Whether skill, talent or luck, result is same for Florida State
TALLAHASSEE — Florida State linebacker Terrance Smith fielded questions with residual sweat on his forehead, the lingering display from a 60-minute tussle with Notre Dame; loose headphones, unplugged, bracketing his neck; and, over his torso, a Nike-swooshed, freshly printed shirt emblazoned with three words: Nole Luck Needed.
It's a play on Saturday night's opponent, of course, but it holds other meanings. It speaks of an overflowing sense of confidence created and honed during the Football Bowl Subdivision's longest active winning streak — 23 games and counting, with the Fighting Irish the latest victim.
It describes one of Coach Jimbo Fisher's oft-repeated mantras: The play doesn't care who makes it, he's told his team, as he said again during his halftime address Saturday. We got outplayed, Fisher told the Seminoles, who trailed by seven points after the first half, but look at the score. We're a series away, a drive away, a play away.
"We felt like they gave us their best shot," running back Karlos Williams said. "They left us in the game when they only scored 17 points. They could've put us away very, very early. They made mistakes and didn't execute well, that only allowed them to score 17 points."
It underlines a mentality: Find a way to win. We work too hard to go down like this, Smith told his teammates.
"We find excuses to win," Fisher said. "This team understands how to win. It has character. It has culture. And it's about developing this group into the best football team it can be."
Yet, well … maybe there's a little bit of luck involved. Down at halftime, Florida State seesawed back and forth before moving ahead by four points with less than eight minutes left, only to see Notre Dame's potential go-ahead touchdown with 13 seconds remaining called back due to an offensive pass interference penalty.
How often is this penalty — essentially, Notre Dame wide receiver C.J. Prosise used his body to shield an FSU defender from teammate Corey Robinson, who was uncovered along the goal line — called in a high-profile, high-stakes, last-minute situation?
"It was a lot of luck tonight," Smith said. "That penalty that got called on the touchdown, I feel like we were pretty lucky with that one. It's just what we do, we're going to fight. You don't need luck when you've got your brothers."
Call it luck, call it coaching, call it a mentality, but call Florida State — again — the Southeastern Conference's greatest threat in the championship chase. The league may have four teams in the top five of both major polls come midday Sunday, with all four — Mississippi State, Mississippi, Auburn and Alabama — from the same division, the SEC West.
Among this homogenous group stands the outlier, Florida State. New year, same story: This year's group might not be as flashy as its title-winning version, but the Seminoles, battle tested, seem cut from a similar cloth.
It's about how FSU handles adversity — and it's had plenty during the season's first two months, most stemming from the many controversies surrounding redshirt sophomore quarterback Jameis Winston.
Less than a month after being suspended for one game after a vulgar outburst on campus, Winston prepared for Notre Dame while under scrutiny in two simultaneous investigations: one concerning allegations of sexual assault involving Winston and female student that has him facing four school Code of Conduct charges, and a second involving a flood of signed and authenticated memorabilia.
When asked after Saturday's game if the week leading up to the game presented a challenge, Winston said, "I was probably more locked in mentally because this is a big game. We're playing Notre Dame, we're not playing a high school team.
"Every week preparation is the same. I had to be more mentally focused. We were playing against Notre Dame."
The biggest difference from the 2013 championship season — and it's an obvious one, even if the Seminoles are unbeaten — is how FSU hasn't won games with style or panache. A season ago, FSU won each regular-season game by 14 or more points; only one opponent during the regular season, Boston College, remained within 27 points.
Not until facing Auburn in the national title game was Florida State tested, truly tested, and it's not a stretch to suggest that victory — sealed, as on Saturday night, during the second half — showed a steamrolling team how to parry and spar deep into the fourth quarter.
"We got people accustomed to us blowing people out last year," Smith said. "When we win in the way we do this year people are never really satisfied. As long as you find a way to win, that's what this game is about. Wins don't come easy."
Here's the funny thing: Style points no longer matter — or, with the advent of the College Football Playoff, matter less than ever before. It's about surviving and advancing, winning each game, and doubly so for Florida State, which can't afford a loss to remain in the thick of the Playoff race.
Slowly, perhaps, key holdovers from last year's team have bought into the idea.
"I don't care if we win by 25 (points) or if we win by two," defensive lineman Mario Edwards said. "As long as we get a win in that column I'm fine.
"With this team here, we don't have to win flashy like we did last year, blowing teams out. We do our job and we go out there and play good football. It just showed us the game isn't over until it's double zeroes."
There's another message here, and it's one of managing expectations, finding new benchmarks for success, handling adversity and remaining undefeated, again one of a select few worthy of playing for and winning the national championship.
"You can say whatever you want," Fisher said. "This team is dominant. Is it this, is it not as spectacular? I'll tell you what, I wouldn't trade it for any team in America.
"I'll grow with this team. I'm proud of them, proud to be coaching them. The team has tremendous what I call 'adversity tolerance.' It doesn't flinch. It can deal with anything. It can deal with pressure moments, pressure situations. And that's what we did tonight."