Florida State: 2022 Cheez-It Bowl Champions

Ryan Fitzpatrick hit a 33-yard field goal with just 55 seconds left to give 13th-ranked Florida State a 35-32 win over Oklahoma in the 2022 Cheez-It Bowl in Orlando, Fla. Thursday night.

In a game full of big plays on both sides of the ball, the Seminoles churned out 587 yards of total offense and recorded six quarterback sacks and 11 tackles for loss in the win that secured a 10-win season and continues the national narrative of FSU as one of the hottest programs in the country.

Game Most Valuable Player Jordan Travis was 27-of-38 passing for 418 yards and a pair of touchdowns.  He completed two or more passes to six different receivers with Johnny Wilson having a great night with eight receptions for 202 yards.  Treshaun Ward led all FSU rushers with 81 yards on 10 carries, and Travis had 50 on the ground.

Oklahoma had a pair of running backs go for over 100 yards each and quarterback Dillon Gabriel was 14-of-24 through the air with one touchdown.

Florida State opened the game with an impressive75 yard, 13-play drive and took a 3-0 lead when Fitzgerald’s 22-yard field goal split the uprights with 11:26 left in the first quarter.

Oklahoma scored on the ensuing drive when Dillon Gabriel’s pass found Jalil Farooq in the end zone from 22 yards out to give the Sooners a 7-3 lead at the 7:01 mark of the initial stanza.

The Seminole defense came up big later in the first quarter when the offense failed to convert on fourth down and Oklahoma took over at the Seminoles’ 43-yard line.  But Oklahoma’s three plays lost yards back to their 48-yard line and they were forced to punt.

The Sooners’ offense had a short field once again late in the first quarter setting up at FSU’s 49-yard line.  Eight plays later, Gabriel scored from eight yards out on a quarterback keeper around the right end to make it 14-3 OU with 14:31 left before the half.

A second fourth down conversion attempt by Florida State failed setting Oklahoma up at their own 43-yard line with 11:39 left.  After a 28-yard pass got the Sooners down to the 16, FSU’s defense stuffed the Sooner attack and forced a 28-yard field goal attempt that sailed wide left.

The defensive stand ignited the FSU sideline and the offense ripped off big chunks of yardage on its next drive with Travis hitting Ontaria Wilson with a perfectly placed 16-yard touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone.  The Seminoles went for two with Jordan hitting reserve tight end Brian Courtney for the conversion and a 14-11 score with 7:18 left in the half.  The drive covered 56 yards on six plays with the biggest plays being a pair of passes to Johnny Wilson of 14 and 23 yards.

Oklahoma drove 65 yards on 7 plays on their final possession of the half extending their lead to 17-11 on a 41-yard field goal with 15 seconds left, which held up when Fitzgerald tried a 54-yard field on the last play that fell short.

Travis completed 10-of-14 passes for 170 yards and one TD in the first half.  He also led the Seminoles in rushing with 34 yards on five carries.  Johnny Wilson had 110 receiving yards on seven catches for his third 100-yard game of the season.

Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel was 7-of-13 through the air for 110 yards and one TD.  Jovantee Barnes had 70 yards on 15 carries to lead the Sooners in rushing over the first half.

Florida State had a great start to the second half taking its first lead since its first possession in the game on a masterful 94-yard drive on its initial drive of the second half.  The Seminoles used 15 plays and nearly five minutes to take the 18-17 lead when Ward took the snap in the wildcat formation and plunged in from the one.

The Sooners, who were shutout during the third quarter, went up 25-18 with 13:22 left in the game on a Gavin Sawchuck touchdown run up the middle and a successful two-point conversion.

FSU bounced right back on its next drive capping a 75-yard scoring drive with a 38-yard touchdown run by Ward that tied the score at 25-25 with 11:05 left.

The Seminole defense came up with a huge play on Oklahoma’s next possession when Omarion Cooper’s hit on Sawchuck knocked the ball out and Jammie Robinson recovered it at the FSU 36.  Six plays later, Travis hit tight end Markeston Douglas with a 17-yard touchdown pass to put FSU up 32-25 with 7:22 left.

