Skidding FSU shocks the Hokies to win the inaugural ACC title game, likely putting it in the Orange Bowl.
By BRIAN LANDMAN, Times Staff Writer
Published December 4, 2005
[AP photo]
Safety Pat Watkins backs into Virginia Tech receiver Eddie Royal while intercepting Marcus Vick's pass in the third quarter. FSU scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive for a 17-3 lead.
JACKSONVILLE - Maybe the Florida State program isn't in such bad shape after all.
After limping into the inaugural ACC championship game on a nearly unprecedented three-game losing streak and unranked for the first time since 2001, the Seminoles held off No.5 Virginia Tech 27-22 Saturday night.
"We just had to show up all our critics," said senior receiver Willie Reid, the game MVP. "We're back to normal. We're back to Florida State football."
With the improbable win, the Seminoles earn the league's automatic berth into the Bowl Championship Series, most likely a date against Penn State in the Orange Bowl on Jan.3 in what will be a matchup for the ages between FSU's Bobby Bowden, 76, and Penn State's Joe Paterno, 78.
They are first and second, respectively, in all-time wins among Division I-A coaches.
"Does it look like that? I might not show up," Bowden said of that possible bowl game.
The Hokies (10-2), who won the title their first year in the league in 2004 and seemed poised to stamp themselves as the standard-bearer in an expanded ACC, likely will return here for the Gator Bowl on Jan.2 against Louisville or go to the Peach Bowl Dec.30.
The Seminoles (8-4) had been searching haplessly for their offense in recent weeks. Redshirt freshman quarterback Drew Weatherford, the former Land O'Lakes star, had thrown 13 interceptions in his previous six games and was constantly harassed as his injury-riddled line was sieve-like in its protection.
Though the Seminoles led the league in total offense (394.5 yards) and were second in scoring (29.6 points), those were deceiving. During their skid, they averaged 262 yards and 12 points.
Making matters worse, they were facing the nation's stingiest defense.
"I did not think we could protect our quarterback against these guys," Bowden said.
Maybe that's why there were so many empty seats at Alltel Stadium. More than 75,000 tickets were sold, but the announced crowd was 72,749.
Reid's 83-yard punt return for a touchdown in the opening moments of the third quarter broke a tie at 3 and infused the team with confidence it hadn't had in weeks and sparked a 24-point outburst behind Weatherford and his line.
Meanwhile, the Seminoles defense, which had allowed 20 or more points seven straight times, shut down the Hokies' vaunted running game as well as electrifying quarterback Marcus Vick.
Coming out in the shotgun and four-wide set on the opening series, a must to compensate for a constantly shuffled line, FSU and Weatherford moved smoothly just as they had the first month of the season.
But after FSU reached the 15, a false start by tackle David Overmyer stalled the drive and forced it to settle for a 31-yard field goal. Still, it was the first time FSU scored first since the Maryland game Oct.29, also the last game it won.
Fueled in part by a third-down FSU penalty, the Hokies tied the score on Brandon Pace's season-long 45-yard field goal late in the first quarter.
Neither team could do much the rest of the half, and the Seminoles, two-touchdown underdogs, had to feel good about going into halftime tied.
After FSU held the Hokies to start the second half, Reid drifted right to catch a punt, turned upfield, faked out the punter Nic Schmitt, picked up a big block from junior special teams player Patrick Harrington and raced 83 yards for a touchdown.
That was the first punt the Hokies had allowed to be brought back for a score since 2002.
Moments later, senior safety Pat Watkins picked off a Vick pass thrown into double coverage to give FSU the ball again at its 44. Weatherford hit freshman receiver Fred Rouse and sophomore receiver De'Cody Fagg on successive plays to move the ball to the 14.
Operating from the shotgun, Weatherford sprinted right and handed off to tailback Leon Washington, who ran up the middle for a touchdown - 2:59 after Reid's score - for a 17-3 lead that brought reverberating war chants from the crowd.
Reid came up with an acrobatic 41-yard catch that gave FSU first down at the 3. Two holding calls on senior center David Castillo meant the Seminoles came away with only Gary Cismesia's 41-yard field goal.
It didn't end their momentum.
Senior safety Kyler Hall forced a fumble by receiver David Clowney, and senior nose guard and former Chamberlain High star Brodrick Bunkley recovered at the Tech 31. Weatherford hit freshman receiver Greg Carr for 22 yards and moments later capped the third-quarter outburst with a 6-yard TD to junior receiver Chris Davis, the St. Petersburg Catholic standout.
The Hokies ended the FSU run when Vick hit receiver Josh Morgan for a 28-yard touchdown with 13:29 left, and Vick added two short runs for scores. But after a failed onside kick, FSU ran out the clock.
