Florida State won its third straight ACC Championship on Saturday night as the Seminoles used three second half field goals from kicker Roberto Aguayo to prevail 37-35 over 11th-ranked Georgia Tech.
The teams traded touchdowns for much of the first half as Florida State fell behind by a touchdown on three separate occasions. Trailing 21-14, Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston found senior Rashad Greene to knot the score 21-21. FSU took its first lead of the night on its ensuing possession as Winston again found Greene for the score.
Georgia Tech evened the game on the first drive of the second half, going 77 yards in 14 plays while sucking about seven minutes off the clock. The Florida State defense then stiffened as the Seminoles got field goals from Aguayo on three straight possessions to make the score 37-28.
A 97-yard drive that resulted in a 25-yard touchdown pass from Georgia Tech quarterback Justin Thomas to Darren Waller with 1:47 to play made the game interesting, but FSU defensive back Lamarcus Brutus recovered the ensuing onside kick. Brutus also had an interception for the second week in a row in the victory.
Dalvin Cook, who rushed for a career-high 177 yards on 31 carries, cemented the victory with a first down run on third down. Cook accounted for a total of 220 yards of offense and scored a rushing touchdown from a yard out. The freshman was named the game’s MVP.
After the worst statistical game of his career, Winston was stellar, passing for 309 yards and three touchdowns while connecting on 70 percent of his throws. Greene led all receivers with seven catches for 123 yards and the two scores while Florida State tight end Nick O’Leary added 97 yards receiving and a touchdown.
Against the Florida State defense, the Yellow Jackets rushed for 331 yards, led by Thomas, who finished with 104 yards on the ground on just 11 carries. Thomas passed for 134 yards while fullback Synjyn Days scored three rushing touchdowns in the loss.
Most seem to believe that Florida State’s narrow victory over #11 Georgia Tech will notch the fourth-ranked Seminoles a spot in the first College Football Playoff. The Seminoles become the first team ever to win three straight ACC crowns since the conference went to a title game in 2005.
Florida State from 1998-2000 had been the last ACC team to 3-peat as conference champions. The victory gives FSU its 15th conference title, which is the most in ACC history. Florida State is in its 23rd year as a member of the conference.
With the win, Florida State was able to extend a school-record and the nation’s longest winning streak to 29 games. Florida State is now 4-1 all-time in ACC title games while Georgia Tech fell to 1-3. Under Jimbo Fisher over the last three seasons, the Seminoles have gone 26-1 versus the ACC.
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