Oklahoma tied the score at 32-32 with 3:37 left on a 12-yard Jovantae Brown run that capped a nine-play, 75 yard drive, before FSU used up most of the clock to kick the game winner.

Florida State: 2017 Independence Bowl Champions

SHREVEPORT, La. -- Freshman James Blackman was throwing the touchdown passes. Another freshman, Cam Akers, was gaining big chunks of yards on the ground.

Florida State might still be a little melancholy after a season that started with national championship hopes ended on Wednesday with an Independence Bowl win. But the performances from young players like Blackman and Akers in the 42-13 victory over Southern Mississippi are a solid hint that the Seminoles could be a powerhouse again in a hurry.

Blackman threw for 233 yards and an Independence Bowl-record four touchdowns, including three to junior receiver Auden Tate. Akers led the Seminoles with 94 yards rushing and also caught a 14-yard touchdown pass.

Blackman started the season's final 12 games after sophomore starting quarterback Deondre Francois suffered a season-ending knee injury in the opener. He's had some ups and downs since the promotion, but saved the best for last against Southern Miss.

"It's pretty impressive, he had to grow up really fast," Florida State interim coach Odell Haggins. "He had to take the diapers off and go to work."

Florida State (7-6) ended the season on a four-game winning streak and avoided its first losing season since 1976. Now new coach Willie Taggart takes over and appears to have plenty of talent on the roster to work with going forward.

Southern Miss took a 6-0 lead in the first quarter after a 63-yard touchdown drive that was aided by two 15-yard Florida State penalties, one for unsportsmanlike conduct and the other for roughing the kicker.

But the Golden Eagles couldn't keep the momentum, mainly because of their own mistakes, including four defensive offside penalties on Florida State's opening drive.

"If you can get a little momentum going, you've got a chance to get this thing into the third quarter or the fourth quarter and we'll see what happens," Southern Miss coach Jay Hopson said. "But give (Florida State) credit, they deserved to win. They made plays, but I thought we fought hard. Just a tough loss today."

Blackman matched an Independence Bowl record with three touchdown passes in the first half to help Florida State take a 23-6 lead.

The Seminoles pushed the advantage to 33-6 late in the third quarter before Southern Miss finally responded with a touchdown. By then, the game was essentially out of reach.

Southern Miss (8-5) was led by Ito Smith, who ran for 92 yards. Kwadra Griggs completed 13 of 25 passes for just 86 yards and a touchdown.

AKERS GETS 1,000

Akers finished his freshman season with 1,024 yards rushing after running for 94 yards on just 13 carries against Southern Miss. The 5-foot-11, 213-pounder broke Dalvin Cook's program record for the most yards rushing by a freshman in a season. Cook had 1,008 yards in 2014.

THE TAKEAWAY

Florida State: The Seminoles earned a good ending to an otherwise dreary season. Florida State was simply more talented than Southern Miss at just about every position and it showed.


Southern Miss: The Golden Eagles were able to grab an early lead, but couldn't keep the momentum. Southern Miss is a program that relishes its opportunities against Power Five opponents, but the talent gap was too much for the Golden Eagles to overcome on Wednesday.

UP NEXT

Florida State: The Seminoles get a fresh start with Taggart. Florida State still has a talented roster and there's ample reason to believe it could be a quick turnaround for the storied program.

Southern Miss: The Golden Eagles should be in pretty good shape next season, though they'll have to replace star running back Ito Smith and the entire starting secondary.

 

Florida State: 2016 Orange Bowl Champions

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Renegade, the horse that serves as Florida State's mascot, took an uncharacteristic tumble while prancing on the field before kickoff.

The horse got up and was just fine.

Hours later, Florida State collapsed -- and like Renegade, recovered with a flourish.

Deondre Francois' 12-yard touchdown pass to Nyquan Murray with 36 seconds left put No. 10 Florida State ahead for good, and the Seminoles topped No. 6 Michigan 33-32 in a frantic, down-to-the-wire Orange Bowl on Friday night. It capped a simply wild final few minutes of a game that Florida State controlled most of the way before needing a rally in the final moments.

