For the first three quarters of the game on Saturday, it appeared the Tulsa Golden Hurricane were on their way to a big upset win over Oklahoma State, however, the Cowboys’ offense finally came alive in the fourth quarter, and OSU turned in a 28-23, come from behind win at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater.
“Tough game,” said Tulsa head coach Philip Montgomery. “I thought we battled extremely hard. I’m very proud of the effort that our guys played with. Last couple of years, this [game] has come down to the wire every time. We definitely had our opportunities, a couple calls or plays go our way and I think we come out of here with a win.”
The Golden Hurricane got on the scoreboard first in this game, as linebacker Justin Wright intercepted a pass and ran it 55-yards into the end zone, with 4:05 remaining in the second quarter. It was Wright’s second interception of his career and his first pick-six.
The two teams were tied 7-7, at halftime, before Tulsa went ahead 14-7 in the third quarter.
Tulsa took the lead again, 17-14, with 10:56 left in the fourth quarter. On the ensuing kickoff, L.D. Brown of the Cowboys returned the kick 98 yards for a touchdown, putting OSU up 21-17.
“Before we got out into the huddle, Coach Watts had drawn it up,” Brown said after the game. “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.”
OSU then extended its lead to 28-17 when Jaylen Warren carried the ball 11 yards for a touchdown with 4:59 remaining in the game.
Tulsa answered with a four-yard touchdown run by Anthony Watkins with 3:06 remaining. The two-point extra point pass attempt failed, and the score stood at 28-23.
Montgomery he wasn’t happy with the slow start, but thought his team played better in the second half.
“We’ve got to start better than what we did, but it’s a defensive battle,” Montgomery said. “There were two really good defenses going after each other. I thought in the second half, offensively we went out and established some things and got some things going and obviously it helped us. But we’ve got to come out and play the first half like we did the second.”
Oklahoma State’s defense limited the Golden Hurricane offense to four third-down conversions on 13 attempts.
Tulsa gained 347 total yards in the game, while OSU compiled 313 total yards.
“There was really good defensive football played today,” said OSU coach Mike Gundy. “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.”
The Golden Hurricane fell to 0-2 on the season, as OSU improved to 2-0. Oklahoma State leads the all-time series 43-27-5 and 27-5-3 in Stillwater. OSU plays its first road game of the season on Saturday at Boise State.
TU VISITS ANOTHER OSU
Tulsa will be back on the road again this Saturday, as the Golden Hurricane visit Ohio State, in Columbus, Ohio. Game time is set for 2:30 p.m. (CT) and will be broadcast on FS1.
The Buckeyes (1-1) were upset last week by Oregon (2-0), 35-28, but that isn’t enough for me to think Tulsa will beat Ohio State. In fact, ESPN’s Football Power Index predicts that Ohio State has a 97.7% chance of winning the game, to Tulsa’s 2.3%.
One player to watch is Buckeyes’ quarterback C.J. Stroud who completed 35-of-54 passes for 484 yard and three touchdowns, in the loss to Oregon. Ohio State receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught seven passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s game.
The last, and only, time Tulsa played Ohio State was Sept. 10, 2016, and Ohio State won, 48-3.