First-year Oklahoma State coach Eric Morris stepped outside with a Coors Banquet, overlooking Boone Pickens Stadium. An hour after his team shocked the college football world, "COWBOYS WIN" still flashed beneath a score nobody saw coming: Oklahoma State 39, No. 6 Oregon 31. The goalpost was tossed into Theta Pond after the program's first FBS win in two years.

"If you asked me when I took the job the first day if I'd take a loss to Tulsa and a win over Oregon at home, I might've done it," Morris said. The 40-year-old coach believed immediate success was possible. Then Oklahoma State flopped against Tulsa, a 24-10 road defeat. Cowboys quarterback Drew Mestemaker said Morris called it the most embarrassing offensive performance he'd ever been part of.

Morris questioned himself. "It's really easy to lead when you're having success," he said. "It's really hard when you're not." He simplified: "The only thing we're grading this week is how fast we play." The Monday meeting was unsparing. He called out stars Mestemaker and running back Caleb Hawkins. "They can get their butt chewed and come back," wide receiver Wyatt Young said.