"The character on this team," Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher said. "I've said it before. I'm as proud of this team as any I've coached."

Dalvin Cook rushed for 145 yards and a touchdown for Florida State (10-3), which led 17-3 and 20-6 early -- and was up by 12 midway through the fourth quarter before falling behind. Francois completed only 9 of 27 passes but made the most of them, throwing for 222 yards and connecting with Murray for two scores.

"There's no team in the country like this team," Seminoles offensive lineman Alec Eberle said.

Chris Evans had a 30-yard touchdown run and Khalid Hill an 8-yard scoring catch in the final minutes for Michigan (10-3), which also got a defensive conversion when Josh Metellus ran a blocked extra point back after the second Francois-Murray TD.

But Michigan turned the ball over on its final possession, and the Seminoles held on to win after the teams combined for 23 points and two lead changes in the final 5:22.

"I love them. Love these guys," Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said. "Great group of competitors, great group of workers, and a great group of guys that find a way."

Well, almost, in this case.

The Wolverines played without Heisman Trophy finalist Jabrill Peppers, their do-everything guy who couldn't go because of a bad left hamstring, and lost standout tight end Jake Butt to what was believed to be a serious knee injury in the second quarter.

Wilton Speight was 21 for 38 passing for 163 yards for Michigan, which got a 14-yard interception return from Mike McCray for a touchdown.

Florida State was in total control, but the game turned midway through the fourth when Trey Marshall was ejected for targeting on a punt return -- giving Michigan a short field on which to start its comeback.

Marshall missed an amazing finish.

"Best game of my life," Cook said.

Hill's scoring grab was Michigan's first offensive TD of the night, and Evans' run with 1:57 left gave the Wolverines their first lead.

It lasted 81 seconds.

"Coach Harbaugh kept saying it's going to happen, it's going to happen, just stay patient," Speight said. "And I think before that drive that we scored, he basically just said now is the time. We were able to capitalize and almost pull it out."

Florida State's Keith Gavin swung momentum back to the Seminoles with a 66-yard kickoff return right up the middle -- setting up the drive where his team would take the lead for good.

Francois lobbed one up perfectly for Murray, and the Seminoles escaped.

"This game here took so many turns," Cook said. "But we kept fighting ... and things turned our way."

THE TAKEAWAY

Michigan: The Wolverines' three losses this season were by a combined five points. ... Michigan managed only 3.4 yards per play, and had players tackled for losses 15 times in the game. ... Michigan also played in the last Orange Bowl to be decided by a single point, the game on Jan. 2, 2000 when Tom Brady led the Wolverines past Alabama 35-34 in overtime.

Florida State: The Seminoles had 201 yards in the first quarter alone. That's more than Michigan allowed in any of four entire games from Sept. 24 through Oct. 22. ... Cook broke his own school single-season rushing record, finishing 2016 with 1,765. ... Florida State snapped a two-game bowl slide. There's never been a three-game bowl losing streak in school history. ... The ACC improved to 6-2 in this season's bowl games.

ORANGE RECORDS


Francois' scoring pass to Murray in the first quarter was the longest TD throw in Orange Bowl history, the 92-yarder topping the mark set in 1959 when Oklahoma's Brewster Hobby connected with Ross Coyle on what became a 79-yard score against Syracuse. Francois also was part of the shortest interception return for a TD in the game's history, when McCray ran his back 14 yards late in the third.

UP NEXT

Michigan: Another Sunshine State team awaits the Wolverines, with Michigan starting its 2017 slate Sept. 2 against Florida in Arlington, Texas.

Florida State: The Seminoles open their season Sept. 2 in Atlanta, against Alabama -- in the new domed stadium being built for the NFL's Falcons.

Florida State: 2013 NCAA Division I FBS National Champions

PASADENA, Calif. -- Jameis Winston threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Kelvin Benjamin with 13 seconds left and No. 1 Florida State beat No. 2 Auburn 34-31 to win the last BCS national championship game on Monday night.

