STILLWATER – Tulsa made Oklahoma State sweat for more most of the game in Stillwater but in the last few minutes, the Cowboys held on for a hard-earned 28-23 victory.

OSU (2-0) managed only seven points in the first three quarters but a 21-point run in the fourth quarter sealed the deal. Tulsa (0-2) and OSU were tied, 7-7, at the half.

“There was really good defensive football played today,” OSU coach Mike Gundy said. “I was proud of our defense for continuing to put us in a great situation and were good on third downs again. They continue to play well as we try to grow up on offense and get some young players developed to work through a few things.

“We need to come together as coaches and make a decision on who we are offensively right now with our personnel and what direction to go to give us the best chance to score more points.”

OSU travels to Boise, Idaho, Saturday to face Boise State. Boise State beat UTEP 54-13 last week.

Kickoff is at 8 p.m. on Fox Sports. The Cowboys were 44-21 winners over the Broncos when the teams met in 2018.

This is the first year for Boise State coach Andy Avalos. Boise State opened the season with a narrow 31-36 loss at Central Florida in Orlando.

Tulsa will play at Ohio State at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday on FSI.  Previously unbeaten Ohio State (1-1) fell to Oregon 28-35 Saturday in Columbus

Cowboy quarterback Spencer Sanders was back in the lineup after missing the opening game against Missouri State last week. Sanders had 173 passing yards on 15-of-26 passing to go with two touchdowns and an interception. He threw touchdown passes to Jaden Bray and Bryson Green.

“I think everyone in this building will tell me I played good, but I have to be honest with myself and play better” Sanders said. “I need to play better for this team and Coach Gundy. I can’t hang my head. We have four true freshmen out there and they did great. We had a couple of misses here and there.”

OSU running back L.D. Brown broke the game open with a 98-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter.

“It was right in front of me, so I had a good view of it,” Gundy said. “Kanion Williams blocked his guy for about 50 yards in space, which was pretty impressive. He’s been a really good special teams player for us for a while. This changed the game and gave us a little bit of juice.”

Brown’s 98-yard kickoff return tied for the seventh-longest in school history and was the longest since Tyreek Hill returned one 99 yards for a score at Kansas in 2014.

“Like I’ve been telling everyone, shout out to Kanion Williams,” said Brown. “Before we got out into the huddle, Coach Watts had drawn it up. I saw the crease and I hit it. I was blocked by everyone doing their jobs and their one-on-one and I took it home.”

What were his thoughts when he saw daylight and the endzone?

“Don’t miss it,” Brown said. “Just take what they give you and see where the ball is going to land. I knew I had to get to the left side of the field very fast and I saw it was open. I saw the holes and I hit them.

“After that everyone got their block. Like Tyler (Lacy) said, I wouldn’t have heard the end of it if I got blocked by the kicker. We scored, for the first time since 2014 since Tyreek Hill, it’s an honor to be in the conversation with him as well. I’m hoping we can keep it going.”

OSU has won nine straight games in the series with Tulsa, including Saturday’s victory. OSU leads the all-time series, 44-27-5, including a 28-6-3 edge in Stillwater. Gundy has a 6-0 record against Tulsa, while TU coach Philip Montgomery is 0-4 against the Cowboys.

The schools reached an eight-year scheduling agreement in May of 2019. The two teams, separated by just 72 miles, will meet annually from 2024 until 2031, with Tulsa hosting at H.A. Chapman Stadium in even years and OSU hosting in Boone Pickens Stadium in odd years.