TULSA - Oklahoma State’s 11-game season-opening winning streak was already a point of pride. By Saturday afternoon, it was gone, and the Eric Morris era in Stillwater opened with a 24-10 loss to Tulsa at H.A. Chapman Stadium.
The Golden Hurricane didn’t just snap the streak. They added another line to the series record, beating OSU in consecutive games for the first time since 1950-52, when Tulsa did it three straight times.
The Cowboys had a chance to keep things from getting away from them, but the details kept turning against them. One of the biggest blows came early with left tackle Jacob Sexton, who managed only six snaps in his 2026 return after missing 12 games last year at OU with a season-ending injury. Sexton went down after being undercut by a blocked Tulsa defender, stayed on the turf for five minutes while receiving medical attention, and was carted off with an air cast on his right leg.
His absence showed up quickly. Later in that same drive, on fourth-and-1 from the Tulsa 3-yard line, Caleb Hawkins tried the left side and was stuffed. On OSU’s second possession, Tulsa brought a blitz from the left on third-and-12, the Cowboys failed to sort out protection, and Drew Mestemaker was dropped for an 8-yard loss to end the drive.
Offensively, Oklahoma State never produced the kind of chunk plays that usually change a game like this. Tulsa did. The Golden Hurricane hit explosives of 56 and 47 yards in the first half, while OSU’s longest play all day was a 27-yard pass to Wyatt Young in the fourth quarter.
The first big strike came when Tulsa receiver Oran Singleton got behind junior cornerback Kollin Lewis down the right sideline and hauled in an over-the-shoulder pass for 56 yards. Later, Baylor Hayes stood tall in the pocket and lofted a jump ball to Jimmy Calloway, who outmuscled LaDainian Fields at the OSU 1-yard line for a 47-yard gain that set up a touchdown.
OSU also spent much of the first half trying to manage Caleb Hawkins and Tre Page III in tandem. Hawkins, a 6-foot, 219-pound back, was the more productive runner, but Morris mixed in Page III - the Tarleton State transfer listed at 5-foot-8 and 184 pounds - even in short-yardage situations. Hawkins had 10 carries for 54 yards in the first half, while Page III ran seven times for 19.
That rotation came with mixed results near the goal line. On the Cowboys’ first drive, OSU reached inside the Tulsa 10, then called two Page III runs that gained 7 yards and then no yards, and the possession ended without points.
Later, Page III coughed up a fumble on a fourth-and-1 from OSU’s own 32 to end another drive. In the third quarter, senior Ayo Adeyi got his first carry and also failed to convert on fourth-and-1.
By halftime, Morris had already begun shifting more of the load to Hawkins, and that continued after the break. Hawkins finished with 18 carries for 79 yards, while Page III did not run the ball in the second half.
Even with Tulsa pushing the lead to 17-3 midway through the third quarter, the game never felt completely out of reach for Oklahoma State. That was partly because Tulsa left points on the field.
Two Cowboys fumbles - one by Page III and one by Mestemaker - gave the Golden Hurricane the ball on the wrong side of midfield, but each time the OSU defense forced Marlon Hauck into a field goal try. Hauck missed from 31 yards in the second quarter and from 40 yards in the third, both kicks sailing wide right into the Case Athletic Complex that overlooks the field.
Fourth down was another sore spot. Morris had built a strong reputation in that area last season at North Texas, where his offense converted 62.2% of its fourth-down tries.
OSU opened Saturday with a successful fourth-and-1 when Hawkins powered ahead for 3 yards, but things unraveled after that. The Cowboys failed on a fourth-and-1 with Hawkins stuffed for no gain, then lost the ball on Page III’s fumble on another fourth-and-1, then came up short again when Adeyi was stopped for no gain, and later got a zero-yard reception from Miles Coleman on fourth-and-1 in the fourth quarter.
Tulsa, meanwhile, finished one of its biggest fourth-down moments. Late in the third quarter, on a fourth-and-7, Mestemaker found Justin Bowick for a touchdown to keep the Golden Hurricane in control.
In Other News...
Oklahoma State's Week 1 Decisions Already Put Roster Spots Under Pressure
Oklahoma States first week of the season already came with roster pressure beyond the usual depth chart churn. Head coach Eric Morris said only 76 or 77 players would make the trip for the Tulsa game, a reminder that even before the schedule tightens, there are real decisions to be made about who is dressed and who is left behind. He framed it as part of the challenge of managing a roster on game day, especially with the staff still sorting out where the best fit lies for the opening stretch.
The bigger squeeze is still ahead, with deeper cuts expected once the Cowboys get to the Big 12 opener against West Virginia. For the players on the fringe, that means the margin for error is small and the path to traveling could come down to the unglamorous stuff, the kind of work that keeps special teams functional and gives a coaching staff confidence in the last few bus spots. The detailed list of who actually suited up for Tulsa gives a useful snapshot, but it also hints at how quickly those decisions can change once conference play begins. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Has A Tulsa Problem Fans Can't Ignore
Tulsas trip to Stillwater turned into more than just an in-state measuring stick game for Oklahoma State. The Golden Hurricane controlled the night with Baylor Hayes throwing for 227 yards and a touchdown, while Tulsas defense kept the Cowboys off balance, forced four turnovers and made life difficult on fourth down. For a program trying to establish some traction in the series, it was the kind of performance that carried real weight beyond one September result.
The bigger sting for OSU is what the loss means in the long view. Tulsa has now beaten the Cowboys in consecutive meetings for the first time since the early 1950s, a small but unavoidable reminder that this rivalry has tilted the wrong way for the moment. And after the game, Tre Lamb sounded plenty comfortable with where his team stood, leaving Oklahoma State with the added frustration of wondering just how much worse the final margin might have looked. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Is Already Facing Heat After Eric Morris Debut
Eric Morriss first game as Oklahoma States head coach did not offer much of the clean reset the program hoped for. In a 24-10 loss to Tulsa in the opener, the Cowboys looked out of sync on offense, struggled to create big plays and got beaten in the areas that usually decide early-season games, all while trying to blend a roster that featured a record 91 new players.
The night also quickly turned into a test of depth and composure. Starting left tackle Jacob Sexton went down with a leg injury early, and Oklahoma State never found much rhythm afterward as the mistakes piled up and Tulsa kept hitting more timely gains. For a staff trying to establish a new identity, the concern now is not just the result, but how much fixing has to happen before the Cowboys can look like a team ready to compete in the Big 12. [Read more 🡒]