‘That’s the Best Moment of My Life’: Drew Mestemaker Shined in Boone Pickens Stadium Debut

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STILLWATER — After taking his final knee, Drew Mestemaker chunked the pigskin into the Stillwater sky.

He turned to see his offensive coordinator running at him for a hug. Then someone took his helmet, and the next thing he knew, a group of police officers was carry Mestemaker out of the rush of humanity for a postgame interview.

Not a bad Boone Pickens Stadium debut.

“I think it exceeded every expectation I had, honestly,” Mestemaker said. “That’s like the best moment of my life, honestly, and to have the fans behind us, it was just unreal the whole game.”

In a duel of two future NFL quarterbacks, Mestemaker won — not only on the field, but in the stat sheet.

He threw for 317 yards and two touchdowns, but he was asked a lot more about the plays he made with his legs after Saturday’s game.

The first of those came on OSU’s first play from scrimmage, when he pulled a zone read and galloped 75 yards down the field before stepping out of bounds just before the goal line.

That’s how you make an entrance 😤 pic.twitter.com/gi3s8RwA7T

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) September 12, 2026

“That D-end came flying down the line, so I pull it, and I was like, ‘Alright, getting like 8 (yards) here,'” said Mestemaker, recalling the play. “And then the safety tracked over the top. He thought the running back had the ball, and I was like, ‘Shoot, there’s no one in front of me.'”

“I was running and peeked up at the scoreboard to see how close everyone was, and I saw someone in the corner of my eye. I thought I was in, but I guess I barely stepped out.”

Then in the fourth quarter with his team down a point, Mestemaker made a play that the Loyal and True will remember for a long time.

With a defensive end over-pursuing, Mestemaker stepped up into the pocket around the 10-yard line and flushed to his left. The Ducks’ defense was sitting in a zone in the end zone, so the Cowboy QB pump-faked and took off.

Defensive back Aaron Flowers had a chance at Mestemaker at about the 2-yard line, but Mestemaker went Barry Sanders vs. Colorado and flew over him. He took another shot on the way down that knocked the wind out of him, but Mestemaker held on to the ball and gave the Pokes a go-ahead score.

Just be Drew.

📺: ESPNEWS | @DrewMestemaker pic.twitter.com/hen68zV71R

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) September 12, 2026

“Drew, he’s a dog, man,” OSU coach Eric Morris said. “I got no other way to say it.”

But it wasn’t just on the ground.

A week after having just two passing plays of at least 20 yards (and none longer than 27 yards), Mestemaker had five completions of at least 20 yards, four of at least 30 yards and a season-long 52-yard completion on a deep touchdown to Wyatt Young.

That touchdown heave to Young came way back in the pocket, and it didn’t really look like Mestemaker was able to step into it all that well — a sign of Mestemaker’s arm talent that he still pushed that ball so far down the field.

But the most impressive ball Mestemaker threw Saturday came on a flea-flicker, where the Cowboy QB buzzed a ball over the head of a turned defender and into Young’s waiting breadbasket.

Good things happen when Drew Mestemaker targets Wyatt Young 🏈 pic.twitter.com/0w12zRKXUr

— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) September 12, 2026

“He made some throws today that were just eye-opening,” Morris said. “There’s a throw on the flea-flicker that he threw to Wyatt Young across the field that not many people in this world can make.”

It wasn’t without a few mishaps, as Mestemaker threw two interceptions, but both of those were tipped at the line. So even those didn’t feel all that bad.

With myriad NFL personnel in attendance, and after a Tulsa game where many publicly questioned whether Mestemaker was the guy he was being made out to be, he led the Cowboys to a home-opening win against a Top 10 team in the country and ended a streak of more than 700 days since OSU’s last victory against an FBS team.

“I think that team was definitely the best I’ve ever played, but I just think whenever you’re in a groove and everyone is feeling themselves and everyone is confident, I think this offense is hard to stop whenever we’re in that groove,” Mestemaker said. “So hats off to Coach Morris, too. He called a great game, really put everyone in positions to succeed and this is definitely the best team I’ve ever played.”