ORLANDO, Fla. — Opt-outs and injuries might’ve depleted OU’s roster for the Cheez-It Bowl.
But these Sooners — with the exception of two Saturdays in early October — don’t get blown out.
Like much of the season, though, OU came up just short, falling 35-32 to Florida State on Thursday at Camping World Stadium.
Here are five takeaways from the Sooners’ loss:
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Yet another close one for OU football
Close games have become the norm for the Sooners in the last two seasons.
Last year, it was the Sooners finding a way to pull off a bevy of close victories.
This season, under Brent Venables, those close games fell the other way.
Thursday’s loss was the Sooners’ fourth consecutive three-point defeat.
This one turned on Jordan Travis’ 58-yard completion to Johnny Wilson with just less than three minutes remaining.
Four plays later, Ryan Fitzgerald’s 32-yard field goal put the Seminoles up 35-32.
Back-to-back OU penalties cut short any chance for the Sooners to pull off a miracle in the closing seconds, and the game ended after Dillon Gabriel was sacked by Jared Verse and Dennis Briggs Jr.
OU tried to get one last desperation play off but couldn’t get the snap off in time as Gabriel flung the ball softly to the ground in disgust.
The Sooners (6-7) finished with a losing record for the first time since 1998.
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Gavin Sawchuk breaks out for Sooners
The future looks bright at running back for OU.
Jovantae Barnes and Gavin Sawchuk combined for 208 rushing yards.
Barnes’ production wasn’t exactly unexpected.
He’d spent much of the season as the Sooners’ No. 2 runner behind Eric Gray.
Sawchuk, though, was a bit of an unknown, entering the game with just two carries for five yards in one appearance.
The freshman from Colorado had six carries for 54 yards in the first half, plus had a touchdown run called back due to a penalty.
He finished with 100 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, though he lost a fumble in the second half that proved to be big.
Barnes ran 27 times for 108 yards as OU ran for 253 yards.
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Sooners’ OL depletion gets worse
OU came into the game missing three starting offensive linemen.
Tackles Wanya Morris and Anton Harrison each opted out of the game to prepare for the NFL Draft while center Andrew Raym was out after undergoing late-season surgery.
While tackle Tyler Guyton and center Robert Congel had plenty of experience, OU’s left tackle replacement — freshman Jacob Sexton — did not.
Though right guard Chris Murray was dressed out, and served as a captain, he didn’t play. Instead, McKade Mettauer moved over to the right side while redshirt freshman Savion Byrd started on the left side.
Sexton didn’t last long at all.
The Deer Creek product was hurt on the Sooners’ first offensive series, and was replaced by redshirt sophomore Aaryn Parks.
OU’s line struggled at times in pass protection, as quarterback Dillon Gabriel was sacked six times.
But the group generally did a strong job of opening up holes in the running game.
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Late spot not reviewed
It looked like OU’s defense had come up with yet another big stop.
On third-and-3 from the Sooners’ 28 with about eight minutes remaining, Jordan Travis hit Mycah Pittman for a short gain, but Pittman appeared to be stopped short of the first-down marker.
But the ball was spotted beyond the line-to-gain and play continued without further stoppage for a replay.
Two plays later, Travis hit Markeston Douglas for a 17-yard score to put Florida State up 32-25 with 7:22 remaining.
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Squib kick nearly backfires
The Sooners had just pulled off their most impressive drive of the first half, driving 65 yards in seven plays in just 1:36 to kick a field goal and go ahead 17-11 with just 15 seconds remaining before half.
Brent Venables decided to dial up a squib kick, which nearly backfired on the Sooners.
Seminoles’ quarterback Jordan Travis scrambled for a 26-yard gain on the next play after The Seminoles then hurried to get off a 54-yard field-goal try just before halftime but Ryan Fitzgerald’s kick came up just short to give the Sooners a 17-11 lead heading into the locker room.
The squib kick was reminiscent of the Rose Bowl against Georgia on Jan. 1, 2018.
In that one, with just six seconds remaining before half, Baker Mayfield hit CeeDee Lamb for a touchdown that put the Sooners up 31-14 on the Bulldogs.
But after a squib kick, Georgia completed a quick 9-yard pass and then Rodrigo Blankenship nailed a 55-yard field goal — the longest in Rose Bowl history.
That kick gave Georgia momentum going into the break, and the Bulldogs eventually forced overtime and won in double OT.
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OU vs. Florida State live updates
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football loses to Florida State in Cheez-It Bowl for losing season