| | GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- No one should doubt Chris Weinke any
more.
Florida State's quarterback could have gone in
the tank when he watched Bennie Alexander return his interception
43 yards for a touchdown midway through the third quarter, giving
Florida its only lead of the game.
But instead of caving into the pressure, Weinke, 27, responded as
though he had something to prove. On Saturday night in the Swamp,
he made his point.
Weinke led the Seminoles to 17 points on their next four
possessions, giving them a 30-23 victory and another chance to win
the national championship.
"Any time you win down here, that's how your judged," Weinke
said. "You can win 10 straight games and lose this one, and people
may consider you a loser. I think some people will judge me
differently now."
He finished 24-of-36 for 263 yards and one interception -- but
what a big interception that was.
Momentum was slowly shifting to Florida, trailing 13-9, when
Weinke lofted a pass toward Marvin Minnis. Alexander settled under
it, that ran untouched down the right sideline for a touchdown that
caused Florida Field to shake with noise.
Weinke wasn't rattled, though.
"If I didn't rebound then, I knew we were going to be in for a
long night," Weinke said. "I said, 'If I give away seven points,
I'm going to lead my offense to victory.' At no time did I let it
bother me and not think we couldn't come back."
His next four passes were crisp and between the numbers as
Florida State quickly moved down the field and quieted the Florida
fans. The drive stalled only when Peter Warrick was inserted at
quarterback and thrown for a 7-yard loss.
Sebastian Janikowski connected on a 54-yard field goal, then
Tommy Polley blocked a punt to give the Seminoles the ball on the
21. A third-and-5 scramble by Weinke gave Florida State a key first
down, and Jeff Chaney punched it in two plays later for a 23-16
lead.
After a three-and-out at its own goal line, Florida State got
the ball back at its own 22. Weinke threw a perfect strike to
Warrick for 38 yards and, two plays later, found Minnis in the
right corner of the end zone for a 30-16 lead.
"Chris Weinke played well," Warrick said. "That's what we
need from him."
Weinke, the junior who signed with the Toronto Blue Jays out of
high school, didn't play against Florida last year because of a
ruptured disc in his neck that required surgery. He also wasn't
around when the Seminoles were beaten, 23-16, in the national
championship game against Tennessee.
All that changed with a solid performance Saturday night, that
featured one bad throw but enough determination to atone for that.
"We haven't been beaten yet," he said. "To come down here and
win ... that should prove to people that we are the best team in
the country."
And Weinke proved that he may be just the guy to give Florida
State what it needs to finish the season undefeated.
| |
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