Three weeks in the making: Drew Mestemaker finally gets his wish on Oklahoma State trick play

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Drew Mestemaker spent three weeks waiting for Oklahoma State head coach Eric Morris to call one particular play.

When the opportunity finally arrived Saturday against Kansas State, the Cowboys quarterback made the most of it, catching a touchdown pass in Oklahoma State's 66-28 victory.

The five-yard reception from wide receiver Wyatt Young came on a third-quarter trick play involving a double handoff, extending the Cowboys' lead to 63-21. For Mestemaker, it was a moment he had been anticipating for nearly a month.

"We've had it in the game plan for the past like three weeks," Mestemaker said after the game. "I put it on my favorite play sheet every week hoping he would call it."

Morris finally gave his quarterback the opportunity in Manhattan, adding another memorable moment to an already extraordinary offensive performance.

The play required Young to deliver the football back to Mestemaker while navigating pressure from an approaching defender. Despite an imperfect throw, Mestemaker secured the five-yard touchdown reception.

The quarterback later joked about Young's delivery, saying his teammate nearly threw the ball into the ground before he managed to make the catch. The trick play was another example of Oklahoma State's offensive creativity during a game in which almost everything worked. The Cowboys scored 49 points in the first half and finished with 565 total yards, overwhelming a Kansas State defense that struggled to slow down their balanced attack.

But Mestemaker's receiving touchdown carried historical significance beyond the highlight itself. The sophomore became just the fifth player in FBS history to record at least four passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown and one receiving touchdown in the same game.

He was also the only power-conference player over the past 30 seasons to accomplish that combination in a road game. Mestemaker completed 22 of 28 passes for 313 yards and four touchdowns, added 11 rushing yards and a score, and caught the five-yard touchdown from Young.

His performance also extended his streak of consecutive 300-yard passing games to eight, establishing a new Oklahoma State school record and the longest single-season streak in Big 12 history. The previous Cowboys record belonged to Mason Rudolph, who recorded seven consecutive 300-yard performances across the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

While Mestemaker's individual accomplishments were remarkable, the quarterback credited Oklahoma State's rushing attack for helping the offense find its rhythm.

"The run game really got everything going," Mestemaker said after the victory.

Running back Caleb Hawkins rushed for 175 yards and three touchdowns while adding 71 receiving yards and another score, providing the balance that helped the Cowboys repeatedly move the ball downfield. Oklahoma State scored nine touchdowns despite facing just eight third-down situations throughout the game, illustrating how efficiently Morris' offense operated.

The victory improved the Cowboys to 6-3 overall and 4-2 in Big 12 play, securing bowl eligibility for the first time since 2023.

For Mestemaker, the afternoon featured a school passing record, six total touchdowns and one long-awaited opportunity to become a receiver. And after three weeks of hoping his favorite trick play would finally be called, he made sure the moment counted.