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No. 13 Florida State outlasts Oklahoma in slugfest, 35-32, snares 10th win of season

On3 imageby: Ira Schoffel12/30/22iraschoffel
On3 image
Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Ontaria Wilson (80) celebrates after scoring touchdown during the Cheez-It Bowl between Oklahoma and Florida State on December 29, 2022 at Camping World Stadium, in Orlando FL. (Photo by Joe Petro/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

ORLANDO — Who said bowl games don’t matter?

The Florida State Seminoles and Oklahoma Sooners are two of the biggest name brands in college football, and they duked it out for 60 thrilling minutes before a sell-out crowd Thursday night in the Cheez-It Bowl.

In the end, Ryan Fitzgerald kicked a 32-yard field goal with 55 seconds remaining to give the Seminoles a 35-32 lead, and the Florida State defense got one big stop on the final drive to secure the three-point victory.

With the win, Florida State improves to 10-3 to finish with double-digit victories for the first time since 2016. Oklahoma falls to 6-7; it’s the first time the Sooners have finished below .500 since 1998.

And the Seminoles’ win came after a back-and-forth second half that featured numerous lead changes.

Florida State took its first lead since early in the game with an impressive drive midway through the third quarter. The Seminoles were trailing 17-11 at halftime but got the ball back when Oklahoma was forced to punt on its first drive of the second half.

Jordan Travis and the Seminoles then drove 94 yards on 15 plays — capped off by a short touchdown run by wildcat quarterback Treshaun Ward — to take an 18-17 advantage.

The Seminoles then got the ball back with a fourth-down stop on the ensuing possession, but instead of extending their lead, they got stopped on a fourth-down try as well. And the Sooners made them pay with a seven-play drive, capped off by a 15-yard touchdown run and two-point conversion.

Okahoma’s lead didn’t last long, however, as the Seminoles responded with a six-play, 75-yard drive to tie it at 25-25 with 11:05 remaining. And the Seminoles went ahead 32-25 about two minutes later when Travis connected with tight end Markeston Douglas on a 17-yard touchdown strike.

That play was set up when Omarion “Duke” Cooper forced a fumble and FSU recovered at its own 32.

But the Sooners came storming right back with a nine-play, 75-yard drive that tied the score at 32-32 with 3:37 remaining.

And with the game on the line, Travis and Johnny Wilson then hooked up for another long pass to set up Fitzgerald’s winning kick.

Travis finished the night with 418 passing yards on 27-of-38 passing; he threw two touchdowns with one interception. Wilson finished with eight receptions for 202 yards.

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Florida State’s offense looked like it might have its way with Oklahoma’s defense early, marching from its own 25-yard line to the Sooners’ 5 in just five plays on the game’s opening drice. But the Seminoles had to settle for a field goal and didn’t threaten to score on their next three drives.

Oklahoma, meanwhile, took a 14-3 lead on a pair of touchdown drives on their first three posessions — one of which started in FSU territory after Florida State turned it over on downs.

The Seminoles then cut the deficit to 14-11 on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Travis, followed by a two-point conversion throw from tight end Wyatt Rector to fellow tight end Brian Courtney.

But Oklahoma pushed its lead back to six points with a 41-yard field goal before halftime.

Talk about this story with other die-hard FSU football fans on the Tribal Council.

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