Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports
The Florida State Seminoles have been rolling on offense with freshman quarterback Jameis Winston, who is steadily becoming a hot name as a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate. And a good performance would continue to put him into the good books of the Heisman voters as the Seminoles faced the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats.
And Winston did not exactly have a Heisman-worthy performance, but it’s not like he had that bad of a game, as he still completed 10-of-19 passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns. Rather, he was out shined by the Seminoles’ rushing attack consisting of Karlos Williams, Devonta Freeman and James Wilder, Jr.
The trio were part of a running back corps who amassed 266 rushing yards on the night against the Wildcats, with Williams scoring two rushing touchdowns along with Freeman and Wilder each adding one to the mix. Freeman led the group with 112 rushing yards, followed by Freeman with 83 and Wilder with 56. Each averaged at least seven yards per carry.
Kenny Shaw led a quiet day in the Seminoles’ passing game with four receptions for 89 receiving yards, followed by Rashad Greene with four receptions 44 yards and a touchdown and Kermit Whitfield with three catches for 42 yards. Kelvin Benjamin also added two receptions for 26 yards and a touchdown.
The eighth-ranked Seminoles now move to 3-0 on the season and have been flourishing on both sides of the ball. The Seminoles rank fifth in scoring offense, averaging 51.5 points per game, and eighth in scoring defense, holding their first three opponents to an average of 10 points per game. Winston holds one of the most impressive passer ratings in college football with 234.8. However, he has not been battle tested yet, torching the porous and underwhelming defenses of Pittsburgh, Nevada and Bethune-Cookman. Now, the Seminoles move into ACC play, and while three of their next five are on the road, this is where the tests will commence, especially when the team travels to Clemson. But, the Seminoles need not overlook the 4-0 Maryland Terrapins, either.
The “practice” games are over. Now, things are about to get hot for the freshman quarterback and a defense still replacing much of its talent from last season. We’ll see if they can handle the heat.
