As a kid here, Torrance Marshall always wanted to play for the national title in the Orange Bowl.
Marshall’s dream will come true Wednesday night when No. 1 Oklahoma meets third-ranked Florida State for the Bowl Championship Series title. But the Sooners’ All-American linebacker took a winding and unusual route to college football’s brightest stage.
“He had a tough road,” said Oklahoma defensive coordinator Mark Mangino, who recruited Marshall.
Marshall, a 6-foot-2-inch, 255-pound senior, was considered one of the nation’s top prospects coming out of Miami’s Sunset High School. But he couldn’t make the academic requirements to play in Division I-A so he went to Kemper Military Academy in Missouri and Miami-Dade Community College to improve his grades.
As Marshall struggled, the Sooner staff all but gave up on him. “We may look at 1,500 kids and you just forget about him,” Mangino said. “He’s a casualty.”
Marshall, who is married with two children, has settled in since arriving at Oklahoma last season. He’s succeeding on the field and off.
Asked why he never gave up, Marshall said, “The will to succeed. I wasn’t going to lay down and quit. I really wanted this to happen.”
Sound game: In an effort to simulate the din in Pro Player Stadium, Oklahoma brought a portable sound system and speakers to practice at Barry University in nearby Miami Shores. The speakers blared music and recordings of Florida State’s war chant and fight song and “Boomer Sooner,” of course.
ORANGE BOWL MATCHUP
FSU Record: 11-1 Opp.
29 BYU 3
26 at Georgia Tech 21
63 North Carolina 14
31 Louisville 0
59 at Maryland 7
24 at Miami 27
63 Duke 14
37 Virginia 3
58 at N.C. State 14
54 Clemson 7
35 at Wake Forest 6
30 Florida 7
42.4 AVERAGE 10.3
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Okla. Record: 12-0 Opp.
55 UTEP 14
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45 Arkansas State 7
42 Rice 14
34 Kansas 16
63 at Texas 14
41 at Kansas State 31
31 Nebraska 14
56 at Baylor 7
35 at Texas A&M 31
27 Texas Tech 13
12 at Oklahoma State 7
27 Kansas State 24
39.0 AVERAGE 16.0
%%
Rushing offense Car Yards YdsPG
Florida St. 455 1980 165.0
Oklahoma 410 1615 134.6
%%
Pass offense Att Comp Yards YdsPG
Florida St. 469 290 4608 384.0
Oklahoma 450 289 3536 294.7
%%
Total offense Plays Yards YdsPG
Florida St. 924 6588 549.0
Oklahoma 860 5151 429.3
%%
Rushing defense Car Yards YdsPG
Florida St. 363 889 80.8
Oklahoma 395 1305 118.6
%%
Pass defense Att Comp Yards TD Rtng
Florida St. 447 220 2437 7 108.68
Oklahoma 397 196 2049 9 111.29
%%
Total defense Plays Yards YdsPG
Florida St. 834 3324 277.0
Oklahoma 809 3347 278.9
%%
Punt returns No Yards Avg
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Florida St. 44 467 10.6
Oklahoma 42 646 15.4
%%
Kickoff returns No Yards Avg
Florida St. 26 512 19.7
Oklahoma 28 577 20.6
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Gain Lost
Turnovers Fum Int Tot Fum Int Tot Mar
Florida St. 13 19 32 8 14 22 .83
Oklahoma 11 22 33 10 17 27 .50
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