STILLWATER — In the last decade, OSU victories against OU have been regarded as the little brother getting a win over big brother.

Saturday night in Stillwater, Oklahoma State proved to the state and the entire country that it is no longer content to be anybody’s little brother. The Cowboys embarrassed the Sooners for four quarters, beating the defending conference champions, 44-10.

Featuring two of the most successful offenses in the country, Bedlam promised to be a shootout, and Oklahoma State lived up to its half of that deal from the initial kickoff. After the two teams exchanged three-and-outs, senior Brandon Weeden found junior Tracy Moore for a 53-yard gain. Two plays later, sophomore tailback Jeremy Smith rushed nine yards for the first score of the game.

Just when OSU got its offense rolling, OU found ways to stall its own. On the ensuing possession, Oklahoma drove all the way to the OSU 39-yard line before junior Oklahoma State cornerback Brodrick Brown intercepted junior OU quarterback Landry Jones’ pass in the endzone.

“We weren’t efficient in anything we did tonight,” co-offensive coordinator Josh Heupel said. “We weren’t efficient running it, and we weren’t efficient throwing it. That’s how you end up with the score being what it is.”

The Cowboys capitalized off the turnover by driving down the field and adding a field goal, building their lead to 10-0 by the end of the first quarter. After stops by both defenses, OU had some offensive momentum with just fewer than eight minutes left in the first half. Oklahoma was in field-goal range at the OSU 19 when the ball popped out of Jones’ hands. OSU senior defensive end Jamie Blatnick recovered the ball and rumbled to the 1-yard line. One play later, the Cowboys were sitting on a 17-0 lead.

Big drives stalling in that fashion quickly turned into a trend for the OU offense. Seemingly any drive OU put together came to an abrupt end before the team could reach scoring territory.

“Every time we got near the scoring zone, we’d get something,” OU coach Bob Stoops said. “We had the holding, which pulls us back, we had the dropped pass over the middle — a couple of them — and it just ruins your drives.”

The Cowboys weren’t done. After a three-and-out from OU, O-State took just two minutes to drive 53 yards to the end zone. By the time freshman Michael Hunnicutt put OU’s first three points on the board to end the first half, it did not matter much. The home team hit the locker room up, 24-3, on its in-state rival.

After that, things got ugly.

Oklahoma State received the ball to begin the second half and promptly added three points to its lead.

Though the forecasted rain never showed up, the second half was when it started to pour for the Sooners.

On OU’s first offensive play of the half, Jones fumbled the ball at the 5-yard line. OSU senior defensive end Richetti Jones scooped and scored, and the rout was on. OSU had ballooned its lead to 34-3, and the Sooners found themselves in a hole too deep to dig out of.

“You have two turnovers that give them — not give them but they earned — two touchdowns,” Stoops said. “So when the defense was hanging in there playing decent, the offense isn’t, and then it all together in the second half, defensively, really poor with their ability to run the football.”

Smith added a 37-yard touchdown run in the quarter, and Quinn Sharp hit another field goal to make the score 44-3 entering the final quarter of play.

The Cowboys were content to run the clock out at that point. Unfortunately for OU, though, the Cowboys ran at will. Oklahoma State rushed for 99 yards in the fourth quarter alone, and it not only finished off the Sooners but thoroughly suffocated them in the final quarter of the game. After the Pokes’ second run of 30 yards or more in the quarter, Sooner players appeared completely demoralized.

Freshman Blake Bell’s 28-yard touchdown run in the waning minutes of the game was a moot point.

Oklahoma finished the game with 358 total yards compared to Oklahoma State’s 495. Oklahoma State dominated the ground, though. OSU had two 100-yard rushers — Joseph Randle and Smith. The two backs finished with 151 and 119 yards, respectively. The Cowboys also dominated the turnover margin, forcing five and only coughing up one of their own.

“We knew turnovers would be the key in this game, and turnovers killed us,” co-offensive coordinator Jay Norvell said. “It’s a very disappointing loss, probably the most disappointing loss we’ve had.”

Oklahoma State did not just beat Oklahoma — the Cowboys made a statement. Oklahoma State proved Saturday that on that night, and this season, it is the better team.

Little brother has grown up.