The Tulsa Golden Hurricane (2-2) stormed into Boone Pickens Stadium on Friday night and snapped decades of frustration with a gritty 19-12 win over Oklahoma State (1-2). It marked TU’s first win over the Cowboys since 1998 and its first in Stillwater since 1951.
“I can’t tell you how big this is for us in this state, being the little brother,” Tulsa coach Tre Lamb said, his voice still buzzing with excitement after the upset.
For OSU, it was another bitter setback in a spiral of losses. The Cowboys have now dropped 10 straight games against FBS opponents, a streak that began after throttling TU 45-10 last season. Much of the goodwill built by Mike Gundy’s 20-year run, with 170 wins and 12 bowl victories, is being overshadowed by this slump as the home crowd chanted “Fire Gundy” in the first quarter.
But Friday belonged to Tulsa.
Richardson runs wild
Behind backup quarterback Baylor Hayes, TU leaned heavily on former OSU running back Dominic Richardson, who punished his old team with a career-high 31 carries for 146 yards. Held to just 2.8 yards per carry in the first half, Richardson found his rhythm late, breaking several big runs that chewed clock and kept OSU at arm’s length.
“I had to keep pushing. I wasn’t going to stop tonight,” Richardson said.
Hayes, making his second start for the injured Kirk Francis, was efficient and steady. He went 23-of-36 for 219 yards and a touchdown, while also adding 23 rushing yards, including a critical 15-yard scramble in the fourth quarter to burn valuable time.
Defense delivers
Tulsa’s defense matched the intensity. With TU leading 19-3 midway through the third, Richardson fumbled as he tried to hurdle a Cowboy tackler. OSU pounced on the mistake and drove to the TU 5-yard line. But when Cowboys running back Rodney Fields tried to punch in a fourth-and-2 run, linebacker Ray Coney and lineman Hudson Ball stuffed him for a loss — a thunderous stand that sent shockwaves through the stadium.
OSU did claw closer when quarterback Zane Flores scrambled in for a 5-yard touchdown with 14:14 to play, cutting the deficit to 19-9. But that was as close as the Cowboys would get.
Tulsa’s defense rose again with 2:16 left, halting the Cowboys on fourth-and-5 at the OSU 39 to effectively seal the victory. Flores threw for 218 yards.
Gundy on the hot seat?
The loss piles more pressure on Gundy, OSU’s all-time winningest coach. Asked about his future, he deflected.
“But those aren’t decisions that I make,” Gundy said. “My decision is to do exactly what I mentioned earlier — get these guys, keep moving forward, and go down the road.
That’s what we do.”
Still, the night belonged to Tulsa, a program that hadn’t tasted Stillwater success in 74 years.
For one September evening, the “little brother” grew up and delivered a giant-sized punch to its in-state rival.
Team stats
• Total yards: Tulsa 424, OSU 403
• Passing yards: Tulsa 219, OSU 218
• Rushing yards: Tulsa 205, OSU 185
• Yards per play: Tulsa 5.4, OSU 5.4
• First downs: Tulsa 21, OSU 24
• 3rd down efficiency: Tulsa 7/19, OSU 4/15
• 4th down efficiency: Tulsa 3/3, OSU 1/4
• Total plays: Tulsa 79, OSU 75
• Punts: Tulsa 4, OSU 5
• Penalties (yards): Tulsa 4 (34), OSU 3 (30)
• Fumbles lost: Tulsa 1, OSU 0
• Interceptions thrown: Tulsa 0, OSU 0
• Time of possession: Tulsa 34:45, OSU 25:15