Winston struggled much of the night but was near perfect when the Seminoles (14-0) needed it most, going 6 for 7 for 77 yards on the game-winning 80-yard drive. A pass interference penalty on Auburn's Chris Davis gave Florida State a first-and-goal at the 2 and on the next play Winston hit his big receiver for the touchdown.

"I said this from Day 1 in spring ball. These kids are special," coach Jimbo Fisher said. "This group never faltered. They wanted to be elite. They wanted to go to the top and there's so much character in this group."

Tre Mason had given Auburn (12-2) a 31-27 lead with a 37-yard touchdown run with 1:19 left after Kermit Whitfield had put Florida State in the lead for the first time since the first quarter with a 100-yard kickoff return to make it 27-24 with 4:31 left.

Mason ran for 195 yards.

Winston was 20 for 35 for 237 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdown passes.

Nick Marshall ran for a touchdown and threw scoring passes to Mason and Melvin Ray in the first half, and Auburn led 21-13 after three quarters.

All-America kicker Roberto Aguayo's second field goal of the night accounted for the only third-quarter points for either team as both defenses took charge after a frenetic first half.

The powerful Seminoles trailed by 18 points in the second quarter and 21-10 at halftime, but picked up momentum in the third quarter with solid defensive play and improvements by Winston, who was fighting a case of big-game jitters.

The Heisman Trophy-winning freshman went 6 for 15 for 62 yards in the first half on his 20th birthday, with a key fumble setting up Marshall's 4-yard TD run 5:01 before halftime. Winston also led a 66-yard scoring drive late in the first half and consistently moved Florida State in the third quarter — but with only three points to show for it.

After trailing for the first time in any game since Sept. 28, Florida State needed a big finish to become the first team to rally from a halftime deficit to win the BCS title game.

Marshall, Winston's relatively unheralded counterpart, looked sharp in the Auburn backfield. Auburn was the nation's top rushing team, but coach Gus Malzahn showed the SEC champs can fling it as well while racking up 232 yards of offense in the first half.

Mason caught a 12-yard TD screen pass in the first quarter, and Ray ran alone down the middle with a 50-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter.

Devonta Freeman had a 3-yard scoring run with 1:28 left in the half for Florida State, which faced its largest deficit and first halftime deficit of the season.

Auburn's 85-yard drive early in the second quarter ended with a TD catch for Ray, the former minor league baseball player from Tallahassee who had just four receptions in the regular season. Florida State's Jalen Ramsey failed to pick up Ray all alone down the middle. Ray juked a defender near the goal line and scored as the Tigers' fans rocked the Rose Bowl stands with cheers.

Auburn's Angelo Blackson then swatted the ball out of Winston's hand on a run moments after the Tigers missed a field goal, and Marshall finished the drive by turning the corner on Florida State's defense for a score.

A successful fake punt finally sparked the Seminoles moments later. Winston made a 21-yard run complete with a vicious stiff-arm to Auburn's Kris Frost, and Freeman scored on the next play, trimming Auburn's halftime lead to 21-10.

Auburn was making its second BCS championship game appearance after beating Oregon for the title four years ago behind Heisman winner Cam Newton. The Tigers went 3-9 last season, but Malzahn quickly returned them to the national spotlight.

The Seminoles had run over every opponent in their path to a third national title, but Fisher's team was tested in Pasadena.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/01/07/3856295/no-1-florida-state-beats-no-2.html#storylink=cpy

Florida State: 2013 Orange Bowl Champions

EJ Manuel, Lonnie Pryor lead Florida State Seminoles to Orange Bowl win over Northern Illinois

By Manny Navarro
mnavarro@MiamiHerald.com

Joe Rimkus Jr. / Miami Herald Staff

Quarterback EJ Manuel scores a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the Discover Orange Bowl game with Northern Illinois and Florida State University on January 1,2013.

