Oklahoma State beat No. 6 Oregon 39-31 at Boone Pickens Stadium on Saturday, September 12, 2026, its first win over an FBS opponent since September 14, 2024 and the end of a 21-game losing streak against FBS competition. It was the first win for head coach Eric Morris, who replaced Mike Gundy. Nearby storms pushed kickoff back 90 minutes.
How Oklahoma State won it
Quarterback Drew Mestemaker accounted for three touchdowns, throwing for 317 yards with two scores and rushing for 109 with another. The Cowboys led 24-17 at halftime and had outgained Oregon 353-101 through two quarters.
Oregon took a 31-30 lead early in the fourth quarter on a 38-yard touchdown pass from Dante Moore to Evan Anderson. Mestemaker answered by launching himself over defenders on a 10-yard touchdown run to put Oklahoma State ahead 36-31 after the two-point conversion failed. The Cowboys added a field goal for the final margin.
Running back Caleb Hawkins carried 23 times for 110 yards and a touchdown. Receiver Wyatt Young caught five passes for 121 yards and a score, including a 52-yarder. Oklahoma State finished with 554 total yards to Oregon's 281.
Oregon's defense scored: linebacker Devon Jackson returned one of two intercepted tipped passes 96 yards for a touchdown. But the Ducks were held to 90 rushing yards on 30 carries, and Moore was sacked four times. He finished 14 of 21 for 191 yards.
"The score was closer than it really was, because it wasn't close in a lot of ways," Lanning said, per ESPN. "We got our ass kicked in a lot of areas."
Oklahoma State fans stormed the field afterward, tore down the west goalpost and threw it into Theta Pond. "The field storm was insane," Mestemaker said, per the Associated Press. "Someone took my helmet."
The records that fell
Oregon entered as the preseason No. 2 team and had been 35-0 against unranked opponents under Lanning. ESPN reported it as the Ducks' largest upset loss since the FBS/FCS split in 1978, and noted Oregon had won 57 consecutive games when favored by 24 or more points. The line itself was disputed at the margins: ESPN listed Oklahoma State as a 24.5-point underdog, the Associated Press as 23.5. BetMGM reported 95% of money wagered on the game was on Oregon.
Oklahoma State also extended its home-opener winning streak to 31 straight. Oregon fell to 1-1.
The rest of the day
Oregon was not the only ranked team to lose to an unranked opponent. Michigan beat No. 11 Oklahoma 17-10 the same day. Michigan had already drawn scrutiny this season after the Big Ten defended the clock ruling that set up its 13-12 Hail Mary win.
The Big Ten has separately proposed expanding the College Football Playoff to 28 teams. Uristocrat's Games to Watch for the week of September 10 carried the weekend slate.
Oregon hosts Portland State on Friday. Oklahoma State hosts Murray State the following Saturday.
Source: ESPN
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