Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher had a surprise waiting for him when he walked onto the field Saturday for warmups.
Throwing the football and in full uniform was suspended quarterback Jameis Winston. Fisher, looking not too pleased, said something to Winston who then headed for the locker room, reappearing later in black sweat pants and his game jersey.
Winston then spent the game talking with his replacement, Sean Maguire, who made his first collegiate start, and getting involved in the offensive huddle on the sidelines.
And just like it had for Winston during his 2013 Heisman Trophy winning season and against The Citadel in the first home game of this season, the fans in the sold-out stadium got behind Maguire. The third-year sophomore from Sparta, N.J., received the loudest cheer during the pregame introductions.
Florida State overcame a shaky first half to defeat Clemson, 23-17, in overtime. Maguire finished 21-of-39 for 305 yards and one touchdown. He was sacked five times.
Winston, who is expected to return next week at N.C. State, originally was suspended for the first half of top-ranked Florida State's game with No. 22 Clemson for standing on a table and shouting a profane, sexually-explicit phrase Tuesday on campus near the student union.
The penalty, announced Wednesday in a statement from FSU interim president Garnett Stokes and Athletic Director Stan Wilcox, was lengthened late Friday after FSU administrators determined Winston was not totally forthcoming about the incident. Winston reportedly told administrators he was not standing on a table when he shouted. Witnesses confirmed otherwise.
Winston, a third-year sophomore, arrived on the team bus wearing gold headphones and a BCS Championship game backpack. After one fan shouted, “here he comes,” Winston stared straight ahead, ignoring the cameras.
Winston appears to have run out of chances with alumni, boosters and former players. Already weary of his litany of missteps that included being investigated but not charged in a sexual assault accusation of an FSU student and being cited by police for shoplifting more than $32 worth of crab legs, the latest hit to the program’s – and university’s – reputation has been met with criticism from Florida State supporters across the board.
Lee Corso, the ESPN analyst who played for FSU in the mid ’50s, said on the GameDay set Saturday that “as a former player at Florida State, I am embarrassed.”
Deion Sanders said on SiriusXM radio he is among several former Seminoles, including Derrick Brooks, Warrick Dunn and Corey Fuller, who have attempted to reach out to Winston.
“All of us have spoken (to) him and tried to lead him in the right direction,” Sanders said. “But he’s a grown man. You can’t make a grown man do what he don’t want to do. He’s already walking around campus with a Heisman Trophy. Why do you need more attention?”
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