Jordan Lynch said he planned to have Florida State’s defense worn down and on its knees by the fourth quarter of Tuesday night’s Discover Orange Bowl.The Seminoles were hardly wheezing.
After what could best be described as a first half to forget, Northern Illinois’ dual-threat quarterback rallied the first Mid-American Conference champions to reach a BCS bowl game to within a touchdown in the third quarter.
But in the end, EJ Manuel, Lonnie Pryor and Florida State’s defense proved to be too much as Seminoles made their first BCS Bowl appearance in seven years a good one by holding on for a 31-10 victory in front of 72,074 at Sun Life Stadium.
Manuel threw a touchdown pass before the half — a 6-yarder to former Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas standout Rashad Greene — and ran for another on the first play of the fourth quarter as the Seminoles, two-touchdown favorites coming in, completed just their third 12-win season in school history.
Pryor, who came in having run for 242 yards during the season, posted a career-high 130 yards rushing and scored on runs of 60 yards and 37 yards on a night the senior fullback will surely remember.
The Huskies, who came in having won 21 of its past 22 games including back-to-back MAC championships and became the first school from a nonautomatic qualifying conference to play in a BCS bowl game, trailed 17-3 early in the third quarter and appeared headed toward a blowout loss before Lynch and the Huskies offense came to life.
On third-and-15 from NIU’s 8-yard line, Lynch hit Akeem Daniels streaking down the Florida State sideline for a 55-yard gain. Two plays later, Lynch reeled off his longest run of the night — a 22-yard scamper — down to the FSU 11. On the next play, Lynch hit Martel Moore on a crossing route and he did the rest, diving into the end zone with 9:55 to play in the third quarter to make it 17-10.
Feeling a rush of momentum, NIU coach Rod Carey — who took over for the departed Dave Doeren (N.C. State) — called for an onside kick moments later, and the Huskies recovered. Cornerback Paris Logan pounced on the ball at the NIU 47-yard line.
But after driving down to FSU 23-yard line, Lynch scrambled and flung a pass toward receiver Jamison Wells. FSU safety Terrence Brooks stepped in front of it and picked it off. He returned the interception 20 yards.
Trailing 24-10 in the fourth quarter, NIU (12-2) ran a reverse to Da’Ron Brown. But he was hit in the backfield by FSU’s Xavier Rhodes, who forced a fumble and recovered it at the NIU 42.
Two plays later, Pryor was sprinting untouched toward the end zone.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/02/v-print/3164108/ej-manuel-leads-florida-state.html#storylink=cpy

Florida State: 2012 ACC Champions

Sunday, December 2, 2012FSU champs again: Let 'em enjoy it

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By Heather Dinich
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- In a span of four days last week, Florida State lost three times. 

On Saturday, the Seminoles lost a heartbreaker to rival Florida in the final game of the season on their home turf. On Sunday, they lost their leading tackler and star defensive end, Tank Carradine, to a torn anterior cruciate ligament. And on Tuesday, they lost their beloved defensive coordinator, Mark Stoops, to Kentucky. Never mind the constant swirl of rumors about head coach Jimbo Fisher following Stoops into the SEC for another head-coaching gig. 

“There were a lot of distractions this week,” FSU athletic director Randy Spetman said. 

Despite it all, one thing Florida State didn’t lose was sight of its goals. 

With a 21-15 victory over Georgia Tech on Saturday in the Dr Pepper ACC championship game, the Seminoles knocked any perceived distractions over like bowling pins. There was no sign of a hangover from the Florida game as FSU jumped out to a convincing 21-6 lead at the half. The news about Carradine and Stoops inspired the defense to a game-changing finish in the fourth quarter, as an interception by Karlos Williams sealed the ACC title with about a minute remaining. For a fleeting moment late Saturday night, as confetti scattered in the air and the Seminoles celebrated their first ACC title since 2005, the rest of the college football world was forced to pause and finally let the Noles enjoy themselves. 

They earned it. 

“We are still ACC champions, and that is one goal,” FSU safety Lamarcus Joyner said. “We had a lot of goals and we met one of them. We have another one in front of us. That makes greatness, grasping opportunities in front of you.” 

In order to do that, they had to forget the missed opportunities behind them -- the loss to NC State, the loss to Florida. 

