Oklahoma State Outplays Oregon, Takes Surprising Halftime Lead

The Oklahoma State Cowboys have the No. 6 team in the country under pressure 30 minutes into their contest in Stillwater.

Oklahoma State Cowboys quarterback Drew Mestemaker. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

STILLWATER, Okla. — The Oklahoma State Cowboys were outplaying the No. 6 Oregon Ducks by halftime of Saturday’s matchup at Boone Pickens Stadium.

A week after suffering a double-digit loss to Tulsa, the Cowboys looked like a totally different team as they built a 24-17 lead over the Ducks after 30 minutes.

Cowboys Radio Network spoke to Oklahoma State head coach Eric Morris.

“We’re kicking their butts all over the field,” Morris said. “Those two turnovers killed us.”

The Cowboys took an early 3-0 lead, lost it and then took it back in the second quarter with a 1-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Drew Mestemaker to tight end Carson Kolb early in the second quarter. It was Kolb’s first career collegiate catch and touchdown reception.

Oklahoma State followed that by scoring another touchdown on the following drive after the OSU defense stopped the Ducks on downs. The drive featured a couple of big pass connections between Mestemaker and wide receiver Wyatt Young. But it ended with a 5-yard touchdown run by Caleb Hawkins.

The Ducks cut the lead back to 17-14 after Matayo Uiagalelei intercepted a batted pass by defensive lineman D’Antre Robinson to put the Ducks at the OSU 1 before running Jordon Davison scored the touchdown. It was the second time the Ducks scored a touchdown off an OSU turnover.

Mestemaker answered with a 51-yard touchdown pass to Young on the following drive to put the lead back to 10 points.

The Oklahoma State defense had a terrific first half against Oregon, though receivers dropped a few passes on key downs from quarterback Dante Moore. OSU outgained Oregon 350-101 by halftime.

Oregon-Oklahoma State Showdown

44 THAT'S HIM @CarsonKolb3

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

Oregon had a 7-3 lead after the first quarter but only because Ducks linebacker Devon Jackson intercepted a tipped Drew Mestemaker pass and returned it the length of the field for a touchdown. Otherwise, the Cowboys defense did a great job defending the Ducks offense, as quarterback Dante Moore went 1-for-6, the Oregon offense had 39 yards and just one first down.

The Ducks were also without tight end Jamari Johnson, who was ruled out for the game for an undisclosed reason.

Going into the game, the Cowboys had to replace Jacob Sexton at left tackle. The redshirt senior suffered a season-ending right lower leg injury against Tulsa last Saturday. Oklahoma State started Shaun Torgeson over Desmond Magiya, who competed for the starting job during the week. Morris said on Tuesday that the player that practiced the best would start.

Cowboys Radio Network reported that two other Cowboys — Braydon Rigsby and Trudell Berry — were out for the game with an injury. LaDainian Fields started after suffering an injury last week against Tulsa.

The game started 90 minutes late due to a lightning delay in the Stillwater area. Lightning began striking in the area around 9:30 a.m. Any lightning strike within an eight-mile radius of the stadium prompts a 30-minute delay. There was light rain off and on at the stadium, including during pre-game warmups.

The game was a contrast of two different programs at two different places. The Oregon Ducks (1-0) have won at least 10 games in each of the last four seasons under head coach Dan Lanning and have been to the College Football Playoff each of the last two seasons. Oregon reached the semifinal last season.

The Cowboys (0-1) were 1-11 last season and 4-20 in the past two seasons since appearing in the 2023 Big 12 Championship game. The two-year rut cost long-time head coach Mike Gundy his job, led to the hiring of Morris from North Texas and a drastic roster flip, as the Cowboys had more than 90 new players on the roster going into last Saturday’s opener against Tulsa.

Oregon was making its first trip to Stillwater in program history while the Cowboys were hosting a Big Ten team for the first time in program history. Oklahoma State had a 30-season streak of home opener victories going into the contest.

Oklahoma State has one more non-conference game coming up on Sept. 19 against Murray State. The Cowboys then head to Morgantown for its Big 12 opener with West Virginia on Sept. 26.