ORLANDO – Despite being down 17-11 after the first, the Seminoles found a way to shut down the Sooners and hand them their first losing season since 1998 with a 6-7 record.
Treshaun Ward took over the second half early as he scored on two runs. The first one was to open the second half – which gave FSU a 18-17 lead – and the second one in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 25-25 after a 38-yard rushing touchdown.
Florida State’s Omarion Cooper caused a fumble at the 9:41 mark in the first quarter, which was recovered by Jammie Robinson.
The turnover would go on to fuel the Seminoles fourth-quarter surge on Jordan Travis’s second passing touchdown of the game. On this scoring play, he hit Markeston Douglas to give FSU a 32-25 lead with a little over seven minutes left.
Travis would later hit wideout Johnny Wilson on a 58-yard pass with a little over two minutes left in the game to put the Seminoles in scoring range.
Ryan Fitzgerald started the game off by getting Florida State on the board first and ended the game with his 32-yard field goal to give Florida State a 35-32 win over Oklahoma.
Oklahoma tried for a late push to score, but Florida State’s Dennis Briggs Jr. sacked quarterback Dillion Gabriel as time ran out.
Travis earned honors of being named as the Cheez-It Bowl’s Most Valuable Player. The Palm Beach County native and Benjamin alum ended the game with the following statistic:
•27/38, 418 passing yards, two touchdowns, one interception
Travis spoke on what it means to represent for Palm Beach County and Florida State in winning MVP.
“To represent Palm Beach County is a blessing,”Travis said. “It was so awesome to represent. My family took care of me. My brother looking down on me, my parents, and my sister. It’s a blessing to represent Palm Beach.”
Travis expanded on what’s ahead for the Seminoles.
“We’re not done yet,” Travis said. “This is just the beginning. We have another chapter. I have a lot of plans and goals. We still have a lot of work to do for the future as well.”
Florida State got some much-needed get back tonight (Dec. 29) against Oklahoma as it finished the season with a 10-3 record.
The Seminoles earned their second all-time win over the Sooners.
PHOTO CREDIT: Christian Proscia
