Playing over their heads, Sooners still got the ending they deserved against Seminoles in Orlando

Oklahoma running back Jovantae Barnes (2) carries for a touchdown as Florida State linebacker DJ Lundy (46) follows during the second half of Florida State’s 35-32 Cheez-It Bowl victory. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Let it be written and known that on the last day of its football season, after playing criminally over its head given the state of its offensive line and the inexperience of its ball carriers, it took this for Florida State to beat Oklahoma 35-32 Thursday evening at the Cheez-It Bowl:

An absolutely perfect strike from Seminole quarterback Travis Jordan to John Wilson spanning a most improbable 58 yards, four snaps after which Ryan Fitzgerald’s 32-yard field goal forged the final score with 55 seconds remaining.

The throw couldn’t have been six inches any other direction as Sooner defender Justin Broiles had Wilson so locked up the Seminole receiver couldn’t lift either arm to grab it.  

All he could do was extend his outside arm, his right, and let the ball fall into his hand, which it did, before ultimately securing it about waist high with his left hand, which he also did. 

Indeed, Jordan throwing it into a moving target no bigger than a KFC bucket and Wilson spearing it with one hand and then the other is what it took for OU to finish its first season with more losses than wins since 1998.

Also let it be written and known that, the Sooners given 55 seconds to go do something about that final sore, this happened, too.

Dillon Gabriel hit Brayden Willis up the middle for a gain of 9, which can never happen, because with no timeouts it’s got to be 10 yards or more, incomplete, or out of bounds 100 percent of the time.

Only to be followed by a false start, which also can’t happen, but was put on an inexperienced line’s table to happen by failing to stop the clock one play earlier.

To be followed, with 28 seconds remaining thanks to a 10-second runoff, from OU’s own 29, an 8-yard sideline toss to Gavin Sawchuk, which also can’t happen, the whole ballgame being about getting into field goal range. But with two chances to get there, the Sooners chose instead to give one of them away, 8 yards might as well being zero given the circumstances.

So everybody who’s talking about OU taking a big step despite the loss, getting a strong game from an offensive line that included no early-season starters and two 100-yard outings from true freshmen running backs Jovantae Barnes and Sawchuk, the latter of whom had played all of one game prior to Thursday, are invariably right.

Yet everybody who’s tired of scratching their heads at OU’s game management, particularly offensively, even throwing the ball a mere 24 times when you still have Marvin Mims, Drake Stoops, Jalil Farooq and Willis to throw to, none of which are true freshmen, well, they’re invariably right, too.