Zane Flores Makes Strides in Oklahoma State's Loss to Tulsa

Oklahoma State lost to Tulsa for the first time in 27 years, but the Cowboys’ quarterback made some strides.

In his second career start, Zane Flores led the Cowboys to one of the most disappointing losses in Mike Gundy’s tenure as head coach. While a 19-12 loss to Tulsa doesn’t come with many positives, the freshman is at least making some improvements, with Gundy even raving about his improvements during the game.

In his first start at Boone Pickens Stadium, Flores had a solid outing, completing 25 of his 40 passes for 214 yards. He also added 56 yards on the ground and ran in OSU’s only touchdown of the night in the fourth quarter as the Cowboys tried to mount a comeback.

While Flores was fine, he knows that his performances will have to look better in Big 12 play. 

“I mean, we’re not gonna win games scoring 12 points,” Flores said. “We’ve gotta move the ball better. We’ve gotta score. Field goals aren’t gonna cut it.”

While OSU only scored 12 points, it’s not like the offense was completely stagnant the entire night. Getting stopped on three critical fourth downs made it difficult for the Cowboys to recover. 

Still, Flores and the Cowboys were far from electric on Friday night. Although there were certainly some bright spots for Doug Meacham’s offense, it rarely resulted in a complete drive. 

“There was some drives we were moving the ball, and the offense was feeling good, and then we just kicked ourself in the butt with penalties, drops,” Flores said. “I had a few bad throws, and I’ve gotta make those plays. So, we’ve just gotta be more consistent in that area.”

For OSU to bounce back from this loss, it will need Flores to continue to show leadership under center. Although he is still a young quarterback, the Cowboys know what they need from him to find success of any kind this season.

While reaching a bowl game doesn’t exactly seem likely after losing to Tulsa, Flores might be the one player to give OSU some real hope about what the future of the 2025 season might hold.