HOUSTON, September 14, 2026 — Oklahoma State University head football coach Eric Morris has been named Paul “Bear” Bryant National Coach of the Week following the Cowboys’ 39-31 upset win over No. 6 Oregon.
The win – the first of Morris’ tenure at Oklahoma State – snapped a 21-game skid against FBS opponents.
The American Heart Association, a relentless force changing the future of health for everyone everywhere, presents the Bear Bryant Awards annually to celebrate excellence in coaching, to honor Coach Bryant’s legacy and to raise awareness and critical funds for its mission. The coaching legend died from a heart attack in 1983, just 28 days after his final victory and retirement.
The win avenged a 69-3 loss to the Ducks in the 2025 season, was the first win over an AP top-six team since beating Notre Dame in 2022; and the first win over a top-10 team since beating Oklahoma in 2023. It also snapped a 12-game road winning streak for Oregon – the longest such streak in the FBS – and ended the longest losing streak in program history at 12 games. According to ESPN, Saturday’s game marked the first time in FBS history that a team snapped a 10-game losing streak against an AP top-10 opponent.
Drew Mestemaker passed for 317 yards and two scores, while also rushing for 109 yards and a score. Caleb Hawkins rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown as the Cowboys racked up 237 yards on the ground. Wyatt Young was Mestemaker’s favorite target on the afternoon, hauling in five passes for 121 yards and a score.
The Cowboys held a 25-12 advantage in first downs, a 237-90 advantage in rushing yards, and a 317-191 advantage in passing yards. OSU was 7-8 on red zone opportunities, while limiting the Ducks to just one red zone opportunity all game.
The Ducks grabbed an early lead in the first quarter, but back-to-back scores by the Cowboys put Oklahoma State 17-7 in the second quarter. Oregon used a pair of chunk plays in the second half to pull ahead 31-30 with 14:51 to play, but Mestemaker capped a 12-play, 75-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown run on the subsequent possession to put Oklahoma State up for good with 10:21 to play, and Sam Keltner’s 31-yard field goal with 3:11 to play – his fourth of the game – set the game at its final score.
Each week through the remainder of the season, the Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards will recognize a coach for leading their team to an exceptional victory. The Paul “Bear” Bryant National Coach of the Week is chosen by a committee of national college football media members. Morris’ selection follows previous selections of Western Michigan’s Lance Taylor and Memphis’ Charles Huff.
Fans can follow the lead up to January’s annual Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards Ceremony at facebook.com/bryantawards, x.com/bryantawards or Instagram.com/bryantawards or the hashtag #BryantAwards. To attend the exclusive, VIP experience visit bryantawards.org.
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