Who needs Jameis Winston? Florida State proved it could win without its Heisman-winning quarterback, beating Clemson 23-17 in overtime.
Truth be told, Clemson lost the game as much as FSU won it. The Tigers had seven red-zone opportunities overall, moved inside FSU's 5 twice without scoring, missed two field goals, fumbled once in the red zone and missed on a fourth-and-1 run in overtime. Clemson outgained FSU 249-84 in the first half, including holding the Seminoles to minus-22 rushing yards, but led just 10-3 at halftime.
Still, despite being outplayed for much of the night, FSU displayed resiliency without Winston, who was suspended for the game. Senior tailback Karlos Williams scored the winning TD on a 12-yard run in overtime; the Seminoles finished with just 13 rushing yards when you figure in sacks.
FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said Winston -- who was dressed out and on the field in pre-game warmups before returning to the locker room and removing his shoulder pads -- would return to practice Monday. While Winston was on the sideline during the game (and seemingly was featured in every camera shot of FSU's sideline), he was not made available to the media after the game.
On the field after the game, Fisher called backup quarterback Sean Maguire's performance "gutsy." Maguire finished 21-of-35 for 309 yards, a TD and two interceptions. The touchdown pass was a 74-yard catch-and-run to Rashad Greene in the fourth quarter to tie it at 17. Greene finished with nine catches for 135 yards, and tight end Nick O'Leary -- Maguire's roommate -- had six receptions for 78 yards.
Maguire faced almost-constant pressure and was sacked five times, but given the lack of a running game, he performed admirably in his first start. And that first start came in a hugely important game.
Clemson defensive end Vic Beasley finished with two sacks and had a solid game against touted FSU offensive tackle Cam Erving, who shut down Beasley last season.
Clemson outgained FSU 407-318 and forced eight punts by the Seminoles. FSU had punted just six times in its first two games and punted only 42 times in 14 games last season.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
