Not Enough, Tulsa Falls Short at OSU, 28-23

Saturday, September 11

Stillwater, Okla.

11:00 am

Tulsa

0-2 , 0-0

Oklahoma State

2-0 , 0-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Tulsa

Oklahoma St.

Justin Wright crosses the goal line after his 55-yard pick-six late in the first half.

Photo by: BRETT ROJO/For the University of

Not Enough, Tulsa Falls Short at OSU, 28-23

9/11/2021 4:28:00 PM | Football

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GAME BOOK I POST-GAME NOTES I PHOTO GALLERY I SEASON STATS

STILLWATER, Okla. –– Tulsa made it a five-point game with three minutes remaining in the contest but fell 28-23 to the Oklahoma State Cowboys Saturday afternoon in the Bank of Oklahoma Turnpike Classic.

Tulsa held the Cowboys to just seven points in the first 45 minutes, but the home team scored 21 in the fourth quarter to claim its ninth straight series win in front of 52,127 fans at Boone Pickens Stadium.

Tulsa fell to 0-2 on the season, while OSU improved to 2-0.

The Hurricane took a 17-14 lead at the 10:56 mark on the game clock, but OSU returned the kickoff 98 yards to take a four-point lead, 21-17. The Cowboys added another score for an 11-point lead before the Hurricane cut the deficit to single digits with a 75-yard, seven-play drive with just over three minutes to play.

It was a game expected to be dominated by the defense and that's exactly what happened for the first 40 minutes Saturday afternoon. After totaling just 224 yards and 14 points between them in the first 30 minutes, the two teams combined for 37 points and 395 yards in the second half.

For the second straight week the Tulsa offense out-gained its opponent as the Hurricane put up 347 yards to OSU's 313. Davis Brin completed 19-of-27 passes for 224 yards, while rushing for a team-high 37 yards. JuanCarlos Santana caught four passes for 61 yards and Sam Crawford Jr. was next with three receptions for 57 yards.

Defensively, the Hurricane totaled nine TFL for the second straight week, this time going for 32 lost yards, and provided six points for the cause with a pick-six by linebacker Justin Wright.

In the third period, Tulsa took a 14-7 lead at the 5:37 mark on a drive that covered 80 yards in seven plays and taking 5:37 off the clock. After a 40-yard Brin pass to Crawford down the Tulsa sideline put the Hurricane at the OSU 18-yard line, Deneric Prince got the call on four straight plays and ran 2, 9, 4 and the final 3 yards for the score.

The Cowboys responded on the subsequent possession by going 76 yards in 13 plays and culminating the drive with a 16-yard scoring pass from Spencer Sanders to Bryson Green to tie the score at 14.

The Hurricane marched to the OSU two-yard line but had to settle for a 20-yard Zack Long field goal for a 17-14 lead with 10:56 remaining in the contest, but that's when LD Brown took the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for a 21-17 lead.

It took almost the entire first half for one of the teams to punch it past the goal line as the Cowboys put seven points on the board when Sanders hit Jayden Bray on a 26-yard strike with 4:05 remaining before halftime. Tulsa's defense knotted the score 7-7 when Wright intercepted a pass at the Tulsa 45-yard line and raced 55 yards for his first career touchdown on his second career interception.

In the first quarter, Tulsa had two possession and gained just 40 yards on 15 plays, while the Cowboys managed 34 yards on 15 plays on their three possessions. At halftime, OSU had a 135 to 89-yard edge in total offense, but Tulsa had the advantage of over three minutes in possession time.

Tulsa will be back on the road but will travel more then today's 75-mile trip when the Hurricane plays at Ohio State next Saturday, Sept. 18. Game time is set for 2:30 p.m. (CT) and will be aired on FS1.