Tre Lamb delivered a confident assertion in his first conference media as head coach of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane — “There’s no reason we can’t compete with the Oklahoma States of the world and the Kansas States of the world.”
Given the disparity of Tulsa’s recent track record compared to that of Oklahoma State or Kansas State over the past decade and counting, Lamb certainly raised eyebrows. The comment primarily was in regard to recruiting, but it already came to fruition on the gridiron. After
10 consecutive losses spanning from 1999 to 2024, Tulsa finally slayed the dragon and knocked off Oklahoma State, 19-12. A silent crowd decked in black stood in silence as Lamb and his team assembled of scrappy newcomers finally won a matchup which was seen as a scheduled loss for the past two decades and change.
“We’re tired of being little brother,” Lamb said live in his ESPN postgame interview. “Tulsa football is back. We’re not gonna be on the third page of the paper anymore.”
While the final score featured a seven-point difference between the in-state opponents, Tulsa was in full control from the start. Although Oklahoma State notched a field goal on its opening drive, the Golden Hurricane one-upped them with an early touchdown. Backup quarterback Baylor Hayes, — starting his second-straight game for the injured Kirk Francis (went in concussion protocol Week 2) — guided Tulsa right down the field, finishing with a 19-yard touchdown pass to former Oklahoma State commit Braylin Presley.
Friday night was cathartic for a pair of former Oklahoma State running backs, now suiting up in Tulsa colors. Presley scored the team’s lone touchdown on the night and generated 66 yards from scrimmage, while Dominic Richardson served as a focal point of the offense with 146 rushing yards on his former team.
“He played with a chip on his shoulder tonight,” Lamb said of Richardson. “He was a werewolf all week. He had a look in his eye. He sat in Coach Gundy’s office and they said he wasn’t quite good enough to play there. He had something to prove tonight. He had that look in his eye all week, and I’m proud of the way he played tonight.”
Thanks to the ex-Cowboys moving the chains, Tulsa invaded Oklahoma State territory enough to expand its lead to as great as 19-3. Kicker Seth Morgan sunk four consecutive made field goals from 27, 38, 47, and 47 yards out. By the time the last field goal in the one-man scoring run split the uprights, 11:14 remained in the third quarter and Oklahoma State needed a pair of touchdowns and two-point conversions to simply tie.
“Knowing how big of a game and rivalry this is, we knew we had to execute and execute every detail,” Presley said. “We practiced really well, took care of our bodies, watched a lot of film. It felt good to get this one, especially at the home of OSU.”
Oklahoma State struggled to crawl out of its own territory in the first half, but in the third quarter, the Cowboys’ offense led by backup quarterback Zane Flores (starting his second game for the injured Hauss Hejny) gained rhythm. The Pokes entered Tulsa territory on consecutive possessions, but the Golden Hurricane delayed their comeback effort thanks to a pair of critical fourth down stops. Inside linebacker Ray Coney stopped Flores in his track five yards short of the sticks on one scramble. Then on the ensuing drive, Oklahoma State’s 4th and 2 handoff to Rodney Fields Jr. at the 5-yard line was stuffed again by Coney — who produced 13 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss as the top defender on the field.
“Attack the offense line — we felt like that was their weak point in their offense,” Coney said on the strategy.“Their starting quarterback got hurt and we knew if we came with it, played fast and played how we knew how to play, we were gonna get stops. We had to get stops. We were leaving OSU without a ‘dub,’ and we left with a ‘dub.’”
Mike Gundy’s team finally generated life at the commencement of the fourth quarter. Flores punched in a QB keeper to produce the Cowboys’ first touchdown against an FBS opponent since Nov. 23, 2024, concluding an 11-quarter drought. However, an interception on the two-point try gave Tulsa the cushion of a 10-point lead. Oklahoma State bit into the deficit with a 49-yard field goal and even received two shots at the tie, down seven. Tulsa’s pass defense reigned supreme on both opportunities, blowing up the Cowboys’ last-second lateral play 10 yards short of the end zone.
“We needed to win one of those like that,” Lamb said. “This team has lost close games, obviously the first three weeks we lost two of them. The last two years all these guys felt was losing around the program and it’s hard to overcome that. Moments like tonight make our guys feel like it’s possible. We’ve got to springboard this not only this year but our program moving forward. We beat a Big 12 football team. We took it to them. It wasn’t a fluke. It wasn’t a turnover disaster. It was 424 yards to 403, 80 plays to 75. We beat them straight-up.”
Oklahoma State (1-2, 0-0 Big 12) is 1-2 through three contests for the first time since 2007. The Cowboys have dropped 11 consecutive games to FBS opponents with a Week 3 win over Tulsa in 2024 serving as their last victory. However, their 10-game win streak against the Golden Hurricane is finally over after 27 years. Tulsa (2-2, 0-1 American) picks up a signature win under its first-year coach, marking the program’s first triumph over Big 12 competition since the 2012 Liberty Bowl.
“It’s hard to put into words what tonight means to me and us and the last nine months we’ve had,” Lamb said. “I know we caught them at a bad time and they’re struggling right now, but it’s all about us right now. That’s a huge win for us as a program. That’s a statement win for me and our staff and our administration. I told the team ‘new Tulsa’ is back. I can’t tell you how big this is for us in this state being the little brother.”
