Oklahoma State vs. Tulsa: How much Cowboys are paying Golden Hurricane for Week 4 game

Through the first half against Tulsa, Oklahoma State got off to a rough start. The Cowboys trailed 16-3 at halftime, and the payout for the game has been revealed.

Oklahoma State is paying Tulsa $300,000 for the game, according to The Oklahoman. It marks the second game of an eight-year contract between the two teams, and the Cowboys won last year’s matchup 45-10.

Friday’s game is looming as a big one for Mike Gundy as rumors swirl around his future amid a 1-1 start to the year – with the one loss coming in 69-3 fashion against Oregon. His buyout currently sits at $15 million if Oklahoma State was to move on from its all-time winningest coach.

Boos rang out at Boone Pickens Stadium as Oklahoma State struggled through two quarters against Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane’s 16-3 halftime lead marked the first time it took a double-digit lead into the break against a power conference opponent in 20 years.

The Cowboys totaled 117 yards of offense in the first half, including just 45 passing from Zane Flores. He got the start once again as Hauss Hejny works his way back from an injury suffered in the season opener against UT Martin.

On the other side, Tulsa’s offense looked strong through two quarters, totaling 266 yards by halftime. Baylor Hayes looked strong at quarterback, completing 16 of 25 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown. The Tulsa defense also went to work, recording four tackles for loss and sacking Flores once.

The pressure continues to ramp up around Gundy as Oklahoma State comes out of its bye following the blowout loss at Oregon. ESPN’s Pete Thamel said he is the next coach likely “in the crosshairs” of a departure, but he also considered the situation as a whole considering Gundy’s stature at OSU.

“This is a place that has been so defined by Mike Gundy, so it’s going to be really difficult to insert an entire new identity,” Thamel said. “They were late to NIL. They got behind. Look, they played in the Big 12 title game two seasons ago, so it’s not like – but, from that point, it’s been a spiral and it looks as if it’s irrecoverable at this point.

“These exits are hard. … He has 100 more wins than the next best coach at Oklahoma State. It’s like 110 or something like that. That’s 10 seasons of 10 wins more than anybody else ahead of them. So, I mean, he’s a statue guy, stadium name guy. He’s done it all there. The empirical results have just changed drastically, and the evolution to the times? It just hasn’t happened.”