James Williams, Drew Mestemaker Deliver Defining Moments in Oklahoma State’s Upset of Oregon
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Oklahoma State entered Saturday's matchup against No. 6 Oregon with plenty of reasons to feel overlooked.
James Williams only needed one. Before the Cowboys' stunning 39-31 victory at Boone Pickens Stadium, ESPN conducted pregame interviews surrounding the matchup. According to Williams, Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity noticed something about the attention being given to the Cowboys. Nobody wanted to talk to his defensive players.
“Coach Cassity said, ‘ESPN came in pregame and had our interview. They didn't ask about any single one of you defensive players,’” Williams said after the game. “That was all we needed to hear. I was like, ‘Bet they're gonna ask about me after the game.’”
Williams made sure of it. With Oklahoma State leading 39-31 late in the fourth quarter, Oregon was attempting to mount one final drive when Dierre Hill Jr. mishandled a pitch.
Williams recovered it. Oklahoma State never gave Oregon the football back.
It was a fitting ending to an afternoon when a Cowboys defense that entered the game with plenty to prove held the Ducks to just 281 total yards.
Oregon quarterback Dante Moore completed only 14 of 29 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns. Oklahoma State repeatedly pressured him, came up with critical sacks and stopped the Ducks on fourth down twice during the second half. Then Williams put the finishing touch on it.
Mestemaker Keeps Coming Back
While Williams delivered the turnover that helped seal the upset, Drew Mestemaker provided the play that might define it.
His afternoon had already featured just about everything. Mestemaker opened the game with a 75-yard run that ended just short of the goal line. He threw two first-half interceptions that directly resulted in Oregon's first 14 points.
But he also kept responding. Mestemaker finished 26-of-43 for 317 yards and two touchdowns, including a 52-yard strike to Wyatt Young late in the first half.
His biggest response came after Oregon took a 31-30 lead early in the fourth quarter. Oklahoma State drove into the red zone before Mestemaker faced pressure on third down. He escaped the pocket, took off toward the goal line and launched himself through two Oregon defenders for a 10-yard touchdown. For a moment, time apparently slowed down.
“I felt like I was in the air for a year and then I hit the ground so hard,” Mestemaker said. “But it felt good because I was in the end zone.”
The collision knocked the wind out of him, according to Morris, but it also put Oklahoma State back in front for good.
“You can see his competitive nature,” Morris said. “It came out in a big way today.”
Morris was also impressed by what Mestemaker did through the air, saying his quarterback made some throws that were “eye-opening.”
From Overlooked to the Center of Attention
Seven days earlier, there weren't many positives surrounding Oklahoma State. The Cowboys had just lost 24-10 at Tulsa. Morris described the offensive performance as the most embarrassing he'd ever been part of.
Against Oregon, Oklahoma State looked transformed. The Cowboys accumulated 554 yards, rushed for 237 and held Oregon to nearly half their offensive output. Even after two interceptions handed the Ducks 14 points, OSU never allowed the game to get away.
Mestemaker responded to his mistakes. Williams and the defense responded to feeling overlooked.
And when the game ended, Oklahoma State students poured onto the field to celebrate the program's first victory under Morris and the end of a 10-game losing streak.
Williams had predicted before the game that people might want to talk to him afterward.
He was right. And after recovering the turnover that helped seal one of Oklahoma State's biggest wins in recent memory, he had earned the attention.
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