Last September, Tulsa silenced the town of Stillwater, OK on a Friday night. The Golden Hurricane snapped a 10-game losing streak to Oklahoma State that dated back to the 90s. And they restructured Oklahoma State’s program in the process.
Head coach Mike Gundy was fired in the midst of his 20th season, and Oklahoma State started with the freshest slate anyone has started with in college football history. The Cowboys fulfilled Gundy’s vacancy with Eric Morris, who positioned North Texas one win away
from the College Football Playoff last season. They brought in the No. 1 passer, the No. 5 rusher, and No. 3 receiver from Morris’ offense which led the country in points per game. They set an FBS-record with 91 newcomers on the roster.
At the time of kickoff, Oklahoma State owned the longest losing streak in college football with 11 consecutive defeats. It hadn’t defeated an FBS opponent since handling Tulsa in a 2024 matchup at Chapman Stadium.
Saturday afternoon was supposed to be Oklahoma State’s rebirth. Instead, Tulsa simply doubled down.
The Golden Hurricane embraced their homefield advantage and stunned the rebuilt Cowboys, 24-10, in wire-to-wire fashion. Tulsa defeated Oklahoma State in consecutive years for the first time since 1951-52 after spending the past 50 years as the Cowboys’ punching bag. Despite all the offensive transfer portal talent Oklahoma State added to its roster, Tulsa held the Cowboys to a lower scoring output in this year’s matchup than it did in last year’s.
The upset was defined by Tulsa’s defense which commandingly won the turnover battle, 4-0. But the Golden Hurricane didn’t just rely on turnovers as a crutch — they recorded stops in other ways too.
Tulsa set the tone for the rest of the game on Oklahoma State’s opening possession. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker, who led the FBS in passing last season, quickly guided the Cowboys down the field. But upon reaching 4th and 1 from the 3-yard line, he handed the ball to Caleb Hawkins, who was promptly stuffed by Tulsa linebacker Chris Thompson Jr. Thompson produced a game-high 10 tackles in his first action since 2024 after missing all of last season due to injury.
The first half was a defensive war of attrition, but Tulsa finally hit paydirt in the waning seconds of the second quarter. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Baylor Hayes, who guided the Golden Hurricane’s 2025 win over Oklahoma State, connected with Tulane transfer receiver Jimmy Calloway on a 47-yarder to position his team on the doorstep of the end zone. Damari Alston then punched it in to hand Tulsa a 10-3 halftime lead.
Tulsa squandered an opportunity to extend the lead with a missed field goal in the early third quarter, but the defense ensured there would be more chances to create separation against the Big 12 opponent. In the middle of the frame, Hayes dumped off a pass to Oran Singleton Jr., and the former Eastern Michigan and West Virginia receiver avoided a tackle and sprinted down the sideline for a touchdown to go up 17-3.
That was the wake-up call Oklahoma State’s offense needed, but Tulsa’s defense didn’t make it easy. Mestemaker guided a 75-yard drive in 11 plays, firing his only touchdown strike of the day to Justin Bowick with 1:52 remaining in the third quarter.
The Cowboys then had two fourth quarter opportunities, trailing by seven, to bring home the tying score. However, the first possession was short-lived and ended in a punt. On the second opportunity, Tulsa stifled wide receiver Miles Coleman at the line of scrimamge on a 4th and 1, leading to a turnover on downs. Fourth downs were a recurring struggle for Morris’ team, which converted 2-of-6 attempts Saturday.
Tulsa put in two daggers — one on offense and another on defense — to secure the upset bid. Offensively, Alston posted his second rushing touchdown of the day, reading Oklahoma State’s defense before cutting left on a clean path to the end zone. On the other side of the field, Tulsa veteran safety Zach Williams made the defining play of the afternoon. Mestemaker delivered a bullet to the end zone, but right before it hit his target, Williams jumped the route, making a leaping grab and keeping one foot inbounds.
Mestemaker only threw for 241 yards in his North Texas debut, and he snapped his personal 5-game streak of multiple touchdown passes. Meanwhile, Hawkins, who led the FBS in rushing touchdowns last year, was held entirely out of the end zone in a 78-yard rushing performance.
Tulsa had its own struggles, finishing 1-of-11 on third down without a successful conversion until the late fourth quarter. The Golden Hurricane also committed 11 penalties, including several pass interference calls which extended Oklahoma State possessions. But Tulsa overcame these flaws because the defense controlled the line of scrimmage and never allowed the Cowboys to establish offensive rhythm.
After spoiling Morris’ debut, the Golden Hurricane now claim consecutive wins over Oklahoma State for the first time in roughly three-quarters of a century. Tulsa improves to 4-1 in non-conference contests under Tre Lamb and looks to carry the momentum into a road matchup at Sam Houston in Week 2.
