Oklahoma State snaps 21-game losing streak with 39-31 upset of No. 6 Oregon on September 14

Oklahoma State defeated No. 6 Oregon 39-31 on September 14, 2026, ending the nation's longest losing streak at 21 games, according to ESPN College Football. The upset was delivered in first-year coach Eric Morris's home debut, marking the first time in his coaching career dating to his grad assistant days at Houston in 2010 that his teams have defeated an AP Top 25 opponent. His career record against ranked opponents before this game stood at 4-32, per ESPN.

The context makes the win sharper. Oklahoma State lost to Tulsa 24-10 on the road in Week 1, according to ESPN. Morris called it "the most embarrassing offensive performance" he had ever been part of, per quarterback Drew Mestemaker's account in ESPN's reporting. The Monday team meeting after that loss was "unsparing," and Morris called out everyone on the team and staff, including his stars: Mestemaker and running back Caleb Hawkins, per ESPN. For Week 2, Morris told his staff and players that the only metric they would grade was how fast they played; he removed all usual keys to win and performance metrics, per ESPN reporting. The team had hard, physical practices on Tuesday and Wednesday in the heat to prepare for 100-degree temperatures on Saturday, per ESPN.

Mestemaker, who has been with Morris for three years, called that week "the best week of practice they've ever had," per ESPN. Wide receiver Wyatt Young said of the team's preparation: "There's no secret, nothing like that. We practiced our butts off all week, and we went out there and did what we should've," per ESPN. Mestemaker added: "Everyone on this team's been counted out their whole career, and I think that's what makes us special," per ESPN reporting.

The roster reflects Morris's overhaul. There were 92 new players on the team for Morris's home debut, according to ESPN. Oklahoma State's roster is made up of former North Texas players and has been "totally rebuilt," per ESPN reporting. Morris had coached at North Texas for three years before accepting the Oklahoma State job because he believed there would be an opportunity for immediate success and that he could win in the Big 12, per ESPN.

On the field, Oklahoma State opened with aggression. Mestemaker ran for 75 yards off a run-pass option on the first offensive snap, per ESPN. Early in the second quarter, Oklahoma State ran a flea-flicker play; Mestemaker threw to Wyatt Young for 33 yards on the play, per ESPN. Six plays after the flea-flicker, Oklahoma State led 17-7, per ESPN. The call echoed Morris's playbook history: in 2022, Morris's Washington State offense lost a 44-41 shootout against Oregon, and Morris opened that game with a flea-flicker that set up an easy 24-yard throw for Cam Ward, per ESPN reporting. Morris pulled off a few FCS upsets with future No. 1 pick Cam Ward at Incarnate Word but had never been part of a team that took down a top-10 opponent before Oregon, per ESPN.

It took 554 yards on offense to beat Oregon; the Cowboys used field goals and patience rather than fourth-down gambles, per ESPN. Oregon deflected two Mestemaker passes for interceptions that turned into easy touchdowns, per ESPN. Morris said the team "probably should've won by 25" if not for those two Oregon interceptions, per ESPN reporting. Oklahoma State's defense slowed "projected first-round quarterback Dante Moore" of Oregon, per ESPN. Mestemaker hit a leaping go-ahead score in the fourth quarter that "knocked the wind out of him," per ESPN reporting.

The home crowd had endured a sustained drought. Cowboys fans had witnessed losses in 10 of their past 11 games at Boone Pickens Stadium, per ESPN. After the final whistle, the goalpost in the west end zone was tossed into nearby Theta Pond by students, per ESPN reporting.

Morris learned his coaching tactics from playing and working for Mike Leach, per ESPN. He learned from his first head coaching job at Incarnate Word in 2018, where he was blown out in his first two games, per ESPN. Morris lost his first two games at North Texas as well, per ESPN reporting. CBS Sports analysis notes that Oregon "are simply not hitting the right buttons with an incredibly talented roster" and that the team is "teetering on becoming this season's version of last year's Penn State," though "there's plenty of time to turn things around," per CBS Sports.