Two Australian punters were part of one of the weekend’s biggest college football results. Oregon’s Bailey Ettridge, from Lara in Victoria, and Melbourne’s Lachie Pozzobon for Oklahoma State both contributed as the Cowboys beat No. 6 Oregon 39–31 in Stillwater, one season after Oregon won the same matchup 69–3.
This was not a fluke built entirely on turnovers or special teams. Oklahoma State produced 558 yards to Oregon’s 281, held the ball for more than 36 minutes and repeatedly forced a more highly rated roster to defend the full width and depth of the field.
How Oklahoma State broke Oregon’s defence
Quarterback Drew Mestemaker was the central problem. He threw for 317 yards and two touchdowns and added 109 rushing yards, including a 75-yard run, while Caleb Hawkins supplied another 110 yards on the ground. Oklahoma State finished with 241 rushing yards and averaged 6.7 yards per play.
That matters because Oregon actually won the turnover battle. The Ducks intercepted Mestemaker twice, including a pick-six, and another interception gave the offence the ball at the Oklahoma State 1-yard line. Those short-field swings kept Oregon alive, but they also disguised how thoroughly the Cowboys were winning ordinary downs.
Oregon ran only 59 plays and possessed the ball for 23:38. Dante Moore finished 14-of-29 for 191 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, while the Ducks were held to 90 rushing yards. Oregon had explosive moments — Evan Stewart’s 38-yard touchdown tied the game late — but not enough sustained offence.
The response after Oregon finally took the lead was the revealing sequence. Stewart’s touchdown and the extra point put the Ducks ahead 31–30 at the start of the fourth quarter, but Oklahoma State answered with a Drew Mestemaker rushing touchdown and later added a 31-yard field goal.
From 69–3 to 39–31
The emotional contrast is difficult to miss. Oklahoma State went 1–11 last season and lost 69–3 at Oregon. This weekend’s game was also the Cowboys’ first home game under Morris and the highest-ranked non-conference opponent to visit Stillwater since No. 2 Arkansas in 1978.
One result does not erase a 1–11 season or prove the rebuild is complete. It does, however, give Morris evidence that his offence can create explosives against elite athleticism and that Oklahoma State can survive mistakes without abandoning its aggression.
For Oregon, the concern is less about one September loss than the shape of it. The Ducks needed defensive takeaways to offset a major yardage deficit, struggled to stay on the field offensively and still gave up the decisive response after finally taking the lead.
Two Australian punters, two very different games
Oregon’s Bailey Ettridge, from Lara in Victoria, punted four times for a 52.8-yard average with a long of 67 and one punt inside the 20. His workload reflected Oregon’s offensive problems: the Ducks punted repeatedly while trying to find rhythm.
Melbourne’s Lachie Pozzobon had a much quieter afternoon for Oklahoma State. He punted once for 47 yards, with the kick going for a touchback. That single-punt stat line is almost a summary of the game itself — the Cowboys kept moving the chains often enough that their punter was barely required.
Ettridge arrived at Oregon after averaging 44.7 yards on 47 punts for Nevada in 2025, while Pozzobon transferred from Stephen F. Austin after averaging 41.8 yards on 53 punts and earning Freshman All-America recognition.
What comes next
Oregon returns home to face Portland State before opening Big Ten play at USC. The immediate task is straightforward: prove that the Stillwater performance was an aberration rather than the first sign that the Ducks can be pushed around on ordinary downs.
Oklahoma State gets Murray State next. The Cowboys do not need to reproduce 558 yards every week for this upset to matter, but the standard has changed after beating a top-six opponent one season after losing the same matchup by 66 points.