Under the bright lights of ESPN’s national stage, Tre Lamb stood on the T. Boone Pickens Stadium sideline soaking in a moment that was almost too big to process. His Tulsa Golden Hurricane had just stunned Oklahoma State 19 to 12, a result that shifted the balance of a rivalry long dominated by the Cowboys.
“I can’t tell you how big this is for us in this state being the little brother,” Lamb said. “This is a huge win for our program. It’s a statement win for me, our staff, and our administration. I told the team Tulsa’s back.”
Tulsa’s rise under Lamb has been nothing short of dramatic. Hired in December 2024, the 36 year old coach inherited a program still searching for consistency. The Golden Hurricane opened this season with flashes of promise, but execution failures left them with more questions than answers. On Saturday night, those questions were replaced by a defining statement.
Tre Lamb throwing 98 on the black in the postgame pic.twitter.com/GXumwnaqxV
— Cayden McFarland (@caydenmc) September 20, 2025
The hero was running back Dominic Richardson, a former Cowboy who once sat in Mike Gundy’s office and was told he was not quite good enough for Oklahoma State. On this night, he responded with 31 bruising carries for 149 yards, punishing his old team at every turn.
“Well, they told him he wasn’t good enough to play here,” Lamb said. “So, he had a chip on his shoulder all week…the guy’s a dog. He’s our best player and we gave him the ball tonight.”
Freshman quarterback Baylor Hayes showcased poise with 219 passing yards, while tight end Brody Foley emerged as an unlikely difference maker in the passing game. The Golden Hurricane outgained OSU 424 to 403, ran 80 plays to the Cowboys’ 75, and controlled the line of scrimmage when it mattered most.
Defensively, Tulsa forced Oklahoma State to chase the game all night. The Cowboys managed just three points through three quarters and failed to hit a single deep ball until the final minutes. “We wanted to stop the run and make the quarterback beat us,” Lamb explained. “I thought our guys responded every single time.”
For a program often overshadowed in its own backyard, Saturday’s win was more than just an upset. It was validation. “It eliminates doubt,” Lamb said. “There’s a lot of really good sunshines and mornings for Tulsa football in our future. It validates everything! Practice, the weight room, the people we hired. It just validates that this program can get it done.”
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