Oklahoma State vs. Tulsa football: Five takeaways from Cowboys' 28-23 win vs. Golden Hurricane

STILLWATER — Winning can make bad things seem farther away.

Three ugly quarters of offense were forgotten with three fourth-quarter touchdowns as Oklahoma State came from behind for a 28-23 victory over Tulsa on Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium.

The OSU run game was mediocre for much of the game, but quarterback Spencer Sanders broke free for a 37-yard gain to set up a 7-yard touchdown run by Jaylen Warren in which he bounced off and away from tacklers in weaving his way to the end zone. 

Sanders sealed the game with another run after Tulsa failed on an onside kick. Sanders’ 9-yard run on third-and-8 let the Cowboys milk the rest of the time off the clock and move to 2-0 on the season. 

Here are four more takeaways from Saturday’s Cowboy victory:

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LD Brown’s big TD

When the kickoff bounced short of return man LD Brown, Oklahoma State fans might’ve been having flashbacks to last week’s muffed kickoff that set up Missouri State for a final chance at a tying touchdown. 

But this one bounced into Brown’s arms at the 2-yard line, and he veered hard to his left looking for the crease in the middle of the field. He found it and went 98 yards — with a crucial late block from special teams wizard Kanion Williams — for a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. 

It was the seventh-longest kickoff return touchdown in OSU history and the first on a deep kickoff since Tyreek Hill went 99 yards against Kansas in 2014. Jason Taylor II had a 48-yard kickoff return on an onside kick last year.

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Young receivers find end zone

A pair of true freshman receivers, Jaden Bray and Bryson Green, scored the first touchdowns of their young careers on Saturday. 

Bray got OSU on the board in the second quarter when he caught a pass, spun out of a tackle, kept his knee off the ground and ran in for the score.

Green’s TD was equally dramatic. He pulled in a pass from Spencer Sanders as Green fell to the turf out of bounds. After a long replay review, it was ruled that he had a foot down inbounds for the score.

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OSU defense strong again

The offensive struggles made for a long day for the defense, keeping them on the field for long stretches of the game. 

In all, Tulsa finished with 347 yards on 66 plays. Tulsa threw for 224 yards and rushed for 123.

OSU held up its strong third-down defense as well, holding Tulsa to four conversions on 13 tries.

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Malcolm Rodriguez leads the way again

The question of who is OSU’s most impactful defensive player might have already been answered after two games. 

Not surprisingly, linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez had 13 tackles on Saturday, following up a 15-tackle performance a week ago.

Rodriguez continues to be solid in the middle of the field, while also chasing down plays on the edges. Of his 13 tackles, eight were solo stops.

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