Colleges

Spoiler alert

FSU cripples No. 2 Boston College's title hopes.

By BRIAN LANDMAN, Times Staff Writer
Published November 4, 2007

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - A couple of years ago, Florida State quarterback Drew Weatherford gained a bit of confidence with a winning performance here against Boston College.

He - and his team - got a lot more on their return trip Saturday night.

Weatherford threw for a season-high 354 yards and two touchdowns while his defensive mates came up with three interceptions of Heisman Trophy favorite Matt Ryan, including one that linebacker Geno Hayes returned for the clinching score in the waning moments, for an upset of the No. 2-ranked Eagles, 27-17.

"It was a big win," Weatherford said.

How big?

Well, the Seminoles 6-3, 3-3 Atlantic Coast Conference last beat a team ranked as high in the polls in the 2000 Sugar Bowl. They're also now eligible for their 26th consecutive bowl bid.

"We are trying to get back," FSU coach Bobby Bowden said, "and this will help."

The Eagles (8-1, 4-1) still control the ACC's Atlantic Division, but their national title hopes are likely gone, explaining the slow march of the BC fans in the crowd of 40,065 at Alumni Stadium who braved the rain and wind of a powerful nor'easter hitting the area.

But the weather wasn't the story on this night.

Weatherford was.

The former Land O'Lakes star, backed up by a pair of redshirt freshmen with one college snap between them after Xavier Lee was suspended Monday for two games for a violation of academic policies, completed 29 of 45 passes with no interceptions.

"Excellent," Bowden said simply.

Recall that Weatherford, a redshirt junior, was 20-of-38 for 243 yards and two scores in FSU's 28-17 win here in 2005 that spoiled the Eagles' debut in the ACC.

"We showed the whole country we believe in what we're doing and the direction we're heading," Weatherford added. "We executed from the start to the end. We're going to build on this win."

His efficiency, mainly throwing short, safe passes to receivers Preston Parker and De'Cody Fagg and tailback Antone Smith, might not have lit up the scoreboard, but it kept Ryan off the field. FSU controlled the ball for 21:58 of the first half (7:57 on one 19-play drive that netted no points) and 35:04 overall.

Good plan when you're dealing with a player of Ryan's ilk. In the Eagles' last game, on a rainy night at Virginia Tech, Ryan threw a pair of touchdowns in the final minutes to pull out a 14-10 win that stamped the Eagles as national title contenders.

He threw for 415 yards against the Seminoles but had his share of mistakes.

Sophomore cornerback Patrick Robinson ended a scoring drive in the opening quarter with an interception at the 2-yard line, his fifth straight game with a pick to tie the school record set by Terrell Buckley in 1991. He also forced a fumble.

Although the Seminoles continued to struggle in the red zone, they led 7-0 on a Parker touchdown catch, then used some razzle-dazzle to capitalize on an interception by junior corner Tony Carter midway through the third quarter.

Weatherford pitched the ball to Smith, who handed off to Parker on a reverse. Parker pitched it back to Weatherford, who threw to an open Smith for a 26-yard gain that set up a 40-yard Gary Cismesia field goal.

Ryan answered with a 30-yard touchdown to junior receiver Brandon Robinson to cut the deficit to 10-7. FSU again reached the red zone and again settled for a field goal, a 29-yarder, for a 13-7 lead.

After BC hit a field goal, Weatherford responded with a 19-yard pass to junior receiver Greg Carr and a 42-yard touchdown pass to Fagg for a 20-10 lead. Ryan capped a quick drive with a 1-yard touchdown to junior tight end Ryan Purvis, but Hayes sealed the win with his 38-yard interception for a score with 1:10 left.

"It just shows how good we can be as a team," Robinson said. "We played a full game; offense, defense and special teams. Even with three losses, we showed we can beat one of the best teams in the nation."

Brian Landman can be reached at landman@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3347.

[Last modified November 4, 2007, 01:42:30]