There’s no question there was a sense of relief from within the program Saturday night. This is a team that began the season ranked No. 3 in the country. The loss to NC State knocked the Noles out of the national title conversation and will continue to haunt them long after this season ends. Five turnovers in a loss to Florida was another statement opportunity squandered. And with Georgia Tech in position to put together a game-winning drive late in Saturday's game, NC State 2.0 looked like a very real possibility. 

It was almost as if you could hear the entire city of Tallahassee exhale all the way in Charlotte when Williams snagged that pick. 

“Oh man,” defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan said. “Oh, man. We’ve been trying to get here for a long time. That’s why I thank God for letting us win this game and I thank the seniors for helping this program get back to the top and get back into the national title conversations and winning these ACC championships and Orange Bowls and those types of games. We’re Florida State. That’s what’s supposed to happen. It wasn’t nothing miraculous. That’s what we’re supposed to do.” 

It wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t pretty, but it didn’t matter. 

Give 'em a break. In the end, Florida State is right where almost everyone predicted this summer it would be: heading to the Discover Orange Bowl. While many will continue to lament what could have been, Florida State is staring down what is: the possibility at a 12-2 season with an ACC title and a BCS win. 

Not exactly a five-loss Rose Bowl team, now is it? 

“I’m extremely happy for our players because I know how hard it is and how much flak they’ve taken: ‘When are you going to be back, when are you going to win a championship, when are you going to do this,’” Fisher said. “... There’s a point in time you point back and you look at it and you say, ‘That was it.’ That’s the time that you got over the hump and you got there and you didn’t let the circumstances blur your vision, and they did that.” 

It doesn’t always have to be about playing in the shadow of the SEC or comparing what’s happening in Charlotte to what’s happening in Atlanta. It wasn’t time to ask whether Fisher was the right man to replace Bobby Bowden. For once -- just once -- it can be simply about putting a trophy in the case and letting a group of players -- kids -- who have been through a lot enjoy it. 

“I’ll be extremely proud of it 10, 15 years from now,” quarterback EJ Manuel said. “I’ll be able to say I helped our team get back to where we needed to be as far as the BCS conversation, the national championship conversation and things like that. I want to see greatness from here on out. We have a lot of great players, a lot of great young players, and guys understand what it takes to get to this point, so I don’t see us going back to where we used to be. I think Florida State is back in the conversation.” 

Thanks in large part to the defense, which held Georgia Tech and the nation’s No. 3 rushing offense to just 183 rushing yards. 

“You didn’t want to work this hard for three years and not be able to finish this,” Stoops said, “because our program, Coach Fisher and the players deserved this win.” 

And they deserve to celebrate it -- without any distractions.

Notre Dame and Boston College, where is your God now? Ohohohohohohoooh...

And Nebraska too, I might add. And Arizona State. The Fighting Irish were leveled by Navy, 46-44, The Cornhuskers played their best game of the season, a 72-36 drubbing to Kansas. And Boston College's angels lost their wings, falling gracelessly to Florida State, 27-17. And the Sun Devils were ambushed by some Ducks from Eugene.

Meanwhile, my favorite teams were doing decently. My high school football team destroyed Wilson's homecoming, 41-0. My women's soccer team defeated Cal Poly 3-1 after playing some more uninspiring faggotry against those hated Zots. The men's water polo team actually got a win in a while against Pepperdine. The women's volleyball team disposed of Fullerton, Bakersfield, and Northridge in successive sweeps. And the men's ice hockey team took care of Arizona State's DII side in a 5-2 win on Friday. I have yet to see results from my rugby team, and the result today in ice hockey. Also, some more games are in order, with a soccer match against the Gauchos and a water polo matinee against Pomona-Pitzer.

And also, what the hell is with this message I'm seeing when I'm labeling my posts?

ERROR

Must be at most 200 characters

Up it to 1,000, you oppressors running Blogger! 200 is for grade school blogging n00bs.

The Warrior football team was off this week. And I can't believe my eyes: Long Beach City actually had a victory today in football defeating those patsies from Golden West. Stuff-all.