Style points haven't been the No. 3 Florida State Seminoles' strong suit this season, but all the defending national champions continue to do is win.
Enduring rainy conditions and a physical matchup with ACC foe Boston College on Saturday in Tallahassee, Florida State found a way to improve to 11-0 in a 20-17 victory.
#Noles win their 27th straight game! http://ift.tt/1xjNqsO
- FSU Football (@FSU_Football) November 22, 2014
An impressive, concluding drive culminated in Florida State kicker Roberto Aguayo's game-winning 26-yard field goal with just three seconds left.
ESPN Stats & Info referenced the close-call, cardiac-kid type of games the Seminoles have been involved in almost every week this year:
Florida State 20, Boston College 17: Seminoles' 5th win this season by fewer than 7 points
- ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 22, 2014
ESPN.com's Jared Shanker felt the field favored the underdog Eagles even before this competitive matchup unfolded:
#BCvsFSU is about to kick off. These are the kind of conditions that benefit BC. Rainy. Windy. Small crowd.
- Jared Shanker (@JShankerESPN) November 22, 2014
Boston College had already defeated a Top 10 team earlier in the year in an upset over then-No.9 USC, but going on the road and wining would have been quite remarkable against the Seminoles. A relentless commitment to the run allowed the Eagles to control time of possession, convert more often than not on third down and remain close throughout.
But as Anish Shroff of ESPN alluded to, the Seminoles dug deep to rally from the precipice of falling out of college football's elite:
Yup... Same movie. #BCvsFSU
- Anish Shroff (@AnishESPN) November 22, 2014
Like the horror movie villain... FSU is never dead.
- Anish Shroff (@AnishESPN) November 22, 2014
It was a far different story for Florida State's offense in the first half, as it relied almost exclusively on the talents of reigning Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston.
That was evident right away on an opening drive that went 75 yards and spanned 14 plays, capped by a three-yard touchdown jaunt by power back Karlos Williams. Dustin Tackett of the Orlando Sentinel put into context how slow the Seminoles had started prior to Saturday:
Noles are on the board after a long physical drive. First time they're scored on an opening drive since Syracuse. 7-0 #FSU.
- Dustin Tackett (@dtackett_) November 22, 2014
Williams' plunge to paydirt was a rare successful running play for FSU in the opening half, too.
The Orlando Sentinel's Brendan Sonnone explains:
FSU had 54 rushing yards in first quarter...-18 yards in second quarter.
- Brendan Sonnone (@osfsu) November 22, 2014
One of 10 rare pass attempts from dual-threat Eagles QB Tyler Murphy resulted in a 49-yard scoring toss to Shakim Phillips, allowing the visitors to even the score at 10 at 5:29 in the second.
Winston, who wound up 22-of-32 passing for 281 yards, a touchdown and an interception, was playing as well as he had all year, though, even amid the unfavorable circumstances and several drops by his receivers.
The sophomore threw a 30-yard strike to answer BC's first touchdown drive, finding decorated tight end Nick O'Leary for a score and a 17-10 lead with 3:02 remaining before halftime.
Tom D'Angelo of the Palm Beach Post highlighted O'Leary's place in conference history:
#FSU's Nick O'Leary is now 2nd in ACC history for TD catches by at TE with 14. Virginia's Heath Miller had 20 (2002-04).
- Tom D'Angelo (@tomdangelo44) November 22, 2014
While Winston's leadership and ability to combat adversity on the field is respectable, The MMQB's Greg A. Bedard was a bit critical of the signal-caller's antics amid Saturday's tight contest:
Jameis Winston is walking a fine line between trying to wake his teammates up, and being belligerent.
- Greg A. Bedard (@GregABedard) November 22, 2014
Murphy scampered for a 21-yard TD to knot the score at 17 approximately midway through the third quarter, setting the stage for a tense battle of the final 15 minutes.
Tyler Murphy soars to the end zone and we are tied at 17-17! #BCvsFSU http://t.co/gRMSSiZBtJ
- College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) November 22, 2014
After Aguayo had missed a critical boot earlier in the game, BC's Alex Howell blew a potential go-ahead shot wide right from 42 yards out.
No Good! BC K Alex Howell misses 42-yarder after 17 play, 8 min drive. FSU takes over with 4 min left. 17-17 #BCvsFSU http://ift.tt/1uUyCCA
- ESPN CollegeFootball (@ESPNCFB) November 22, 2014
ESPN's Andrew Brandt weighed in on the wayward kick:
Kickers are like lawyers; no one appreciates them until they need a good one. #BCvsFSU
- Andrew Brandt (@adbrandt) November 22, 2014
That came with just 4:37 remaining on the clock, giving Winston and Co. favorable field position to mount a winning drive.
Senior leader Rashad Greene (who had a game-high eight receptions and 106 yards receiving) had multiple key receptions during FSU's triumphant final march in Doak Campbell Stadium. FSU Football noted Greene's amazing accomplishment in that stretch:
With that last reception Rashad Greene has passed Ron Sellers for the most Career Receiving Yards in FSU History
- FSU Football (@FSU_Football) November 22, 2014
Before the game, Seminoles coach Jimbo Fisher discussed the new playoff system's relative disregard for Florida State's perfect record, via Rivals.com's Ben Jones:
Jimbo Fisher asked what 'game control' is: 'I have never figured that out. It's something they made up.'
- Ben Jones (@WarchantBen) November 20, 2014
Those words bear relevance now, and it will be interesting to see how the College Football Playoff committee views this latest gritty win.
With yet another difficult hurdle cleared, Fisher's resilient team can focus to the regular-season finale against archrival Florida. While that contest should be a bit easier to manage in theory, the ACC Championship Game against Georgia Tech ought to test the Seminoles in terse fashion.
Georgia Tech runs a run-heavy offense that is difficult to prepare for since it's so rare in modern college football. The Yellow Jackets have a triple-option ground game, and if BC's success on Saturday is any indication, the Seminoles are far from a lock in the College Football Playoff picture.
This is a heartbreaking loss for the Eagles, yet there are plenty of positives to take away for the budding BC program under coach Steve Addazio.
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