps just about all streaks for both teams. Oregon had beaten 41-consecutive unranked opponents before this one, and OSU held the nation’s longest active losing streak.

​According to ESPN, this also marks the first time an FBS team ever snapped a double-digit losing streak against an AP Top 10 team.

​Williams said the showing Saturday sent a message.

​“Hey, we’re not going to be walked over, we’re not going to be picked apart,” Williams said. “The showing that we put up against Tulsa, that’s not who we are. So you know, it was a nice game to reset, show who we actually are and what’s to come for Oklahoma State.”

Speaking of Tulsa, multiple players said the loss to TU last week paved the way for the win on Saturday, which will go down as the program’s first top-10 win since the Cowboys won the final Bedlam in 2023.

“I think that loss last week was the best thing that could have happened to us,” receiver Wyatt Young said. “Woke us up. Realized we weren’t as good as we thought. We still are a great team, and we can go out and beat anybody we put our minds to, like I said last week.”

Young said Oregon’s players looked like “freaks” when the team watched film this week, but on Saturday everything felt easy.

“Really (we felt we could do) anything,” Young said. “I mean, the short game worked for us, the long game was working for us all game. I mean, obviously Caleb (Hawkins) had it over 100 yards, so he was cooking on the ground. … When you get out there against them, I mean, everybody’s just human at the end of the day. And it’s about who makes more mistakes and who makes less mistakes.”

Williams said something eerily similar when asked about defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity’s gameplan.

“Everything I was seeing on film is exactly what they ran,” he said. “Every single thing I was seeing in practice is exactly what they ran. It was essentially like it was easier than the practice was.”

Speaking of film, linebacker Ethan Wesloski suggested that OSU’s mistakes last week were crucial when it came to fixing the pass rush against Moore.

“Two dynamic quarterbacks,” Wesloski said. “So we were able to learn last week about how we needed to change our game a little bit. So for us, we knew we needed to close some B-Gap windows and keep in a balanced rush lane.

“You know, we did some zone match coverage today where we were, you know, allowed to close on running backs or tight ends staying in a seven, six-man pro. So, I had a couple of them. I know Tate and Zay (Isaiah Chisom) both had a couple times where they were able to add enough, not let the quarterback get vertical down the field, and you know he dropped his eyes off the rush game and wasn’t able to make plays on the field like we’ve seen.”

Moore was a big reason at least 19 NFL scouts, and reportedly two GMs, attended Saturday’s game. The Oregon quarterback finished with a 60.5 grade on PFF, which was his third-worst grade since taking over as the Ducks starter last year.

The only games where he did worse? Both matchups with national champion Indiana last season.

“This was 100% a statement game,” Wesloski said. “Because it’s going to test our abilities to show us what kind of football team we are. And you know, then adversity hit last week, and now it shows you how you’re going to respond.

“So, it gives myself and everybody in this room, and everyone in that locker room, a lot of confidence that we don’t let the past affect us. We can shed plays, shed drives, shed series after, and you know, go focus on the next one at hand.”

Now the Cowboys have to prove they can shed success and remain just as focused as competition dips first against Murray State next week, then against some of the Big 12’s other recent basement dwellers starting with West Virginia and UCF.

Williams was asked if it would be challenging to leave this win behind when the team starts practice next week.

“I mean, we lost to Tulsa,” Williams said.

Although the Tulsa loss is still an embarrassing stain on this team’s start to the season, the defensive end said that it should serve as a reminder to be humble, especially when Big 12 play begins. Williams added that he still believes the Cowboys can win the conference.

Barring an Oregon collapse the rest of the way, it’s hard to argue with his assessment of the team’s potential even with the Tulsa loss.

“We needed to see that. … We needed that game,” Williams said of the TU loss. “That was very important. I think that was going to change the entire dichotomy of the season.”