Fisher’s confidence
gets the big reward
Long before he was here, in the shadow of the San Gabriel Mountains, Jimbo Fisher believed.
Long before he reached the national championship game, and long before he had an undefeated season, and long before he healed the great divide between FSU fans, Jimbo Fisher was confident.
He was 0-0 back then, about to embark on his head coaching career, and it is fair to say that some didn’t share his large dose of self-belief. He was about to replace a legend, about to take on the rebuilding of a program, about to return FSU to prominence. But back then, no one else seemed sure. …
It’s odd. Last year, Fisher won 12 games and the ACC title. And still, there was grumbling after his team was handled by Florida. No one seemed quite satisfied.
This year, however, Fisher has taken a solid step forward in his coaching. He seems more controlled. Of course, a coach looks that way when his team is winning almost every game by a blowout.
Coaches get better, too. People forget about that, but they do. Fisher doesn’t seem like quite the control freak he did before. These days, he is more of an orchestra leader. These days, he is in control of college football.
— Gary Shelton, St. Petersburg Times
A stranglehold dies
That seven-year SEC stranglehold on college football’s national championship has come to an end.
But it died hard. Very hard.
Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston was outplayed by Auburn counterpart Nick Marshall for three quarters, but the Florida State redshirt freshman showed why he was considered the nation’s top player, bringing Florida State back in the final minutes for a 34-31 victory in the BCS title game at the Rose Bowl.
A crowd of 94,208 witnessed it, and 10 times that many will say they were there.
— Mike Hiserman, Los Angeles Times
An epic comeback
Jameis Winston and Florida State faced down adversity for the first time this season and showed they could take a punch if that’s what it took to win a national championship.
The BCS went out with a bang, with one of the best championship games in its 16-year history. And the SEC’s seven-year winning streak in college football’s biggest game was snapped.
Winston struggled much of the night, but was near perfect when the Seminoles (14-0) needed it most.
And now Florida State is national champion for the first time since 1999, the first team to win it after being down at halftime.
— Ralph D. Russo, Associated Press
A fickle destiny
Destiny dropped the darling it brought to the last BCS Championship dance and switched partners. Auburn made it to the title game Monday night at the Rose Bowl thanks to two miracle plays, but this time it was the Tigers who were stunned by a miracle finish that allowed No. 1 Florida State to pull out a 34-31 a victory in the final 4:31.
— Greg Logan, Newsday
About the Author
