Florida State Survives OSU at AT&T Stadium
ARLINGTON, Texas — Florida State’s season-opening victory wasn’t nearly as easy as forecast.
But in the end, the Seminoles’ ambition of back-to-back national titles remained alive after a triumphant, albeit hard-fought, season opener against Oklahoma State.
Quarterback Jameis Winston passed for 370 yards with a touchdown passing and rushing in Florida State’s 37-31 victory over Oklahoma State on Saturday night.
The victory marked the defending national champion Seminoles’ 17th consecutive triumph.
Winston’s 50-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Rashad Greene with 3:58 left sealed the Seminoles’ victory. Greene had 11 catches for 2013 yards and a touchdown, a 50-yard catch-and-run that ultimately sealed the victory.
“Any time you get challenged (it’s good),” Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher said. “We didn’t play well and that’s a credit to Oklahoma State, but we still made critical plays when we had to make critical plays.
“I hope this is a lesson to our guys you have to play great. Not be great. Play great.”
The Seminoles avoided becoming the first defending national champion to lose a
season opener since Michigan in 1998.
Winston starred, though he wasn’t at his best while finishing 25-of-40 passing and racking up better than three-quarters of Florida State’s 476 total.
Winston, a sophomore who passed for 4,057 yards last season, also had a rushing touchdown, though he threw two interceptions that kept the Cowboys’ head above water in the first half.
Oklahoma State also helped its cause by holding Florida State to field goals in the early going.
Florida State’s Robert Aguayo kicked three field goals, among them a 37-yarder with 5:13 left that, coupled with Oklahoma State quarterback J.W. Walsh’s fumble on the ensuing drive, essentially sealed shut the Cowboys’ upset hopes.
“We have to get more hungry,” Winston said. “There’s no reason to get upset. Oklahoma State was outstanding. They never gave up. They played their tails off.
“We had a couple of opportunities to put the game away. We have to get better.”
Defensive back Nate Andrews scored the Seminoles’ first touchdown, a 9-yard interception return midway through the first quarter. Running back Mario Pender also had a rushing touchdown for Florida State.
Quarterback J.W. Walsh had 203 yards passing and a touchdown — 55 yards to wide receiver David Glidden — and two rushing touchdowns for Oklahoma State.
Oklahoma State running back Desmond Roland had a rushing touchdown.
Junior college transfer Tyreek Hill had 106 total yards in his first game for the Cowboys.
“I thought he played pretty good,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said of Walsh. “Both quarterbacks made some plays and some mistakes.
“When you’re playing in a game like this, there’s going to be some good plays and some bad plays.”
Florida State entered a heavy favorite with 15 starters returning from 2013’s 14-0 national-championship team, while Oklahoma State was starting anew after losing 28 seniors off a 10-3 team.
A mismatch it appeared to be as the Seminoles showed early why prognosticators believed the preseason consensus No. 1 team in the nation would return here in January and play for a second consecutive national championship after Florida State’s all-white uniforms flashed across the stadium’s carpet in racing to a 17-0 lead.
The Cowboys didn’t help themselves with two mistakes early.
Oklahoma State began its second drive from their own 2 after bungling the ensuing kickoff after the Seminoles’ 36-yard field goal by Aguayo on their opening drive.
On the first play from scrimmage, Walsh’s pass attempt was intercepted by Andrews, who trotted in from 9 yards and a Seminoles 10-0 lead.
After holding Florida State to a punt, Oklahoma State wide receiver Tyreek Hill returned the ball 28 yards to near midfield. The gain, though, was cut by 15 yards because of an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
The Cowboys could have used those yards after moving the ball into Florida State territory but missing on a 42-yard field-goal attempt.
Oklahoma State’s defense kept the Cowboys in the game early even after Pender’s 11-yard scoring run increased Florida State’s lead to 17-0.
Roland’s 1-yard touchdown was much-needed for Oklahoma State, which intercepted Winston twice in the first half.
The second by Ashton Lampkin at midfield resulted in Ben Grogan’s 37-yard field goal at the end of the half that cut the Seminoles’ lead to 17-10.
“You don’t ever know what to expect with so many young players on the field,” Gundy said. “They played hard. They made mistakes but made them going full speed.
“I think the one thing we proved is these young players won’t back down from anybody.”
