2022 Cheez-It Bowl Recap: Hope

The Sooners were physical. They were fast. They were strong. They were relentless. But unfortunately, it wasn't enough in the 35-32 loss to the #13 Florida State Seminoles. A disappointing way to end a disappointing season. Despite this loss and OU's first losing season of this millennium, fans can't help but feel hopeful for the future.

Photo credit to The Oklahoman.

The entire country expected OU to get blown out. Despite my prediction in my Cheez-It Bowl preview post of FSU winning 42-38, I examined the matchup further and didn't see OU being able to keep it close. Despite all this, the Sooners gave the Seminoles all they could handle.

Against one of the top defenses in college football, Oklahoma threw for 243 yards and ran for 253. We had two true freshmen, Jovante Barnes and Gavin Sawchuck (in his first ever game as a Sooner) run for over 100 yards. We only turned the ball over once. Dillon Gabriel was accurate, Marvin Mims was marvelous, and the patchwork offensive line dominated on the run. So what went wrong?

While the OU defense came up with quite a few key stops and played hard and physically, there were too many holes in our defense to stop a Heisman-caliber quarterback in Jordan Travis. Some wide-open gaps in zone coverage allowed FSU receivers to catch the ball with no one around. FSU averaged 5 yards per carry, and FSU gained over 500 yards of total offense. No matter how good your offense is, allowing those numbers on defense is a recipe for disaster.

So why are we hopeful? Because of the potential that was shown throughout the game.

OU was unranked with a 6-6 record coming into the game against 9-3 Florida State, with a top defense and phenomenal offense. And it took a field goal in the final minutes for FSU to pull out the win. OU was by far the more physical team. FSU had players going down left and right. The OU offensive line was bullying their defense on running plays. And our defensive line showed promise for next year. Given the players acquired to this point in the transfer portals, on top of the players who just signed to OU, the entire team appears to be strengthening up to be a special team.

The most exciting part of the team we saw that has Sooners around the country hopeful for next year? Gavin Sawchuk. In his collegiate debut, Sawchuk had 15 runs for 100 yards (6.7 yards per carry) with one touchdown. His longest run of the day went for 25 yards. He also had a touchdown taken away by penalty. The 4-star true freshman looked like a mix of Joe Mixon and Kennedy Brooks.

The final reason to be hopeful? The 2023 recruiting class OU signed. 5 Star QB Jackson Arnold. 5 Star safety Peyton Bowen. 5 Star edge rusher Adepoju Adebawore. 8 top-100 signees, 5 of whom on the defensive side of the ball. With the lessons Venables learned in his first year as a head coach, the players returning, the new players, and 5-star talent across the field, team 129 could really be a special team.

All stats courtesy of ESPN.