Murray State Coach Jody Wright Has a Nickname for Drew Mestemaker

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Having watched the tape, Murray State coach Jody Wright has a nickname for Drew Mestemaker.

“I think he needs to be nicknamed Drew ‘The Playmaker’ instead of Mestemaker, the quarterback,” Wright said this week. “This young man, he should be a Heisman front-runner and a top pick in the NFL Draft watching him on tape because this guy can throw digs in the middle, crossers, deep balls. And when I say he stands in the pocket, keeps his eyes down the field. I mean he looks like — he’s got some of that Patrick Mahomes or Tom Brady or Peyton Manning how he — he’s got toughness.

“He’s not afraid of the rush. He’ll stand in there tall, and he’s got a great offensive line. But this guy’s got arm talent, he’s big, keeps his eyes down the field like I said. He’s very poised. His command of the offense. You can see he doesn’t get rattled.”

Another week, another opposing coach mentioning Oklahoma State’s quarterback in the same breath as some of the sport’s all-time names.

Wright is in his third year coaching the Racers following stints on staffs at South Carolina, the New York Giants, the Cleveland Browns, UAB, Alabama, Mississippi State and others.

So, Wright’s seen a lot of football at a lot of different levels, but he said this week that he’s never been to Oklahoma. By the sounds of it, he’s been doing his homework and sounds excited at the prospect of leading his team into Boone Pickens Stadium.

“I was telling our players, getting to go to Oklahoma State, aside from Racer One being the coolest mascot, I mean, Pistol Pete at Oklahoma State,” Wright said. “That’s gonna be really neat. I hope he doesn’t fire his gun that much. But I do think it’ll be neat. They have Spirit Rider, I think — a live horse that runs when they score (Bullet is the name of the horse, Spirit Rider is the rider) and the stuff that they do with the paddles and first down cheers. They have a great atmosphere, so we’ve gotta be prepared for a loud environment and handle all that. …

“I’ve known people that have coached at Oklahoma State — Coach (Todd) Monken at the Browns and Coach Greg Adkins I was with (at South Carolina). They all loved it. I think it’s a great university and different things. I know they got some neat traditions. I know the stadium, you’re kinda really close, I believe, tight on the field, seeing it on film and seeing it on TV.”

Wright was super complimentary of the Pokes, going down a long list of praises during his weekly news conference.

He talked up Eric Morris and his history of success. He praised the Cowboys’ defense and special teams.

Wright called OSU running back Caleb Hawkins an NFL back, praising his size, strength and contact balance.

“Hopefully we can play with like 14 or 15 on defense at times and get him down,” Wright joked. “But we’re gonna have to fly to the ball and tackle at an elite level to get this guy down.”

Wright praised the OSU receiver room’s ability to run, shouting out Miles Coleman, Wyatt Young, Chris Barnes, Terrence Lewis and Justin Bowick.

But it all comes back to Mestemaker.

“The quarterback, like I said, Drew Playmaker, he’s got talent around him, but he drives the bus and distributes the ball very well,” Wright said. “He’s gonna find the mismatches, and he can throw really well in tight spaces and windows, which is hard to defend. And makes good decisions.”

Not much different than Oklahoma State, it’s been a rough two years for Murray State, as the Racers have finished the past two seasons at 1-11. Murray State is off to a 1-2 start this season, but given those recent struggles and the fact that OSU just knocked off Oregon, the Cowboys are a 55.5-point favorite against their FCS foe this weekend.

Wright was asked about the mindset of his team going into this game, about the Racers wanting to prove themselves against Power Conference competition.

“In today’s world with what’s happened to college football and a lot of players getting paid, rightfully so, some rev share money and stuff,” Wright said. “I don’t know what all their roster is getting paid. I don’t know what their quarterback is getting paid, but he probably needs to double that because he’s probably worth it. But I’m sure he’s probably making more than our whole football budget. But I tell people all the time, you still gotta go put a helmet on and play.”