Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
No. 2 ’Noles hold off Irish
TOP 25
NO. 2 FLORIDA STATE 31, NO. 5 NOTRE DAME 27
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Jameis Winston threw for 273 yards and two touchdowns to lead No. 2 Florida State on a second-half comeback to hold off No. 5 Notre Dame, 31-27.
The Irish nearly pulled off the upset, moving to the Seminoles’ 2 in the game’s final minute. Everett Golson threw a touchdown pass to Corey Robinson with 13 seconds remaining.
But Notre Dame was called for offensive pass interference when a receiver blocked the defender responsible for Robinson, and
the touchdown was erased.
The Irish moved back to fourth-and-goal from the 18. Linebacker Jacob Pugh picked off the desperation pass in the back of the end zone.
Golson threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns. But Winston completed his first 13 passes in the second half against a defense that had flustered Florida State throughout the first 30 minutes. Running back Tarean Folston ran for 120 yards on 21 carries.
“This team has heart, it has soul, it’s a family,” Florida State Coach Jimbo Fisher said. “It believes in each other, it sticks together and there’s something special in this group of guys.”
The Seminoles (7-0, 5-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) trailed 17-10 at halftime with their season on the line. Notre Dame (6-1) is the last ranked team on FSU’s schedule and the victory may be its last chance to make a decisive impression on the College Football Playoff selection committee.
Winston prevailed after another week of controversy. Florida State said this week it was investigating whether Winston received benefits for autographs being sold online.
Florida State had protection issues in the first half and Winston never seemed completely comfortable. Fisher said those problems were cleaned up at halftime and suddenly Winston had room to operate.
The reigning Heisman winner drove the Seminoles to touchdowns on three of their first four drives, each taking a minimum of seven plays. He spread the ball around and had big plays to receivers Rashad Greene, Travis Rudolph and Jesus Wilson. Even running back Karlos Williams caught a 21yard pass.
Williams called Winston’s work “poetry in motion.”
Before the last Irish drive, Florida State had a chance to ice the game with when it got the ball with 5:12 remaining at its 7.
Instead of being aggressive, the Seminoles ran the ball three times and punted. Notre Dame took over on the Florida State 49 with 2:53 remaining.
A third-down sack by FSU linebacker Terrance Smith put Notre Dame in a fourthand-18 situation. But Golson scrambled before completing a 20-yard pass to Corey Robinson.
The Irish have games remaining against Arizona State and Southern Cal to keep themselves in the running for a playoff berth.
In other games involving ACC teams, backup quarterback Thomas Sirk threw a 3- yard touchdown pass to David Reeves with 7:23 left and Duke (6-1, 2- 1) beat Virginia ( 4- 3, 2- 1) 20- 13 in Durham, N.C. Anthony Boone was 22 of 37 for 176 yards with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Eric Schneider. The Blue Devils reached bowl eligibility for the third consecutive year and took the early edge in the Coastal Division race. … Syracuse had two defensive touchdowns, and freshman quarterback AJ Long ran for another score as the Orange defeated Wake Forest 30-7 in Winston-Salem, N.C., to snap a fourgame losing streak. The Orange (3-4, 1-2) knocked out Wake Forest starting quarterback John Wolford in the second quarter, rendering the Demon Deacons already struggling offense even more ineffective. Syracuse limited Wake Forest (2-5, 0-3) to 89 yards after Wolford left the game while outgaining the Demon Deacons 370- 170. … Michael Dyer (Little Rock Christian) rushed for 173 yards, including a game-sealing 46yard touchdown run with 44 seconds remaining, and Louisville (6-2, 4-2) held off North Carolina State 30-18 in Louisville, Ky. The Wolfpack (4-4, 0-4) drew within 23-18 on Jacoby Brissett’s 21-yard touchdown pass to David J. Grinnage with 2:21 remaining, but the two- point conversion pass failed as Cardinals safety Terell Floyd knocked the ball from Na’Quan Brown’s hands. Louisville recovered the onside kick and Dyer burst through the left side for the clinching TD. The former Auburn star and 2011 BCS Championship Game offensive MVP finished with Louisville career bests in yards and carries (24). … T.J. Logan scored on a 2-yard run with 11 seconds left to help North Car
olina (3-4, 1-2) rally past Georgia Tech (5-2, 2-2) 48-43 in Chapel Hill, N.C., to snap a four-game losing streak. Logan’s late score capped a 75-yard scoring drive in the final three minutes of the game, which saw the Tar Heels blow an 11-point fourth-quarter lead. Marquise Williams threw for 390 yards and 4 touchdowns to go with a school-record 38 completions, and also ran for 73 yards and a score for the Tar Heels.