After an embarrassing 24-10 loss to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in the season opener last week, Oklahoma State entered the weekend on a 12-game losing streak and with a sour taste in their mouths. The #6 Oregon Ducks were more than a 3-touchdown favorite by the time the teams finally kicked off around 12:30 PM after a weather delay, but the Cowboys came out ready to play.
The first play of the game was a 75-yard scamper from Cowboy quarterback Drew Mestemaker, and though the possession ended with a field goal despite a 1st-and-goal opportunity from the 3-yard line, it was clear that Oklahoma State was not going to let a repeat of last year’s meeting with the Ducks take place.
Oregon naturally fought back, taking an early 7-3 lead, but Oklahoma State looked in charge for the majority of the game. Despite dominating the Ducks statistically, the Cowboys had to dig deep and make plays on several key plays, and in the end, a 39-31 win helped Oklahoma State make history, not just for themselves, but for all of college football. For the first time in college football history, a team ended a double-digit losing streak by defeating an AP Top-10 opponent.
Drew Mestemaker is Not a QB for the Faint of Heart
After leading the nation’s top offense last season at North Texas, transfer quarterback Drew Mestemaker was hyped to be the leader that would turn the Oklahoma State offense into something that resembled the glory days more than the last couple of seasons. He didn’t play particularly well last week at Tulsa, but he clearly took that loss personally as he showed up to play against Oregon.
The 75-yard run on the first play of the game could have been his best—and maybe only—highlight of the day, but he made plenty of plays that fueled the Cowboys to victory. Right before halftime, Mestemaker found Wyatt Young for a 52-yard bomb to extend the lead at the time.
Mestemaker’s best highlight of the day came on the ground. Oklahoma State trailed Oregon 31-30 with a little over 10 minutes left in the game, and on a 3rd and 8, he broke free from the pocket, took flight from the 3-yard line, and launched his body into the end zone to put the Cowboys back on top.
Mestemaker finished the day with 317 yards and 2 touchdowns on 26-of-43 attempts through the air, to go with his 6 rushes for 109 yards and a touchdown. His day wasn’t perfect, though. Oregon’s first 14 points of the game came as a result of two interceptions: one of them a pick-6, and another that was returned to the 1-yard line. Both passes were hit by Oregon defensive linemen, who were able to get pressure, so Oklahoma State’s offensive line is partially to blame, but that is an area where Mestemaker can clean up his game.
While his day wasn’t perfect, it was good enough to get the Cowboys the win, and that’s a great place to start considering what Oklahoma State has looked like for the last couple of years. Drew Mestemaker already has the playmaking ability, but if he continues to improve his decision-making, then he could be in consideration for one of the top quarterbacks in the country.
Defense Makes Plays When It Counts
If the offense didn’t essentially spot the Ducks 14 free points, this game might have turned into a blowout. The defense wasn’t perfect, but they were pretty dang good against the projected #1 pick in next year’s NFL Draft. Dante Moore lit Oklahoma State up last season for 266 passing yards and 3 touchdowns, but he didn’t have the same luck this time.
Tulsa’s offensive line pushed the Cowboys around last week, and they seemed to take that personally as they did everything in their power to ruin Dante Moore’s day. Moore was sacked 4 times, and the Ducks managed just 90 rushing yards on 30 carries. It’s difficult to get the pass game going when the run game is consistently shut down, and that was the result as Moore completed just 14-of-29 pass attempts for 191 yards. He did throw two touchdowns, one for 36 yards and one for 38 yards, but Oklahoma State’s defense stood up to the test time and time again.
The Ducks finished just 5-of-17 on third down, but more notably was Oregon’s inability to convert on 4th down. On three separate fourth-down attempts, the Ducks failed to get the first down, and all 3 could have flipped the game in favor of Oregon. Then, on Oregon’s final offensive play of the game, running back Dierre Hill Jr. fumbled the ball, and James Williams jumped on it to give the Cowboys the ball and the ability to wrap up the game.
In the end, Oregon’s offense managed just barely over half the yardage that the Cowboys did. Oklahoma State is rarely known for its defense, but the fact that they stood strong against Dante Moore and the Ducks says a lot. The Big 12 is full of talented offenses, so this is a great starting point ahead of conference play.
Murray State Comes to Town Next
The Cowboys get a reprieve next weekend, at least in level of competition, when they host the Murray State Racers, an FCS school that already has losses against Eastern Illinois and Middle Tennessee State. This will wrap up non-conference play for the Cowboys ahead of their Big 12 opener in Morgantown when they take on the West Virginia Mountaineers on Saturday, September 26th.
Murray State isn’t very good, but it can be easy to overlook a team following a big win and before conference play starts. Oklahoma State can’t afford another letdown, so hopefully they can come out and take care of business with limited mistakes.
Kickoff against the Racers is scheduled for 6 PM, and the game will be televised on ESPN.