Quarterback to Back: Drew Mestemaker Looks to Bounce Back against Oregon’s Dante Moore

Drew Mestemaker’s Oklahoma State debut fell quite a bit short of expectations, but if we are donning our optimistic caps, we might say that a marquee matchup against a Heisman hopeful is the perfect stage to redeem himself.

Let’s briefly compare Mestemaker’s opening week against Oregon’s Dante Moore, who’s coming off a solid start.

It’s unfortunate the way things went in Tulsa. A solid showing and (most importantly) a win for Mestemaker would have made this a must-watch for NFL Draft enthusiasts.

Moore occupies that top tier of QBs that will probably hear his name called early on draft night. Mestemaker came into this season squarely in that next tier with some outlets even predicting he’d also be a Day 1 pick.

But still, one off game doesn’t wipe away everything that Morris and Mestemaker did last season, and if you like the underdog and you’ve got any shred of hope still left (if you follow this site, you probably do), you couldn’t draft a more dramatic set up for a bounce-back game for Meste.

As far as Moore is concerned, the Ducks offense started slow by their standards in Week 1. They went scoreless in the first and trailed Boise State most of the first half. But Moore was cool and collected and efficient. He only had back-to-back incompletions once all game and led the Ducks on four-straight scoring drives in the second half on the way to a 34-27 win.

Although most of the Cowboys on the roster weren’t there, OSU fans are well aware of what Moore can do. He threw three TDs on the Pokes in just over two quarters last year on the way to a 69-3 route.

But due to the blowout, OSU fans missed out on Moore’s most desirable trait. He’s got the size, strength and deep-ball acumen to put him in the conversation as a first-round pick, but it’s the intangibles that have GMs salivating.

Moore gets better as the game goes on, and he has a short memory after mistakes. He’s as polished a passer and as good a QB prospect as there is in college football this season. But he didn’t start off that way.

If we can allow ourselves to think back to Mike Gundy and his thoughts on quarterbacks. He believed a QB wasn’t fully formed until he’d played about 15 games or so (I’m paraphrasing).

As a freshman at UCLA, Moore barely completed half his pass attempts and threw nearly as many picks (nine) as TDs (11). Before his breakout season a year ago, Moore had played just 14 games at two schools. Then he set the world (and the Cowboys’ secondary) ablaze. Now he’s a Heisman favorite.

Mestemaker broke out last season with just five games under his belt, so he’s ahead of the curve. He played below his abilities on Saturday whilst running for his life. Am I predicting Mestemaker leads OSU to an upset win? I couldn’t. But do I think that one loss means he doesn’t end up in the same category as guys like Dante Moore? I don’t.