For its second loss in Atlanta in 68 days, Florida State took the more conventional route. No fluke-ish end-of-game piffle required to ruin this trip to the big city.
The regular-season loss at Georgia Tech may have been all about the Yellow Jackets walk-off return of a blocked field goal. But Thursday’s Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl loss to Houston came down to properties more common to football’s Periodic Table.
Like drive. And defense. And a dash of daring. All belonging this day to the undervalued champion from one of those cute, boutique conferences.
Houston beat and beat up the haughty Seminoles 38-24 and scrambled college football’s food chain just a little bit in the process.
Thus did the Cougars strike a blow for the American Athletic Conference, which had entered the day 1-6 in bowl games and in dire need of validation.
This is what the Peach Bowl has become, at least in these years when it’s not in the championship rotation: A place where college football’s jilted come to vent.
Last year it was Texas Christian, feeling all snubbed by the playoff committee, rolling Ole Miss.
Thursday it was surprising Houston, the AAC champion picking up a 13th victory in its first year under coach Tom Herman.
“Coog Nation’s back!” Herman shouted during the trophy presentation, shocking some in attendance who didn’t realize such a principality ever existed.
Further he proclaimed, “This is the greatest win in my life.” And it was just a year ago he was offensively coordinating Ohio State to a championship.
It bears mention that the result was only the second most surprising facet to this Peach Bowl. The one thing that really stamped this game as singular among the constellation of bowls: There was no news from either team about a player being sent home for violating team rules.
A shocker, yes, given all the reports of misbehavior going on out there. A real testament to both FSU and Houston as well as a bit of a black eye for the Atlanta convention business (what has this city become if you can’t get into trouble here?).
Once the well-mannered visitors from Texas and Florida began to play, it was obvious from the opening kick that Houston had so much more to prove. The Seminoles, after all, were just two years removed from a national title. Houston was two years removed from a 17-point loss to Vandy in the BBVA Compass Bowl.
It was the Cougars who excitedly swayed on the sideline in unison as toe met leather (the team choreographer really should get a bowl championship ring). It was the Cougars who celebrated being here with the abandon of a New Year’s Eve reveler.
That energy translated nicely to the stat sheet. They do play some defense outside the Power Five conferences apparently. FSU’s 1,658-yard rusher Dalvin Cook added but 33 yards to that total Thursday. The rest of the Seminoles netted minus-17 yards on the ground.
The Cougars, who ranked 17th in the nation with a plus-17 turnover margin, were four to the good Thursday, led by four interceptions off FSU’s Sean Maguire.
Houston was the innovator this day, channeling its inner Boise State when it scored on a reverse pass from one wide receiver (Demarcus Ayers) to another (Chance Allen). And when Cougars quarterback Greg Ward Jr. needed some recovery time on the sideline in the crucial final minutes, all backup Kyle Postma did was run for 37 of the 45 yards needed to complete the Cougars final touchdown drive.
Neither of the starting quarterbacks was short on moxie. FSU’s Maguire played most of the game with an injured left ankle wrapped in about four spools of tape.
It was Houston that ultimately earned the right to wax about resolve.
“That can overcome a lot, having the passion and purpose this team has to play a team loaded with NFL talent and say we’re not going to back down, we’re going to be the aggressor,” Herman said.
As for the Seminoles, they surely doesn’t want to venture inside the Perimeter again for a long, long time. There is nothing but a traffic jam of bad memories awaiting them there.
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