TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Landry Jones’ pass seemed like it would never come down.
Kenny Stills waited in the end zone for what must have felt like an eternity, then reached high for a touchdown that gave No. 1 Oklahoma the type of rugged road victory that a team needs to win a national championship.
Stills, playing for the first time this season after being suspended for the opener because of an offseason DUI arrest, grabbed a 37-yard scoring pass midway through the fourth quarter for the tiebreaking score and Oklahoma’s defense made the lead stand as the Sooners beat No. 5 Florida State 23-13 on Saturday night.
“We won ugly, but that’s OK,” said Jones, who came in 3-5 as a starter the past two seasons in true road games.
Javon Harris picked off two passes for the Sooners (2-0), who forced three turnovers and harassed both Florida State quarterbacks all night.
The Seminoles (2-1) played the final 20 minutes without starting quarterback E.J. Manuel, who left in the third quarter because of a shoulder injury.
Backup QB Clint Trickett kept the Seminoles in the game. He hooked up with freshman Rashad Greene for a 56-yard touchdown on a third-and-28 play with 9:32 left in the fourth quarter to tie the game 13-13.
But on the next possession, Jones went deep down the sideline to the 6-foot-1 Stills, who easily outleaped 5-8 Greg Reid for the big touchdown.
Trickett couldn’t respond. On the next drive, he had a pass tipped at the line by Ronnell Lewis and Harris came up with his second interception near midfield. Just like the first pick, Oklahoma turned it into a field goal, this one from 31 yards out by Jimmy Stevens.
Jones finished 18-of-27 passing for 199 yards with two interceptions, though he did become the school’s career passing leader, moving past Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford.
“All great games come down to two or three plays,” second-year Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher said. “They made plays. We didn’t.”
