With Jameis Winston at his worst, FSU's defense stands tall against Florida
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida State closed the 2014 chapter of its rivalry with Florida by emerging victorious for the fourth time in the past five meetings with a 24-19 win Saturday evening.
The teams combine for six turnovers and 18 penalties, as well as multiple special teams mistakes. Unable to get into a rhythm, reigning Heisman Trophy-winner Jameis Winston put together the worst performance of his career. He threw four interceptions, a single-game high for him, and had a career-low 125 passing yards.
"I had four picks today .... I know I've got to get better at my performance so I can lead this team in a better way," he said. "It's crazy to throw three picks in the first quarter. That's wild. I was like, 'wow.'"
Florida, however, was unable to turn the Winston miscues into touchdowns, having to instead rely on kicker Austin Hardin to get them on the board. Hardin converted his first four tries, but he missed his final two, including a 42-yarder early in the fourth quarter that would have given the Gators a 22-21 lead.
"In those sitatuations when you get the turnovers early in the game, you've got to capaitalize on them, you can't kick field goals," said Florida head coach Will Muschamp, who was coaching his final game for the Gators. "We kicked field goals."
With Winston struggling, Florida State's defense and running game picked up the slack.
Entering the contest, Florida was averaging 197.1 rushing yards per game, including five performances of 200 yards or more. The Seminoles defense, led by linebackers Reggie Northrup and Terrance Smith, held the Florida ground attack to 113 yards on 33 carries.
"Defense I thought was outstanding," Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher said. "Our linebackers did the best job they've done all year, coming downhill, taking on blockers and attacking people in the hole."
Smith also contributed a 94-yard interception return for a touchdown in the first quarter that gave Florida State its first points of the game at a time when the team was struggling to do anything on offense.
"[Smith] came to me and he said 'I told you I got your back. You're my brother,' " Winston said. "And that's how it is at Florida State. We're a family, man."
Freshman Dalvin Cook set a career high rushing and took over sole running-back duties after starter Karlos Williams left the game with a concussion.
"The trump card today was Dalvin Cook and that offensive line," Fisher said. "Dalvin, a true freshman, ran for 144 yards (on 24 carries) against one of the nation's top-ranked defenses."
Finishing the regular season as the only undefeated FBS team, Florida State will now head to Charlotte, N.C., to take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the ACC Championship game on Dec. 6.
When asked if he could now take a breath and take in the fact that he just completed back-to-back undefeated regular seasons, Fisher paused, started smiling and delivered this message:
"I just watched [Georgia Tech] beat Georgia today and how they're moving the ball up and down the field and how well they're playing .... Georgia Tech is 10-2 and a top-10 team. There is no time for that. I promise you."
