Drew Mestemaker, Michael Hawkins Jr. Set Up Top-Three PFF Quarterback Showdown.

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Oklahoma State's Big 12 opener at West Virginia already had plenty of intrigue. Now add one of the hottest quarterback matchups in college football.

When Drew Mestemaker and Michael Hawkins Jr. take the field Saturday night in Morgantown, two of Pro Football Focus' three highest-graded Power Four quarterbacks from Week 3 will be on opposite sidelines.

Hawkins earned the highest grade at 94.1 following West Virginia's 38-27 victory over then-No. 25 Virginia. Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton ranked second at 93.5, while Mestemaker was right behind him at 93.1 after Oklahoma State's 59-0 rout of Murray State.

Their paths to those grades couldn't have looked much different.

Hawkins Has Become a Dual-Threat Problem

Hawkins was responsible for five touchdowns against Virginia, throwing for 190 yards and two scores while adding 123 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

Through three games, the former Oklahoma quarterback has thrown for 477 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions while rushing for another 322 yards and six scores.

He has already produced two games with at least 100 passing and 100 rushing yards.

“Mike, he's a dynamic player, and I think he's gonna keep getting better,” West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez said following the Virginia win. “It's just his third game in the system.”

Hawkins' mobility will provide another significant challenge for an Oklahoma State defense that held Murray State to just 160 total yards Saturday.

Mestemaker Nearly Perfect Against Murray State

Mestemaker took a much different route to his Week 3 performance. Oklahoma State's quarterback barely missed.

Mestemaker completed 20-of-22 passes for 324 yards and a career-high five touchdowns, with his night ending after the Cowboys' opening possession of the third quarter. His 91% completion percentage and 289.6 passing efficiency both set Oklahoma State single-game records.

And while Hawkins is clearly the more established rushing threat, Mestemaker has already shown this season that defenses can't completely ignore his legs. Against then-No. 6 Oregon, Mestemaker rushed for 109 yards, including a 75-yard run, while accounting for three touchdowns in Oklahoma State's 39-31 upset.

Two Quarterbacks, Two Very Different Journeys

The matchup is also intriguing because of how each quarterback arrived here. Hawkins was a four-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting class before beginning his career at Oklahoma. He appeared in nine games across two seasons with the Sooners before transferring to West Virginia and joining Rodriguez's offense.

Mestemaker's story was almost the opposite. He arrived at North Texas as a walk-on with little recruiting attention before developing into one of college football's most productive quarterbacks under Eric Morris. When Morris took the Oklahoma State job, Mestemaker followed him to Stillwater.

Now both quarterbacks are helping lead new eras at their respective programs.

West Virginia enters Saturday 3-0 after beating a ranked Virginia team, while Oklahoma State has responded to its season-opening loss at Tulsa with consecutive victories over Oregon and Murray State.

Saturday will be the first Big 12 game of the Morris era at Oklahoma State. And with PFF's No. 1 and No. 3 graded Power Four quarterbacks from Week 3 facing each other, the quarterback matchup has quickly become one of the biggest storylines entering Morgantown.

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