Oklahoma State, Eric Morris Finally Give Passionate Fan Base Something to Cheer For
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The Cowboys bounced back from a season-opening loss with a stunning 39-31 upset of Oregon, giving first-year coach Eric Morris a signature victory in Stillwater.
After an opening-week road loss to Tulsa, Oklahoma State and first-year head coach Eric Morris returned to Stillwater reeling.
A week later, the outlook surrounding the Cowboys looks dramatically different.
Oklahoma State stunned an Oregon team with College Football Playoff aspirations, 39-31, snapping a 12-game losing streak and reigniting a passionate fan base with the start of Big 12 Conference play just around the corner.
Morris, a 40-year-old former Texas Tech standout, took over at Oklahoma State after a successful run as head coach at North Texas. He previously spent four seasons leading Incarnate Word and one season as Washington State’s offensive coordinator.
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Drew Mestemaker Delivers Breakout Performance for Oklahoma State
Along with Morris, the Cowboys have already benefited from the transfer portal, with quarterback Drew Mestemaker following his coach from North Texas to Oklahoma State.
Mestemaker, a sophomore from Austin, Texas, threw for 317 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 109 yards and another score in the upset of the Ducks.
The performance followed an impressive first full season as a starter at North Texas, where Mestemaker threw for more than 4,300 yards and 34 touchdowns.
Against Oregon, he showed his resolve after an early interception was returned for a touchdown, responding by directing Oklahoma State on back-to-back scoring drives.
When the Ducks regained the lead, 31-30, early in the fourth quarter, Mestemaker answered again. He directed a 12-play, 75-yard drive that consumed more than four minutes and finished it himself with a 10-yard touchdown run to put the Cowboys back in front.
Oklahoma State added a late field goal before its defense finished off one of the program’s biggest victories in recent years.
Eric Morris Gives Oklahoma State an Early Signature Win
Morris arrived in Stillwater with a track record of building winning programs.
North Texas improved from five wins in his first season to six in his second before going 11-2 last year. Before that, Morris led Incarnate Word to a pair of NCAA Division I playoff appearances and won 24 games over four seasons.
Now, just two games into his Oklahoma State tenure, Morris has delivered the kind of victory Cowboys fans have been waiting for.
Oklahoma State will have one more nonconference game against Murray State before traveling to West Virginia to begin Big 12 play.
The Cowboys have already matched their win total from last season and, perhaps more importantly, ended a 12-game losing streak with a victory that gives Oklahoma State fans reason to believe Morris may have the program headed back in the right direction.
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