Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker scored a spectacular go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter to lift the Cowboys to a 39-31 upset over No. 6 Oregon on Saturday, but the play never reached most ESPN viewers live because the network had switched its main coverage to the US Open women's final.
Mestemaker, a senior transfer from North Texas, evaded the Oregon pass rush, pump-faked a defender and took off for the end zone, launching himself over one Ducks defender before being slammed by another. He held onto the ball as he crashed into the end zone, putting Oklahoma State ahead 36-31 with about 10 minutes remaining.
ESPN switches to tennis mid-upset
As the Cowboys pulled off one of the biggest results of the college football season so far, ESPN's main channel was showing Aryna Sabalenka's US Open final against Elena Rybakina, while the Oregon-Oklahoma State game continued on one of the network's other premium channels. The US Open is the last of tennis's four Grand Slam tournaments each year, played annually in New York, and its finals typically draw a large national television audience. Fans without access to the channel carrying the football game were left to find out what had happened from clips posted on X.
"It's too bad I missed this because you keep switching the channel it's on," one fan wrote to ESPN on X. Another wrote: "Terrible decision @espn to switch this game to a station nobody has." A third fan joked: "Sounds like a great game. Is it on TV?"
Others complained they had to watch highlights on social media instead of live on the channels they pay for. "If you could show this on our TVs instead of X, that'd be great," one fan wrote. "Pretend like you care about sports once in a while."
Fans invoke the 'Heidi Game'
Several fans compared the moment to the so-called "Heidi Game," in which NBC cut away from what appeared to be a lopsided AFL contest in 1968 to broadcast the children's film Heidi, only for the Oakland Raiders to complete a historic comeback and beat the New York Jets. The 1968 incident is regarded as one of the most notorious moments in American sports broadcasting history and later prompted networks to change how they handle overlapping live events. "Heidi Game Redux by ESPN," one fan wrote on X.
Cowboys storm the field
Oklahoma State fans disregarded a warning on the stadium scoreboard and poured onto the field at Boone Pickens Stadium, the team's home venue in Stillwater, Oklahoma, to celebrate, tearing down the field goal posts in the process. The celebration could put the school at risk of a fine from the Big 12 Conference, which Oklahoma State competes in, in the coming days.
The win marked a dramatic turnaround for a program that finished 1-11 in 2025 and had lost to in-state rival Tulsa by 14 points just a week earlier. Oregon, which joined the Big Ten Conference in 2024, entered Saturday's game ranked No. 6 in the country.
Mestemaker's big day
For the game, Mestemaker threw for 317 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 109 yards and a touchdown, as Oklahoma State ended a 21-game skid against FBS opponents.
The victory was also the first for Cowboys coach Eric Morris since he took over the program, following a successful stint at North Texas where he also coached Mestemaker.
What's next
Oklahoma State, now 1-1, will host Murray State next Saturday. Oregon, also 1-1, will welcome Portland State to Eugene.
