Jameis Winston and an overpowering running game delivered Florida State’s biggest offensive performance in school history.
Winston had four touchdown passes, Karlos Williams scored two touchdowns, and both Telvin Smith and E.J. Levenberry had interception returns for a TD as FSU routed Idaho 80-14 on Saturday at Doak Campbell Stadium.
No. 2 FSU (11-0) broke the school record of 77 points, which was set in 1995 in a 77-17 win over North Carolina State.
FSU also surpassed the 40-point mark for the 11th straight game, extending another school record. And the 2013 team has the record for most points in a season with 607 — and three games to go.
“I’m not disappointed at all, but I don’t think we played our best,” FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said.
While it’s the most points a Fisher-led team has scored, he did say that his Salem (W.Va.) team scored 82 points against Samford when he was a quarterback in the mid-1980s.
Quipped Winston: “I guess we have to step our game up a little bit.”
Winston again was composed from the start. While he’s being investigated on an allegation of sexual assault from December 2012 that surfaced publicly Nov. 13, the redshirt freshman took the field with the offense to cheers from an announced crowd of 65,000.
It’s hard to imagine FSU playing much better than it has this season. The Seminoles enjoyed a perfect run at home for the first time since 2000. FSU beat Miami 41-14 in a top-10 showdown, and as it turned out that was the closest game in Tallahassee. The Seminoles won their seven home games by a combined 408-61.
On Saturday, Idaho (1-10) earned a $950,000 payday — and took plenty of lumps.
Just about everyone had a big play or TD for the Seminoles, helping the seniors enjoy their final home game. Former Glades Central standout Kelvin Benjamin had two touchdown receptions, Kenny Shaw had 107 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and Devonta Freeman had a rushing TD for the seventh straight game.
Winston led FSU to touchdowns on six of his eight drives, leaving the game early in the third quarter after a 21-yard TD to Benjamin that put FSU ahead 49-7. Winston completed 14 of 25 passes for 225 yards and four TDs.
Winston’s four TDs gave him 32 for the season. That tied him for second on the single-season TD list with Danny Kanell (1995) and put him one away from Chris Weinke (33 in 2000).
It was the third straight game that Winston and the first-team offense were able to relax for most, or all of, the second half. And while Winston is a contender for the Heisman Trophy, Fisher said it wouldn’t be right to leave him in to pad his stats against Idaho.
“People know he played well,” Fisher said. “He played exceptionally well, and he’s on a great team. To me, stats aren’t the key for awards. It’s how well you play, how you dominate your opponent and what you do.”
FSU was again dominant on defense, too. Smith and defensive tackle Jacobbi McDaniel, both seniors, had interceptions. Levenberry, a true freshman, had one. And so did Keelin Smith, a former Treasure Coast standout.
The Seminoles’ first-team defense allowed just a touchdown late in the second quarter. FSU held Idaho to 59 yards on 35 carries.
The game was another blowout, but it was a special finale for the 24 seniors, including long snapper Philip Doumar of Jupiter. FSU’s underclassmen wanted to give the seniors a memorable finish at Doak, and they can say they set a school record in their final home game.
“We know where this program has come from,” Telvin Smith said. “We’ve grown with the program, with the coaches. We know how to go about things. When I first got here, Coach Fisher said we didn’t know how to win. We learned how to win.”
Next up — FSU travels to face Florida (4-7) at noon Saturday (ESPN). The Gators have lost six straight games after falling at home to FCS opponent Georgia Southern 26-20 on Saturday.
“They could lose every game,” Telvin Smith said. “But when they play us, they are probably going to play their best game.”
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