Oklahoma State Suffers Largest Loss of Mike Gundy Era at No. 6 Oregon

Oklahoma State picked up where it left off last season, and that’s not a good thing.

On Saturday, OSU lost 69-3 to No. 6 Oregon at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. With a 66-point margin of victory for the Ducks, OSU suffered its largest loss in the Mike Gundy era, outdoing the Cowboys’ 52-0 loss at Colorado in the season finale in 2024. 

After entering the fourth quarter trailing 69-3, OSU was in real danger of suffering its worst loss in program history. However, the Cowboys’ 75-0 loss to Oklahoma in 1904 still stands as the largest margin of defeat.

Although it typically isn’t the case, the first two minutes of this matchup told the entire story for the Cowboys and Ducks. Oregon’s Noah Whittington broke through up the middle for a 59-yard touchdown 40 seconds into the game, giving his team a lead it would hold for the rest of the afternoon.

The Ducks followed that by forcing a three-and-out before the Cowboys allowed Dante Moore to find Dakorien Moore for a 65-yard touchdown, giving their team a two-touchdown advantage 96 seconds into the matchup.

Coming into this game, Zane Flores’ first collegiate start was the biggest storyline after OSU’s starter in the season opener, Hauss Hejny, suffered a broken foot against UT Martin. Flores struggled against one of the most intimidating defenses in college football, completing seven of his 19 passes for 67 yards, also throwing two pick sixes.

With Flores’ struggles, the Cowboys didn’t have many bright spots throughout the day, but Trent Howland had some solid carries for the Pokes. Running hard and trying to help the Cowboys make something happen while the game was still in reach, the second-year OSU running back finished with six carries for 31 yards after not seeing the field in the season opener.

OSU’s lone score came early in the second quarter, with Logan Ward knocking through a 23-yard field goal to make it 20-3 before the game got even further out of reach. 

While Oregon’s hot start on offense stole the spotlight early and might have led to any neutral fans turning the game off in the opening minutes, those two scores were simply a sign of things to come. The Ducks scored six touchdowns in the first half compared to OSU’s offense only picking up five first downs.

After allowing only 225 yards against UT Martin last week, Todd Grantham’s defense looked much worse against Oregon. In the first quarter alone, the Ducks had racked up 254 yards against the Cowboys’ lackluster defense, eventually finishing the game with 631 yards.

Mercifully, the Cowboys won’t have to play again for 13 days, with a bye week before hosting Tulsa on Sept. 19.