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BOX SCORE
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- When the final pass fell incomplete in
the end zone, and No. 1 Florida State had locked up yet another
chance at a national title, the Seminoles raced to midfield for
their rendition of the Swamp Stomp.
"If you can win here in The Swamp," Florida State's Peter
Warrick said, "that's the best way to prove you can win a national
championship. We are a great team."
|  | | Florida defenders Marquand Manuel (top) and Robert Cromartie team up to knock the ball away from Florida State tight end Patrick Hughes. |
Warrick ran for one touchdown and set up the clinching score
with a 38-yard catch, and Sebastian Janikowski kicked three field
goals -- one from 54 yards -- as the Seminoles beat No. 3 Florida
30-23 Saturday before a record crowd of 85,747 at Florida Field.
The win all but clinched a spot for coach Bobby Bowden and the
Seminoles (11-0) in the Sugar Bowl, the site of the Bowl
Championship Series' national title game on Jan. 4.
"Every time Florida and Florida State play, it puts someone in
the national championship game," Bowden said after his Seminoles
completed their third perfect regular season. "We're just happy
we're there."
The Gators (9-2) were their own worst enemy in losing for just
the fourth time -- second this season -- in 61 home games under coach
Steve Spurrier. Florida was called for 15 penalties totaling 93
yards, and in the fourth quarter had a punt blocked and threw an
interception at the Seminoles' 2-yard line.
There is some consolation for Florida. The Gators play in the
SEC title game on Dec. 4, and a win will send them to either the
Orange or Fiesta bowls as the league champion."
"Well, we beat ourselves. That's all you can say," Spurrier
said. "We can take losing, but we hate to beat ourselves. When you
can't line up on sides, you can't line up behind the line of
scrimmage, its tough to take. We had our chances -- if we just
played within the rules.
"We're not smart enough to be great."
For the past seven years, this passionate rivalry has become a
playoff-elimination game, and the Gators weren't knocked out until
the very end.
With the Gators on the FSU 40, Jesse Palmer threw a desperation pass into the end zone, where a half-dozen players were waiting for the ball. It was tipped by several Florida State defenders and fell
to the ground before Brian Haugabrook had a chance to grab it.
Two years ago, the Gators beat the 'Noles 32-29 with a winning
drive in the final two minutes.
"We huddled up and said this is deja vu from two years ago,"
linebacker Brian Allen said. "We said, 'Fellas, we can't make the
same mistakes and give up the long ball."
They didn't. And the Seminoles met at midfield and began the
celebration, throwing their helmets into the air and stomping on the
turf where they last won in 1993 -- the year they won the national
title.
Since then, the Seminoles missed two other chances to win it
all, losing to Florida in the '97 Sugar Bowl, and dropping a 23-16
decision to Tennessee in the '99 Fiesta Bowl.
Chris Weinke, who missed last year's games against Florida and
Tennessee with a neck injury, was 24-of-36 for 263 yards and a
touchdown -- a 27-yarder to Marvin Minnis with 6:03 left that put
the Seminoles ahead 30-16. Two plays earlier, Weinke hit Warrick
for 38 yards.
The Gators came back, though, with Doug Johnson throwing a
3-yard TD pass to Haugabrook to trim the lead to seven points with
3:33 left. But the Seminoles recovered an on-side kick and then
held off the Gators' last gasp.
To no one's surprise, Florida alternated quarterbacks, with
Johnson and Jesse Palmer taking snaps every other play in an effort
to get the offense going. It didn't work the way Spurrier had hoped
as Florida had a good chunk of its 346 yards in the final few
minutes.
Florida's defense kept the game from getting out of hand early
on, forcing the Seminoles to settle for first-half field goals of
22 and 27 yards by Janikowski.
Johnson was 20-of-36 for 214 yards with two interceptions;
Palmer 8-of-19 for 166 yards.
Warrick, who heard chants of "Dillard's, Dillard's," in
reference to his shopping mall scam that cost him a two-game
suspension and the role of Heisman Trophy favorite, had a strong
game. The wide receiver caught nine passes for 90 yards and ran for
19 yards, including a 4-yard TD to give FSU a 7-0 first-quarter
lead.
Florida State led 13-6 at the half, but the margin could have
been greater. After scoring on their opening drive, the Seminoles
moved to the Gators 4 the next two times they had the ball but
settled for Janikowski field goals.
Jeff Chandler kicked field goals of 50 and 45 yards to keep the
Gators in striking distance entering the second half.
Florida needed 71 seconds to take its only lead of the game.
First Chandler kicked his third field goal, a 22-yarder, to cut the
margin to 13-9. The Seminoles took over, and on third down, with
Florida's defense still setting up, Weinke took the snap and tried
to hit Minnis for a big gainer.
But cornerback Bennie Alexander intercepted the pass and
returned it 43 yards for a touchdown, putting the Gators ahead
16-13 with 7:39 left in the third period.
Unperturbed by the blunder, Weinke brought Florida State into
Janikowski's field goal range, After his successful 49-yarder was
wiped out by a delay-of-game penalty, Janikowski kicked a 54-yarder
to tie the score at 16-16.
Then came Florida State's big break -- linebacker Tommy Polley
blocked a Florida punt. He blew through the middle of the line,
leaped in front of Alan Rhine's punt and safety Jean Jeune
recovered at the Florida 21. Six plays later, Jeff Chaney scored
from 2 yards out with 34 seconds left in the third quarter and the
Seminoles had the lead for good, 23-16.
Florida nearly tied the score, moving to the Seminoles 8, but
after a holding penalty moved the ball back 10 yards, Johnson's
third down pass was intercepted at the 2 by free safety Chris Hope.
A few plays later, Weinke found Minnis in the right corner of the
end zone, and the Seminoles had the win that surely puts them in
their second straight national title game.
This year, Bowden is hoping for a different result, as one more
victory would give the 70-year-old coach the first perfect season of
his career.
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ALSO SEE
College Football Scoreboard
Florida State Clubhouse
Florida Clubhouse
Swamp proves to be solid ground for FSU
Gators haunted by their own mistakes
Weinke at his best in biggest game
College football Top 25 overview
Florida falls to sixth in ESPN/USA Today poll
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Bobby Bowden discusses Chris Weinke's performance.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Chris Weinke talks about the showdown in the swamp.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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