Oklahoma State’s catastrophic two-year slide became even worse on Friday, as the Cowboys fell 19-12 to in-state foe Tulsa in Stillwater. Four days later, and one day after its coach said he wouldn’t leave, Oklahoma State chose to fire Mike Gundy.
It’s a stunning fall for both Gundy and the Cowboys (1-2), who played for the Big 12 championship two years ago. Oklahoma State went 0-9 in the league last season and has lost 11 straight games to FBS opponents. The Cowboys looked to Tulsa as their salve after getting humiliated at Oregon, but Oklahoma State generated next to nothing on offense.
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More than anything, that might have been Gundy’s biggest indictment. In his 21 years in Stillwater, the former Cowboy quarterback was an offensive-minded coach, sometimes letting his assistants take full charge of the defense. But the bottom dropped out for the offense near the end: his final three games against FBS opponents saw Oklahoma State score just 15 points.
Against Tulsa, it was more of the same. Oklahoma State piled up 407 yards, but turned the ball over on downs three times. The only reason the Cowboys even had a chance at the end was because Tulsa missed a 50-yard field goal in the final minute.
Oklahoma State announced that offensive coordinator Doug Meacham will serve as interim coach. His tenure will begin on Saturday when the Cowboys host Baylor.
Knights Humble Tar Heels
Bill Belichick’s disastrous time in college football continued in Orlando, as Central Florida scored on four of its first five possessions and buried North Carolina, 34-9.
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UCF (3-0) held North Carolina to a mere 217 yards of offense. Over a third of that came on the Tar Heels’ only touchdown drive, which took 19 plays and killed 8:40 of clock time. That only cut the Carolina deficit to 18 points with 16 minutes to play, nowhere near enough time.
Tayven Jackson threw for 223 yards and a score, with just seven incompletions. The Knights will travel to Kansas State on Saturday.
Red Raiders Pull Away From Utah
Texas Tech overcame two first-half turnovers with 24 fourth-quarter points, as the Red Raiders won their Big 12 opener in a 34-10 victory over Utah in Salt Lake City.
Will Hammond came off the bench after an injury to Texas Tech starter Behren Morton. The Red Raiders (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) saw their offense ignite with Hammond, who tossed two touchdowns in the final 15 minutes.
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Devon Dampier tossed two interceptions for Utah (3-1, 0-1), which turned the ball over four times. The Utes also had a 69-yard touchdown pass called back for an ineligible receiver and never got out of their own way. Utah will come to Morgantown on Saturday; Texas Tech is off this week and will travel to Houston next week.
McAlister Burns SMU in Frogs’ Win
Eric McAlister caught eight passes for 254 yards and three scores, and TCU handled SMU 35-24 on Saturday in Fort Worth.
The Metroplex rivals aren’t scheduled to meet again after this season. TCU (3-0) has played SMU 104 times in 110 years, but with both the Big 12 and ACC going to nine league games, this rivalry hasn’t been slated to continue.
The Frogs sealed the win by forcing a punt and two interceptions on SMU’s final three possessions. TCU will visit Arizona State on Friday.
Sun Devils Walk Off Bears
Jesus Gomez hit his fourth field goal of the day with no time left, and Arizona State escaped with a 27-24 win over Baylor in Waco.
The Sun Devils (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) turned three Baylor (2-2, 0-1) turnovers into nine points, which proved critical down the stretch. While the Baylor defense fought admirably to force ASU to settle for field goals, the Bears couldn’t overcome the offense’s errors.
Arizona State hosts TCU on Friday. Baylor travels to Oklahoma State on Saturday.
Johnson Intercepts Pirates Twice in BYU Win
Evan Johnson snagged one interception on his own goal line and turned another into a 4-yard touchdown, as BYU handled East Carolina 34-13 in Greenville.
The Cougars (3-0) bent but didn’t break against the ECU offense. East Carolina topped 400 yards, but Johnson’s two picks and another failed attempt inside the BYU 10 let the Cougars run away with the result.
BYU visits Colorado on Saturday.
Salter Returns, Buffaloes Handle Wyoming
Kaidon Salter returned to Colorado’s starting lineup, throwing for 304 yards and three scores, and Colorado beat Wyoming 37-20 in Boulder.
Salter got benched last week for Ryan Staub, but responded well in his return. Colorado (2-2) took a 21-3 lead at halftime and the game was never in doubt after that.
The Buffaloes host BYU on Saturday.
