|
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) -- There were few smiles in Florida
State's locker room after their 29-point victory over Wake Forest.
Despite the win, the third-ranked Seminoles felt like losers.
|  | | Chris Weinke passed for 324 yards and five TDs to lead the third-ranked Seminoles to victory. |
Chris Weinke threw for 324 yards and five touchdowns -- three to
Marvin Minnis -- to lead Florida State to a 35-6 win over the Demon
Deacons on Saturday.
"It's gotten to be that the expectations are so high with this
team, that if we don't win by 50 we didn't do a good job," Weinke
said. "Winning by 29 is still nice, but we know it's probably
going to cost us."
Until the Bowl Championship Series standings are released
Monday, it remained to be seen whether the Seminoles (10-1, 8-0
ACC) would hold their second-place edge over Miami. The teams that
finish 1-2 in the final BCS standings will play in a national title
game in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 3.
Oklahoma, a 35-31 winner over Texas A&M on Saturday, was first
in last week's BCS standings. Miami beat Pittsburgh 35-7, and could
sneak past Florida State in the standings based on strength of
schedule.
"We weren't playing against Wake Forest today, we were playing
against a computer and we didn't win," Minnis said. "You gotta
win big these days and I don't think we won big enough."
Weinke said the Seminoles fully expected to slip behind Miami,
but could get the spot back with a win over No. 5 Florida in next
week's regular-season finale.
"We'll probably lose a spot in the standings because you are
playing against so many factors these days, too many to even keep
track," Weinke said. "If we do slip, I would think a win over
Florida next week could get us back up there. The ball is in our
court now."
Florida State coach Bobby Bowden said it was difficult to keep
the Seminoles from looking past Wake Forest (1-8, 1-6).
"When you are favored by so much and you take your opening
drive in for a score, you tend to let down," Bowden said. "So I
told the team that we're not on TV tonight, but we are on a
computer and the computer puts you in a position where you must
hold your opponent down and keep scoring."
Florida State led only 21-6 at the start of the fourth quarter.
But Weinke, who also had two interceptions, threw touchdown passes
of 4 and 14 yards to Anquan Boldin on consecutive series to give
the Seminoles a 35-6 lead with 7:22 to play.
But Wake Forest ate up a chunk of clock on its next series,
finally turning the ball over on downs on the 27 with 2:08 to play.
Marcus Outzen replaced Weinke and began throwing the ball. On
second-and-9 at the Wake 43, he appeared to hook up with Boldin on
the 8, but the receiver dropped the ball as he hit the sideline and
the officials ruled it incomplete.
Outzen was intercepted on the next play by Quintin Williams, who
was hit out of bounds at the end of a 40-yard return that caused a
flurry of pushing and shoving along the Wake Forest sideline with
25 seconds to play.
Wake Forest then took four shots at the end zone to end the
game.
"The first three quarters, we hung in there and played well,"
Wake Forest coach Jim Caldwell said. "We just couldn't score
enough points to keep up with them. Nobody expected us to win this
game, but we had different expectations for ourselves."
The win was the 314th of Bowden's career, tying him with Amos
Alonzo Stagg for the fourth most in Division I-A.
The Seminoles lost three tailbacks to injury during the game.
When Bowden took starter Travis Minor out with a slightly sprained
ankle in the second half, backup Jeff Chaney was knocked out of the
game with a sprained right knee.
Bowden said Chaney was likely out for the season with torn knee
ligaments.
His replacement, Davey Ford, left one series later with a
possible fractured collarbone. When fourth-stringer Greg Jones
temporarily limped off the field two plays later, Bowden was forced
to use receiver Nick Maddox in the backfield.
Maddox, who had three carries through Florida State's first 10
games, carried the ball four times for 52 yards before Jones
returned.
"I am glad to get out of here alive," Bowden said. "All our
tailbacks got hurt, so if we have any advantage over an ACC team,
it's depth."
The game remained close in the first half thanks to Florida
State's errors.
Weinke got the Seminoles on the board six plays into their first
drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Minnis that made it 7-0.
But the Seminoles stumbled through their next three possessions
and, after a Wake Forest field goal, needed a 36-yard TD pass from
Weinke to Minnis to take a 14-3 lead into halftime.
"We always have a tough time with Wake Forest," Bowden said.
"I told coach Caldwell after the game that no one plays us tougher
than him. It was a dogfight."
|
|
ALSO SEE
College Football Scoreboard
Florida State Clubhouse
Wake Forest Clubhouse
|
