Oklahoma State defeated the No. 6 Oregon Ducks 39-31 at Boone Pickens Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, according to game reports. The victory marked the first win for head coach Eric Morris with the Cowboys (Steelers Wire). The win also snapped a 21-game losing skid against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents for Oklahoma State, following an opening-week defeat against Tulsa. For Oregon (1-1), the loss created significant early trouble after head coach Dan Lanning’s squad was pushed by Boise State the previous week. A 90-minute lightning delay preceded kickoff, with additional lightning occurrences during the matchup (Steelers Wire).
Oklahoma State Stuns No. 6 Oregon in 39-31 Upset
Offensive Highlights and Big Plays
Quarterback Drew Mestemaker led the Cowboys’ offense, passing for 317 yards with two touchdowns and completing 60% of his passes. Mestemaker also rushed for 109 yards, highlighted by a 75-yard touchdown run on the game’s first offensive play. Running back Caleb Hawkins added 110 yards rushing and a touchdown (Steelers Wire). Wide receiver Wyatt Young contributed five catches for 121 yards, including a 52-yard touchdown reception from Mestemaker (Yahoo Sports, Steelers Wire). Overall, Oklahoma State generated five plays exceeding 30 yards (Steelers Wire).
Despite the offensive output, Mestemaker threw two interceptions in the first half that stemmed from tipped passes, allowing Oregon to capitalize with short fields (Sports Illustrated, Steelers Wire). One deflection by Dylan Williams was grabbed by Matayo Uiagalelei and returned to the 1-yard line before a Jordon Davison touchdown run (Yahoo Sports, Steelers Wire).
Defensive Pressure and Line Play
The Oklahoma State defensive line applied consistent pressure on Ducks quarterback Dante Moore. The Cowboys sacked Moore four times, limiting Oregon to 191 rushing yards. Malik Charles, Jaleel Johnson, and Keviyan Huddleston each recorded a sack, helping the defense limit Oregon’s options by utilizing a four-man push that enabled the secondary to drop seven players into coverage. Linebacker Ethan Wesloski praised the defensive front after the game, stating, We don’t win this game without them
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Oregon’s offense featured a 36-yard touchdown pass from Dante Moore to Dakorien Moore, alongside receptions by Evan Stewart and Jeremiah McClellan (Yahoo Sports), but the unit struggled for large stretches of the contest.
Historical Impact and Repercussions
The defeat halted several historical runs for Oregon under Dan Lanning. Lanning previously held a 35-0 record against unranked opponents, and the Ducks had not lost to a team outside the Associated Press Top 25 since 2021. Since the start of the 2024 season, Oregon’s only defeats had occurred against national champions Ohio State and Indiana.
Following the final whistle, fans stormed the field and carried away a goalpost at Boone Pickens Stadium to celebrate the program’s most significant win since beating Oklahoma in the 2023 Bedlam game. Oregon pass rusher Teitum Tuioti acknowledged the team’s shortcomings in post-game remarks to reporters. We've got to clean that up really quick and we've gotta put it to bed really quick,
Tuioti said. Going into the season, maybe we were too lackadaisical. Maybe we were reading our press clippings too much
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