Dominic Richardson ran for 146 yards and Baylor Hayes passed for 219 yards and a touchdown as Tulsa dominated the first half and then held on for a 19-12 win over reeling Oklahoma State on Friday in Stillwater, Okla., in the 77th rendition of the Turnpike Classic.
The Golden Hurricane (2-2) also got four field goals from Seth Morgan while snapping a two-game losing streak. Tulsa earned its first win in Stillwater since 1951 (a drought covering 23 games) and was its first against the Cowboys since 1998, ending a 10-game series skid.
The Cowboys (1-2) trailed 19-3 early in the third quarter but clawed to within seven points on Logan Ward’s 49-yard field goal with 5:49 left. Oklahoma State got the ball back at its own 32-yard line with 26 seconds to play and no time outs but could not produce the needed magic.
Zane Flores passed for 214 yards while Rodney Fields Jr. rushed for 113 yards on 17 carries for Oklahoma State, which came into the game after a 69-3 loss at Oregon and then a bye week.
The Cowboys scored on the game’s opening possession, moving 57 yards in nine plays to a 35-yard field goal from Ward and a 3-0 lead.
Tulsa responded on its first possession, with Hayes connecting with Brayden Presley for a 19-yard touchdown pass to put the Golden Hurricane up 7-3. The visitors added a 27-yard field goal by Morgan with 2:44 to play in the first quarter to culminate their second possession and go ahead by seven points.
Morgan hit two more field goals in the second quarter, from 38 yards at the midway points of the quarter and then from 47 with 2:32 to play until halftime, as Tulsa expanded its advantage to 16-7.
The Golden Hurricane dominated the first half, outgaining Oklahoma State 266-117 with the majority of the advantage coming from outpassing the Cowboys 182-45.
Morgan botted another 47-yard field goal to cap a 10-play, 46-yard drive on Tulsa’s first possession of the third quarter, pushing the lead to 19-3.
Flores culled the Cowboys’ deficit to 19-9 when he punctuated a 65-yard, seven-play march with a 5-yard scoring run with 14:14 to play in the game. A two-point conversion pass failed, leaving the margin at 10 points.
–Field Level Media
