Who saw this coming? #6-ranked and -20.5 Oregon ran into a buzzsaw in Stillwater. Does it mean the Cowboys are back?
OSU’s unexpected upset flipped the script from last weekend. The Cowboys, a 13.5 favorite, lost 24-10 on the road to in-state FCS Tulsa. It was a lousy debut for new head coach Eric Morris.
Meanwhile, on the West Coast, the Ducks entered the season as one of the favorites to win the national championship, reflected in their No. 2 ranking in the AP Preseason Poll. One reason is star quarterback Dante Moore bypassed the 2026 NFL Draft in favor of returning to Eugene.
Although the Ducks opened the 2026 season with a win, they exited the contest facing questions. The Ducks (a 24-5 favorite) beat Boise State by seven, 34-27, in a tight contest that went deep into the fourth quarter.
Still, oddsmakers and pundits predicted a big bounceback by the Ducks and a dreary 0-2 start for the Cowboys. Neither prediction came to pass. Instead, the Cowboys pulled off a stunning 39-31 upset.
OSU quarterback Drew Mestemaker completed 26 of 43 passes for 317 yards, two touchdowns, and a go-ahead rushing touchdown. He also threw two INTs, but both of the grabs came off deflections at the line of scrimmage, one a 96-yard pick-six by linebacker Devon Jackson. Mestemaker also rushed for 109 yards and set the tone early with a 75-yard carry on Oklahoma State’s first offensive play.
For his part, Moore threw for two touchdowns without turning over the ball, but he completed only 14 of 29 passes for 191 yards. In the end, self-inflicted wounds cost the Ducks. Trailing 36-31 with under seven minutes to go, head coach Dan Lanning chose to go for it on 4th and 8 at Oregon’s own 33-yard line. But the Ducks gained only two yards from there, with Moore throwing incompletions on third and fourth downs.
The baffling move set the Cowboys up in tremendous field position, and they capitalized by converting a field goal to extend the lead to 39-31. On Oregon’s next possession, running back Dierre Hill Jr. fumbled a pitch from Moore, and the Cowboys pounced on the football with under two minutes left. Three plays later, Mestemaker iced the game with a first down on a zone read.
What a win?
All in all, the outcome was shocking in more ways than one. For one thing, the Ducks dismantled the Cowboys 69-3 in Eugene last season. That was not only bad, but it was downhill for the ‘Boys from there. OSU ended the 2025 season at 1-11, an atrocity that capped a gut-wrenching two seasons in which OSU won only four of twenty games. Besides flipping the script against Oregon this season, the win ended another dark period in OSU football–a 21-game losing streak against FBS opponents.
Even though the season has just begun, one big win does not make a season. What happens going forward will reveal OSU’s true identity–either the club that underperformed as a big favorite vs. Tulsa, or the club that pulled off a huge upset of a national championship contender.
Odds are good that ’26 won’t be a repeat of ’25 or ’24. OSU moves on to play FCS Murray State at home next Saturday before traveling to Morgantown to open the Big 12 season on Saturday, September 26. Those tilts are followed by a slate of league games that favors OSU success. Only two opponents are ranked in the AP Top 25: #22 Houston on the road in mid-October, and #13 Texas Tech at home to close the season.
