Oklahoma State Upsets No. 6 Oregon 39-31 in Stillwater
Oklahoma State Upsets No. 6 Oregon 39-31 in Stunning Stillwater Victory
Oklahoma State stunned No. 6 Oregon 39-31 Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium, delivering one of the biggest upsets of the young college football season and the first victory of the Eric Morris era in Stillwater.
The Oklahoma State Oregon upset ended a 12-game overall losing streak and a 21-game skid against FBS opponents for the Cowboys. Oklahoma State entered the game as a heavy underdog one week after a 24-10 loss to Tulsa, then responded by piling up 554 yards of offense against the sixth-ranked Ducks.
The victory also represented a remarkable reversal from last season, when Oregon defeated Oklahoma State 69-3.
Oklahoma State Oregon Upset Ends Cowboys' Long Losing Streaks
Oklahoma State's victory was significant well beyond the final score.
The Cowboys had not defeated an FBS opponent since September 14, 2024, and no FBS program had previously snapped a losing streak of at least 10 games by defeating a top-10 opponent. The win also extended Oklahoma State's streak to 31 consecutive victories in home openers.
Oklahoma State's official postgame notes from the Oregon victory show the Cowboys also ended Oregon's 12-game road winning streak, which had been the longest active streak in the FBS, and snapped the Ducks' 22-game winning streak when scoring at least 30 points.
The loss was also the first for Oregon coach Dan Lanning against an unranked opponent. Lanning entered Saturday 35-0 against unranked teams during his tenure with the Ducks.
Oklahoma State led 24-17 at halftime, but Oregon eventually moved ahead 31-30 early in the fourth quarter on a 38-yard touchdown pass from Dante Moore to Evan Stewart.
The Cowboys answered immediately.
Quarterback Drew Mestemaker directed a 12-play, 75-yard drive, finishing it by launching himself over defenders on a 10-yard touchdown run that gave Oklahoma State a 36-31 lead with 10:21 remaining.
A late 31-yard field goal from Sam Keltner provided the final margin.
Drew Mestemaker Leads Cowboys With 426 Total Yards
Mestemaker delivered the breakout performance of his Oklahoma State career when the Cowboys needed it most.
The North Texas transfer completed 26 of 43 passes for 317 yards and two touchdowns while adding 109 rushing yards and another touchdown, accounting for 426 total yards and three scores.
He announced Oklahoma State's intentions almost immediately, breaking loose for a 75-yard run on the Cowboys' first offensive play.
Mestemaker wasn't alone.
Running back Caleb Hawkins rushed 23 times for 110 yards and a touchdown, while receiver Wyatt Young caught five passes for 121 yards, including a 52-yard touchdown reception. The official Oklahoma State-Oregon box score shows the Cowboys finished with 317 passing yards and 237 rushing yards.
The difference in total offense was staggering.
Oklahoma State outgained Oregon 554-281, recorded 25 first downs to Oregon's 12 and held the Ducks to just 90 rushing yards.
Oregon quarterback Dante Moore finished 14 of 21 for 191 yards and two touchdowns, but the Cowboys' defense stopped the Ducks on downs late in the fourth quarter and gave Oklahoma State the opportunity to extend its lead.
The performance followed a difficult opener for Oklahoma State, making the turnaround against one of the nation's highest-ranked teams even more dramatic.
Eric Morris Earns First Oklahoma State Win Against Top-10 Opponent
For Eric Morris, his first victory as Oklahoma State's head coach came against a top-10 opponent and immediately gave a rebuilding program a signature moment.
Morris brought several former North Texas players with him to Stillwater, including Mestemaker, as Oklahoma State overhauled its roster following a 1-11 season in 2025.
The Cowboys' official game recap from Oklahoma State Athletics notes that 88 new players joined the roster entering the 2026 season, underscoring the scale of the rebuild underway in Stillwater.
Saturday's victory was Oklahoma State's first over an AP top-six opponent since defeating No. 5 Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl on January 1, 2022, and its first win against an AP top-10 opponent since beating No. 10 Oklahoma in 2023.
It also continued an impressive home trend. Oklahoma State has now won five of its last six games against AP top-10 opponents at Boone Pickens Stadium.
The source material provided for this story described Oklahoma State entering as a 24.5-point underdog and highlighted the scale of the turnaround from the previous week's loss.
For a program that entered Saturday carrying one of the longest FBS losing streaks in the country, the Oklahoma State Oregon upset changed the tone of the season in a single afternoon.
The Cowboys didn't simply survive against No. 6 Oregon. They outgained the Ducks by 273 yards, ended multiple losing streaks and gave Morris his first Oklahoma State victory in front of the home crowd in Stillwater.
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