Millions shelled out 60 bucks Saturday night to watch Floyd Mayweather remind them what a joke boxing has become. If it was carnage they were looking for, they could have saved some cash and just watched the Florida State Seminoles and Oklahoma Sooners slug it out for 60 minutes in college football’s version of a heavyweight title fight.
If last year’s tilt between these two historic programs was defined by FSU’s inability to lay a finger on OU, the rematch came down to which team could escape the other’s clutches and find room to operate. As the defenses traded body blows, somehow OU managed to find a crease just large enough for Landry Jones, Ryan Broyles and Kenny Stills to deliver a knockout combination in the Sooners’ 23-13 victory.
Back-to-back completions deep into the fourth quarter from Jones to Broyles and then Stills may have sealed the game for OU, but this win belonged to the Sooner D, which held FSU under 250 yards in total offense. OU was physical in all phases on defense, essentially nullifying FSU’s rushing attack. The inexperienced receiving corps of the ‘Noles held up better than expected with Bert Reed and Willie Haulstead out of action. Even so, FSU simply didn’t have the horses at the skill positions to make OU’s defense pay.
The number of players on both squads who spent time on the sidelines being tended to by trainers, including talented FSU quarterback E.J. Manuel, illustrated just how vicious the hitting was out on the field.
Offensively, the Sooners junked their typical game plan, which tends to rely on quick tempo and short precision passing to get the ball to their skill guys in space. Rather than attacking FSU’s talented secondary with screens and swing passes, OU leaned on stretch plays and dives on the ground on early downs. The offensive line responded with its most physical performance in recent memory, enabling the Sooners to pound out enough yards to put together a handful of scoring drives.
Ultimately, however, the Xs and Os behind how OU won last night don’t mean nearly as much as what it took to get it done. When FSU tied the game in the fourth quarter on a desperation heave from reserve QB Cody Trickett, it had all the making of a “Choke-lahoma.”
Doak Campbell Stadium was rocking like it did during the classic grudge matches with Miami and Florida in FSU’s heyday. Old Mo had clearly shifted to the ‘Noles. Disaster appeared imminent.
Instead of folding, the Sooners turned around and put an 83-yard dagger of a drive into FSU. Then, they twisted the spear with a takeaway that ended any hopes of an upset.
Oklahoma’s win over the Seminoles won’t go down in the annals of college football history for its beauty. It was an ugly, brutal battle of attrition. If you were skeptical of the Sooners’ No. 1 ranking, chances are this did little to change your mind.
In the end, though, the Sooners emerged bloody but still unbeaten, carrying an awfully impressive scalp.
