Drew Mestemaker Shares Honest Thoughts on Oregon After Beating the Ducks

The No. 6 Oregon Ducks' road trip to Stillwater, Oklahoma, ended in an unfortunate way after their 39-31 loss to the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium.

Part of crafting this record-breaking loss for the Ducks was Cowboy's quarterback Drew Mestemaker, who shared postgame that facing the Ducks was no easy feat and didn't nearly compare to the competition he faced at North Texas prior to following coach Eric Morris to Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Oklahoma State's Drew Mestemaker (17) rushes as Oregon's Devon Jackson (9) defend second half of the college football game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Oregon Ducks at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Sept., 12, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Drew Mestemaker Shares Thoughts on Facing Oregon Ducks

"No, I don't think they were better," Mestemaker said when asked to compare previous teams he's faced to the Ducks.

"I think that team definitely is the best team I've ever played, but I just think whenever you're in a groove, it's like everyone's feeling themselves and everyone's confident and it's, I think this offense is hard to be stopped whenever we're in that groove, and so hats off to Coach Morris too. He called a great game, really put everyone in great positions to succeed, but this is definitely the best team I've ever played."

With Mestemaker at the helm, the Cowboys were able to take some big swings against Oregon, leading to their 554 total yards of offense for the day. Mestemaker put up a 60 percent passing accuracy at 26-43, with 317 yards and two touchdowns in the air.

Sep 12, 2026; Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys quarterback Drew Mestemaker (17) looks to pass as Oregon Ducks linebacker Devon Jackson (9) defends during the third quarter at Boone Pickens Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Those Big Plays Against The Oregon Ducks

For Mestemaker and the Cowboys' offense, big plays are truly what kept OSU on top of the Ducks for a majority of the game, with the quarterback highlighting his 75-yard first quarter quarterback keeper as a point where he realized the Cowboys had an edge.

"Yeah, I think it's big time to have a big play that early in the game. I think you know it kind of sets the tone for the offense and gets everyone in the right mindset. Like especially with guys like that. Like I'm not saying we didn't expect to win, but those guys are good. And so to have a big play like that early is big time for our confidence," Mestemaker said.

Oklahoma State's Saadiq Clements (5) celebrates a fumble recovery in the fourth quarter as Oregon reacts in the fourth quarter of the college football game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Oregon Ducks at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Sept., 12, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Revenge Game Mindset

For the Cowboys, this game against Oregon was a revenge game on several levels. First, Oklahoma State was attempting to bounce back from a sobering 24-10 season opening loss on the road against Tulsa.

Furthermore, as Mestemaker shared postgame, several Cowboys players still had a rotten taste in their mouths from the 2025 69-3 Oregon Ducks victory at Autzen Stadium going into the game with an hour and a half weather delay and a rowdy home crowd.

"I mean, there was a little talk at practice, just talking about how they went all the way up there to score three points and stuff like that," Mestemaker said. "But I feel like this is a whole new team, and guys that have been here also, you know, are learning new coaches, learning new players, and stuff like that."

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