Four Immediate Takeaways from Oklahoma State Football's Victory Over Oregon

The Oklahoma State Cowboys hosted the No. 6 Oregon Ducks on Saturday. Here are four immediate takeaways on the game.

Oklahoma State's Wyatt Young. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Oklahoma State Cowboys pulled off their biggest since since Bedlam by defeated the No. 6 Oregon Ducks, 39-31, at Boone Pickens Stadium.

A week after falling to Tulsa, 24-10, and looking poorly doing it, the Cowboys wear eager to try and bounce back against one of the most talented football teams in the country. In many ways Oklahoma State did. It was a much crisper, cleaner game that better emulated the type of football that head coach Eric Morris want to build his program around.

Here are four immediate takeaways from Saturday’s game.

Let’s Get Creative

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

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

Morris spent much of the week criticizing his own play calling against Tulsa. He also had plenty to say about his team’s execution offensively. Morris got creative with the playbook, and it paid off against the Ducks.

The first play was a fake handoff to running back Caleb Hawkins and quarterback Drew Mestemaker ran to the right and found a gaping hole and turned it into a 75-yard run. That was a defensive bust on Oregon’s part, but the misdirection became a part of the playbook all afternoon. Morris broke out a double reverse pass too.

Morris broke out a shovel pass in short yardage. He called a flea-flicker that opened up a long pass to Wyatt Young as the Cowboys prioritized getting the ball downfield more. Throughout the game it was clear Morris was pulling different strings than a week ago against Tulsa — and it was paying off.

The execution and tempo were better. It was everything Cowboys fans were hoping to see a week ago. It bodes well for the coming weeks.

THIS is Drew Mestemaker

The QB numbers through the first half of Oregon-Oklahoma State 👀 pic.twitter.com/kSYnpkvXT8

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) September 12, 2026

Cowboys fans probably had some buyer’s remorse after Drew Mestemaker’s performance last week. With more than 20 NFL scouts in attendance — and former Atlanta Falcons legend Matt Ryan scouting the game himself — Mestemaker put on a show.

Yes, the two first-half interceptions hurt. Both were batted passes by Oregon’s D’Antre Robinson. One turned into a pick-six and the other turned into an offensive touchdown for the Ducks.

Otherwise? Mestemaker looked more like the quarterback at North Texas last season. By halftime he had racked up 179 passing yards, completed 70% of his passes and threw two scores, one to tight end Carson Kolb and another to wide receiver Wyatt Young. Unlike last week, the explosive plays were there. It felt like Mestemaker has been turned loose. He looked comfortable. He felt pressure better and he moved around the pocket better.

He even showed off his athleticism with an incredible 10-yard touchdown run that saw him go completely airborne to hurdle a defender, take a hit and score what at the time was a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter.

He looked like an NFL prospect. That should have made Ryan and the rest of the NFL scouts in attendance real happy.

This Defense Is For Real

HUGE 4TH DOWN STOP @JaleelJohnson18

📺: ESPNEWS pic.twitter.com/wXTqk1qOY6

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

Last week the Oklahoma State defense received some praise for its game against Tulsa, especially for how it played in the first half. But the unit wore down and had a hard time slowing the Golden Hurricane down in the second half. The unit knew it would be tested against Oregon and that exceptional offense.

The result? Something unexpected by outsiders. The Cowboys held Oregon to 101 first-half yards, 3-for-9 on third down, 0-for-1 on fourth down and limited quarterback Dante Moore to 45 yards passing. It was an unreal half of football. The Cowboys sacked Moore twice, bottled him up outside the pocket and made key plays in the secondary, including cornerback LaDainian Fields batting down a pass.

It was a dominant first half. The question was whether the Cowboys could keep that up in the second half, knowing adjustments were coming. For the most part, they did. The defense did allow one big drive by Oregon, during which Moore went 5-for-5 for 80 yards and a score. But OSU answered later with a key sack by defensive end Jaleel Johnson on fourth down.

What became clear by game’s end was that this Oklahoma State defense played a great football game and that the unit has the potential to be worlds better than last year’s unit under defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity.

Toughing it Out

Oklahoma State's Carson Kolb. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Morris made toughness a watch word this week. He talked about his team not being in condition enough after the first time. He said they struggled with the heat. He wrapped up that up in talk about being tougher during games. He was also blunter about certain position battles, such as left tackle and backup running back. The best player is going to play. All of that was part of the message. Oregon would be the equivalent of a mid-term, if you want to look at the non-conference schedule as a three-game test.

Well, the Cowboys got the message. The toughness was personified in how the defense played. Offensive lineman Joseph Hanson played through what appeared to be a minor injury suffered in the first half. Both Malik Charles and Iman Oates were shaken up on defense but returned. After being pushed around last week by Tulsa, the Cowboys were the ones doing the shoving this week.

Game temperatures got to 99 degrees at halftime with a heat index of 105 degrees. Oklahoma State seemed far less bothered by it than a week ago. It was the kind of progress that Morris wanted from his entire team and it should make the coaching staff feel good about the future.