Drew Mestemaker Is Seeing the ‘Full Picture’ in Year 2 of Eric Morris’ Offense

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Drew Mestemaker's rise has been one of the biggest stories in college football through the first month of the season.

But ask Oklahoma State's quarterback where the difference is between this version of himself and the one who first began learning Eric Morris' offense, and the answer goes beyond the numbers. He's seeing more.

“I think I’ve been seeing the field a lot better this year than I did last year,” Mestemaker said during a Zoom availability this week. “I think I’ve been able to see the full picture of the defense and what the defense is trying to get to.”

That's a significant development for a quarterback whose unconventional path has been well documented.

Mestemaker never started a varsity game at quarterback in high school before walking on at North Texas. He eventually developed into Morris' starter and followed him to Oklahoma State this offseason.

Now, through four games with the Cowboys, Mestemaker is averaging more than 300 passing yards per game while leading an offense that has surpassed 500 total yards in three consecutive contests.

His latest performance might have provided the clearest example yet of how far his understanding has come.

During Oklahoma State's 41-24 victory at West Virginia, Mestemaker completed 20 of 27 passes for 389 yards and three touchdowns. He threw for 274 yards after halftime as the Cowboys erased an eight-point third-quarter deficit.

But one third-down conversion to Wyatt Young illustrated something the box score couldn't. Facing third-and-9, Mestemaker initially looked toward one side of the field before working back across his progression. Rather than immediately escaping when pressure began closing around him, he remained in the pocket long enough to find Young for the conversion.

Those are two areas Mestemaker specifically identified as improvements in his game. Last season, he said there were times when he would focus too heavily on individual receivers instead of processing what the entire defense was doing. He also acknowledged having a tendency to leave the pocket prematurely.

“I think I would scramble out of the pocket too quick last year,” Mestemaker said.

Now, he's becoming more comfortable letting plays develop. That comfort is also giving Morris more freedom to put decisions in his quarterback's hands.

Against Murray State, Morris said Mestemaker checked Oklahoma State into two touchdown plays at the line of scrimmage. Two weeks later in Morgantown, Mestemaker again demonstrated that freedom.

With West Virginia changing its defensive approach, Mestemaker recognized the look and checked into a deep shot to Chris Barnes. The result was a 52-yard completion that immediately put Oklahoma State in scoring position.

It's one thing to execute Morris' offense as it's called. It's another to understand it well enough to recognize what the defense is doing and change the answer before the snap.

That's where Mestemaker's development may matter most as Oklahoma State moves deeper into Big 12 play.

The physical production has already attracted national attention. His three consecutive 300-yard performances have helped transform Oklahoma State from a team coming off a season-opening loss at Tulsa into a 3-1 team ranked inside the AP Top 25.

But Mestemaker's progression suggests his early success isn't simply the product of throwing to an explosive group of receivers in a quarterback-friendly system.

He's learning why the offense works. Mestemaker is recognizing defensive rotations. He's becoming more patient inside the pocket. He's progressing through his reads rather than locking onto one target. And Morris is increasingly trusting him to change plays based on what he sees before the snap.

For a quarterback still relatively early in his development, that's an important distinction.

Mestemaker's first month at Oklahoma State has already shown what he can do.

The more intriguing question coming out of the bye week might be how much better he can become now that he's beginning to see the “full picture.”

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