GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida State was off to an uncharacteristically slow offensive start.
The Seminoles managed just a field goal on their first three drives, with one ending on an underthrown Jameis Winston pass that was intercepted and the other with a three-and-out.
Winston gathered the offense for Florida State's fourth drive, which was set to begin after a punt pinned the Seminoles at their own 4-yard line. He challenged his teammates, motivating them to work together and put together a drive that would be the launching pad for a win.
"Before that drive, I got the team together," Winston said. "And I said, 'Listen, guys, this is going to define this game right here. If we can just shove it down their throats, this drive, we will win this football game.' And they looked me in the eye and they said, 'I got you.' "
From there, Winston-to-Kelvin Benjamin was almost an unstoppable combination. The freshman quarterback pushed Florida State down the field on a 12-play drive, which culminated in a 45-yard catch-and-run during which the 6-foot-5, 235-pound Benjamin broke four tackles and ran into the end zone.
Florida State took a 10-0 lead on Benjamin's touchdown and never looked back. Winston and Benjamin connected a total of nine times for 212 yards and three touchdowns as No. 2 Florida State improved to 12-0 with a 37-7 rout of Florida on Saturday afternoon.
The Seminoles are now just a win away from a spot in the BCS championship game. Florida State will play Duke (10-2) on Saturday at Charlotte, N.C., for the Atlantic Coast Conference title.
"One thing we discussed after the game, it's not over yet," Winston said. "We don't care who we play. It's a faceless opponent. Just because we're playing Duke that doesn't mean we're going to let up, that doesn't mean we think less of them. They deserve it."
Florida State deserves it, too. The Seminoles dominated Florida from the middle of the second quarter on. They racked up 456 yards of offense and allowed Florida just 193 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown.
Benjamin had 19 more yards on Saturday than the entire Florida offense. And it was the best receiving game ever by a Seminoles receiver against Florida.
"KB has some real advantages with his size and speed and athleticism," Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher said. "He can be a very, very special player. He's starting to really develop into that guy."
Benjamin, a redshirt sophomore, now has 12 receiving touchdowns. It ties him for the fourth most in school history.
And Benjamin's day helped add to Winston's already impressive numbers as he pursues a Heisman Trophy. Winston completed 19 of 31 passes for 327 yards, and all three of his touchdowns went to Benjamin.
Winston now has 35 passing touchdowns, the most in a single season by any Florida State quarterback. Chris Weinke had set the record with 33 in 2000, the season he won a Heisman Trophy as a senior.
"Jameis has had an outstanding year," Weinke wrote in a text to FOX Sports Florida in the fourth quarter. "Records are made to be broken and his consistency and accuracy throughout the year have earned him the right to hold that record.
"He has been fun to watch and I couldn't be more proud of him."
The Winston-to-Benjamin combination overshadowed another dominating performance by Florida State's defense. And the Seminoles found motivation from a Will Muschamp quote from 2012.
Last year, Florida ran for 244 yards and averaged 5.2 yards per carry in a 37-26 win at Florida State.
After the game, Will Muschamp celebrated a "sexy" win. And he said that the Gators' had better rushing games, against better SEC defenses, than what Florida had accomplished against Florida State.
More than a year later, Muschamp's comments came back to bite the Gators. FSU coaches printed off a copy of that comment in February and posted it in every locker.
"We don't ever want to be disrespected, we don't ever want to show weaknesses," Florida State defensive back Terrence Brooks said. "We really took that to heart this week."
And Florida State tackled with plenty of heart on Saturday. The Seminoles knew that they needed to stop the run, especially with third-string quarterback Skyler Mornhinweg in the game. Florida State held Florida (4-8) to just 78 rushing yards, which included a 50-yard run by Trey Burton in the first half.
Take out that long run, and the Gators had 23 carries for just 28 yards.
Florida State also blitzed Mornhinweg, holding him to just 115 passing yards. He completed 20 of 25 passes but rarely had time to throw downfield. The Seminoles' defensive backs keyed in on keeping the short passes to just that, not allowing long runs after the catch.
Florida State kept Florida off the scoreboard until the Gators scored their lone touchdown on a 5-yard pass from Mornhinweg to Hunter Joyer with 13:39 left in the game.
It was the biggest Florida State win over Florida since the Seminoles won 52-17 in 1988.
Florida State now has its fourth perfect regular season, adding to what the 1979, 1996 and 1999 teams have accomplished. But now the Seminoles move on to the postseason, and they are aiming for the program's first national title since the 1999 season.
"The sky is the limit," Brooks said. "We are never satisfied. We still have a lot more to prove. We're not going to stop until we get it."
Contact Bob Ferrante at bobferrante17@gmail.com
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