Instant Recap: OSU Overcomes Halftime Deficit to Top Tulsa 40-21

Oklahoma State overcame a surprising halftime deficit to earn a 40-21 victory on the road over Tulsa. It wasn’t always pretty, but chunk plays and timely stops ultimately pushed the Cowboys to 3-0.

What began like a runaway for the Cowboys turned into a dog fight. Oklahoma State showed its propensity for big, highlight plays and its knack for playing down to its competition.

On the first play from scrimmage, Chuba Hubbard collected a handoff and scored. I’m not good at math but a 10-second, 75-yard dash, in pads and through a defense, seems fast.

The majority of the opening quarter followed suit. Hubbard added another score on a 30-yard run and the Cowboys’ third drive ended with a made field goal. 17-0.

But then something happened. Other than a couple of chunk plays in the first half, the Cowboys offense looked pedestrian against Tulsa, and its defense resembled a sieve allowing a 21-3 run by the home team to put the Golden Hurricane up 21-20 at the half.

OSU’s defense rebounded big at halftime and didn’t allow another point.

Coming out of the half, Jim Knowles’ defense got a crucial and quick stop, forcing a quick three-and-out thanks to Trace Ford’s big pass breakup on third-and-long.

It took the Cowboys offense a couple of tries to get the memo, but the comeback was on after it scored back-to-back TD drives in the third quarter.

The cushion was enough to allow for the win and a 3-0 start for Oklahoma State heading into conference play.

Let’s take a look at OSU’s leaders.

• Chuba Hubbard was limited to just eight carries during the Cowboys’ win over McNeese a week ago. Less than four minutes into Saturday’s game, he had six carries for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Chuba finished with 32 carries for a career-high 256 yards and three scores.

• Spencer Sanders finished with 169 passing yards, one TD and one INT while completing just 54.5 percent of his attempts, but he was able to kickstart the offense when needed with big gains on the ground including a 27-yard score.

• Tylan Wallace totaled 118 yards and a touchdown on five catches. This has not been adjusted for the four pass interference penalties flagged against his defender.

• Malcom Rodriguez led the way with 11 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a QB hurry. Kolby Harvell-Peel made plays from end to end with 10 total tackles and a pass breakup and a crucial late sack to keep the Gold Hurricane at bay.

The Cowboys begins conference play at 6 p.m. next Saturday against Texas, when they’ll try to extend their historic five-game winning streak in Austin.