Florida State stages dramatic comeback
PASADENA, Calif. — Jameis Winston and Florida State faced down adversity for the first time this season, and showed they could take a punch if that’s what it took to win a national championship.
The Heisman Trophy winner threw a two- yard touchdown pass to Kelvin Benjamin with 13 seconds left and No. 1 Florida State beat No. 2 Auburn 34- 31 to win the BCS championship game on Monday night.
“There’s a lot of heart and guts down in Tallahassee, too,” coach Jimbo Fisher said.
The Bowl Championship Series went out with a bang, with one of the best championship games in its 16- year history.
And the Southeastern Conference’s seven- year winning streak in college football’s biggest game was snapped.
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, Benjamin, for the touchdown in traffic.
There was no miracle finish this time for the turnaround Tigers. They tossed the ball around on one final play, but it ended with Florida State jumping on a fumble, and the Seminoles sprinting onto the field under a storm of garnet and gold confetti.
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 100yard kickoff return to make it 27- 24 with 4: 31 left.
Mason ran for 195 yards and Nick Marshall threw two touchdown passes for the Tigers.
Winston was 20 for 35 for 237 yards and two fourthquarter touchdown passes. Florida State hadn’t been challenged like this all season, winning by an average of 42 points. The Seminoles were down 21- 3 in the first half, and wobbling, but never fell over.
And now Florida State is national champion for the first time since 1999, the first team to win it after being down at halftime.
Winston was jumpy against a strong Auburn pass rush, led by Dee Ford. He was sacked four times.
During Winston’s recordbreaking season, filled with blowouts and fourth quarters spent watching from the sideline, he never faced a situation in which he had to drive his team to a winning score.