ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida State shook off a rough first half and an early double-digit deficit to rally for a 32-25 win over Oklahoma in the Cheez-It Bowl Thursday night at Camping World Stadium.
Ryan Fitzgerald connected on a 31-yard field goal with 59 seconds left to propel the FSU to the win.
It was the sixth straight win and capped off a turnaround season that saw the Seminoles win 10 games for the first time since 2016.
FSU quarterback Jordan Travis accounted for 410 total yards of offense while safety Jammie Robinson finished with 9 tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery.
It was the first bowl appearance for the Seminoles since 2019 and the program’s first postseason win since 2017.
Oklahoma (6-7, 3-6 Big 12) entered the game looking to put a positive spin on an otherwise disappointing season.
To make matters worse, the Sooners were without a handful of starters who chose to opt out of the game led by tackles Wanya Morris (NFL) and Anton Harrison (NFL), running back Eric Gray (NFL), receiver Theo Wease (transfer) and defensive lineman Jalen Redmond (NFL). Yet that didn’t seem to slow down the Sooners, who accounted for more than 400 yards of offense.
Backup tailback Jovante Barnes led the team with 111 rushing yards while Gavin Sawchuck added 96.
After a slow start, Florida State’s offense picked up in the second half with the Seminoles scoring 21 points. Along the way, Travis became the 11th quarterback in school history to pass for 3,000 yards in a season. The redshirt junior completed six straight passes including a 17-yarder to tight end Markeston Douglas for a touchdown that pushed FSU ahead 32-25 midway through the fourth quarter.
Sooners quarterback Dillon Gabriel put on a show of his own, accounting for two touchdowns in his return to the Orlando area. Gabriel spent three seasons as the starting quarterback at UCF from 2019-21, leading the Knights to a 18-8 record.
Florida State appeared out of sync throughout much of the first half with dropped passes, missed tackles and the inability to convert on 3rd and 4th downs. The second half was a different story with the defense forcing an early Oklahoma punt and the offense finding some rhythm.
FSU took the opening kickoff and quickly drove down the field sparked by Travis, who accounted for 46 of the Seminoles’ 70 yards, highlighted by a 26-yard pass to Johnny Wilson. But after failing to convert on a 3rd-and-5 at Oklahoma’s 5, FSU settled for a 23-yard field goal by Ryan Fitzgerald.
The Sooners responded on their opening drive as quarterback Dillon Gabriel found receiver Jalil Farooq in the end zone for a 22-yard touchdown that gave OU an early 7-3 lead. For Gabriel, who was making his return to Orlando after spending three seasons at UCF, where he led the Knights to an 18-8 record.
The Seminoles failed to convert on two short-yardage situations on their next possession, including a 4th-and-1 that gave Oklahoma the football at the FSU 43. But after back-to-back negative plays, including a Jared Verse sack, Gabriel’s incompletion gave the ball back to the ‘Noles.
After an FSU punt, Oklahoma capped off an 8-play drive with an 8-yard touchdown run by Gabriel to give the Sooners a 14-3 early in the second quarter.
FSU failed to convert on a 4th-and-8 at the OU 43 giving the Sooners great field position for the second straight possession. But Oklahoma wasn’t able to capitalize as kicker Zach Schmit pushed his 45-yard field goal attempt wide left to keep the score 14-3 with 9:47 left in the first half.
Florida State’s offense came alive on the next possession as Seminoles marched down the field before Travis fired a laser of a pass to receiver Ontaria Wilson who was streaking across the front of the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown. A 2-point conversion pulled FSU to within 14-11 with 7:18 left in the first half.
Schmit connected on a 41-yard field goal to extend Oklahoma’s lead to 17-11 at the half.
