Tulsa alumnus G.E. Beard sits alone in the rain in the stands of H.A. Chapman Stadium as heavy rain and lightning delayed the start of an NCAA college football game between Tulsa and Oklahoma State in Tulsa, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Dave Crenshaw)
Tulsa alumnus G.E. Beard sits alone in the rain in the stands of H.A. Chapman Stadium as heavy rain and lightning delayed the start of an NCAA college football game between Tulsa and Oklahoma State in Tulsa, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Dave Crenshaw)
Game referee Randy Smith and Ross Parmley, associate athletic director for Tulsa, talk near the north end zone of H.A. Chapman Stadium after a more than two hour rain delay of an NCAA college football game between Tulsa and Oklahoma State, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011, in Tulsa, Okla. (AP Photo/Dave Crenshaw)
Tulsa senior Curnelius Arnick, center, walks through a hallway lined with football fans during a rain delay of Tulsa's NCAA college football game against Oklahoma State, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011, in Tulsa, Okla. Fans were asked to leave the stadium when severe weather passed through the area. Arnick was walking to room with a television so he could check the weather radar. (AP Photo/Dave Crenshaw)
Following advice from the National Weather Service posted on the scoreboard, Tulsa and Oklahoma State fans move toward the exits in H.A. Chapman Stadium after being asked to seek shelter from severe weather shortly before the scheduled start of the their NCAA college football game in Tulsa, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Dave Crenshaw)
Tulsa and Oklahoma State fans move toward the exits in H.A. Chapman Stadium after being asked to seek shelter from severe weather shortly before the scheduled start of the their NCAA college football game in Tulsa, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Dave Crenshaw)
TULSA, Okla. (AP) ? By the time No. 8 Oklahoma State and Tulsa were about to get their game started after midnight Sunday, referee Randy Smith had a question for the teams' captains before the pregame coin flip.
"Are you guys ready to finally play some football?" Smith asked.
A thunderstorm that brought lightning and heavy rains to H.A. Chapman Stadium kept an already late-night game from starting until 12:16 a.m. Sunday. Thousands of fans who had been asked to clear the stadium as the storm approached returned to the stands to watch the game after a delay of just more than 3 hours.
Tulsa offensive tackle Stetson Burnett's long brown hair flipped around as he jumped up and down to try and rile up the fans when the players jogged back onto the field for pregame warm-ups a few minutes before midnight. Then the game got off to a false start when officials had to whistle the opening kickoff dead to reset the 25-second play clock.
The teams were prepared to play a little later than usual, with kickoff originally scheduled for 9:10 p.m. Tulsa's band already had played the national anthem and kickoff was only a few minutes away when fans were encouraged to seek shelter on the concourses, at the Reynolds Center basketball arena or in their vehicles because of the approaching storm.
Increasingly heavy rain moved over the stadium soon after, and only one man remained in his seat as the stadium got soaked.
Those who stuck around got rewarded with some early action. Shawn Jackson intercepted one of Brandon Weeden's passes on Oklahoma State's opening drive to set up Kevin Fitzpatrick's 25-yard field goal.
Justin Gilbert returned the ensuing kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown, and the Cowboys stretched the lead to 14-3 on Weeden's flea flicker pass to Hubert Anyiam.
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy had said earlier in the week that he thought the late start would have more of an impact on coaches than players, who are more accustomed to staying up late.
"By 10 o'clock, I'm asleep," Gundy said. "I would think the adjustment would be for the staff and obviously the fans. There will be a big adjustment for them."
Gundy had expected the team to arrive back in Stillwater around 3 a.m. Sunday, but the delay meant the game likely wouldn't end until that hour. The team didn't have a hotel in Tulsa, so a 70-mile drive back to Stillwater was ahead after the end of the game.
Gundy had said he couldn't remember playing or coaching in a game that got started after 9 p.m. ? much less after midnight ? in two and a half decades in college football.
"We all know that television and money is dictating when we kick games off. ... It doesn't matter what I think," Gundy said. "We're going to go down and kick it off whenever somebody else tells us to do it."
The teams don't share a weekend off this season, so the options to postpone the game were limited. And both teams face ranked opponents next Saturday. Oklahoma State opens Big 12 conference play at No. 9 Texas A&M while Tulsa is at No. 4 Boise State.
Now, they'll have a little less time to prepare.
"It spills over into an early Sunday morning for the coaches," Gundy said. "And then the players will sleep in, and they'll come in later. There is some effect. For a week or two, late nights could affect you."
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