Florida State vs Oklahoma State final score: Jameis Winston and the Seminoles survive 37-31

Eventful. That is the word to describe Jameis Winston‘s evening as the top-ranked Florida State Seminoles held on to defeat the Oklahoma State Cowboys by a final score of 37-31 on Saturday night to open their 2014-2015 schedule.

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If you looked away for a moment in this game, you might return your attention to find Winston on the ground once again. He was under pressure and generally took a beating most of the night. It was an off night for Winston and the Seminoles’ offense, at least compared to their usual lofty standard, but they still did enough to pull out the victory.

As one bit of evidence, look no further than the fact that Winston had an incredible 28-yard touchdown run in this one, yet he ended the night with only nine yards rushing in total. Throwing the ball, Winston was up and down, finishing with the following line: 25-for-39 for 295 yards, one touchdown, and two costly interceptions. The offensive star in this game was wide receiver Rashad Greene, who hauled in 11 catches for 203 yards.

J.W. Walsh and the Oklahoma State Cowboys did everything they could in this one, trying to take advantage of the chances that Florida State continued to give them. The Cowboys battled all the way to the end in a game in which they were significant underdogs, including a touchdown late to make it a one-score game. Walsh finished with 203 yards passing in addition to 51 yards rushing.

A couple key plays could have swayed things one direction or another in this game. On the one hand, if Winston had protected the football better, the score might never have been so close. On the other hand, if Oklahoma State hadn’t flubbed the snap on a field goal attempt in the third quarter, they might have planted that extra seed of doubt to run down the upset against the top team in the country.

A prevailing narrative last season as Florida State charged to a national title is that they were never tested during their regular season schedule, winning one blowout after the other. That won’t be the case in 2014, as Oklahoma State already tested them in a serious way in their opening game. On this night, they were up to the task.