The EJ Manuel era started one game earlier than expected. The launch party wasn't bad.
Curtis Compton, ccompton@ajc.com Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher gets dunked as the Seminoles win the Chick-fil-A Bowl 26-17 over the South Carolina Gamecocks at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on Friday, Dec. 31, 2010.
With Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder sidelined in the second quarter of his final game with a concussion, Manuel came off the bench to deliver the goods Friday night at the Georgia Dome.
Manuel led two touchdown drives for the Seminoles, who gave South Carolina its third consecutive bowl game loss in a 26-17 decision in the 43 rd Chick-fil-A Bowl.
"EJ, boy, thank god," FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said. "I’m glad he's on my team."
Manuel, a sophomore, entered the game after Ponder was knocked out. Manuel finished the game 11-for-15 with a touchdown and 46 rushing yards. Most memorably for Seminole fans, he guided FSU on a 13-play, 63-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter to seal a game in which FSU saw a 16-3 third-quarter lead diminish to 19-17 early in the fourth.
On the drive, Manuel converted four third downs, three by pass. The last was a third-and-goal from the South Carolina 7-yard line, a touchdown pass to wide receiver Taiwan Easterling in the back of the end zone with 5:27 to play in the game. Manuel extended the play by darting away from pressure and rolling right to find Easterling, who was Manuel's fourth option on the play, Fisher said.
"I just made a play with my feet and kept my eyes downfield," Manuel said.
In the huddle before the play, running back Chris Thompson said he'd never seen Manuel so intense.
"He wanted to get in the end zone real bad," Thompson said.
Thompson did his part, wearing down South Carolina for 147 yards and a touchdown. It came on a 27-yard burst late in the second quarter through a crease created by All-American guard Rodney Hudson. Thompson was named the game's most outstanding offensive player.
Against the SEC's top rushing defense, the Seminoles cranked out 218 rushing yards, their best performance in their final eight games of the season. It ended an enjoyable stay in Atlanta for the Seminoles, who glowed over the hospitality they received from bowl officials and volunteers. Following the game, Fisher said the school will get an appearance in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game worked out. Chick-fil-A Bowl president Gary Stokan has mentioned FSU as a potential opponent for Alabama in 2014.
"It's too great of a game for us to not get into," Fisher said.
The Seminoles (10-4) dominated special teams and forced five turnovers from South Carolina (9-5), which lost for the second time in the Georgia Dome in 28 days after its SEC title-game loss to Auburn.
On top of FSU kicker Dustin Hopkins' 4-for-4 night – including makes from 45 and 48 yards – the Seminoles' special teams edge might be best captured in the following statistic. South Carolina averaged a net of 17.0 yards on two punts while Florida State's net on its three punts was 50.0 yards.
"We've got to give [special teams coordinator Shane Beamer] some better athletes out there," South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said. "We can't hold anybody up."
In FSU coach Jimbo Fisher's first year after replacing legend Bobby Bowden, the Seminoles gave credence to the notion that the once-dominant program is on the rise. The No. 23 Seminoles have their first 10-win season since 2003 and will likely have their highest finish in the final Associated Press poll since at least 2004, when they finished 15 th . FSU will lose just six senior starters and just one second-stringer.
"The program is definitely going in the right direction," Hudson said, shortly after receiving a congratulatory handshake outside the FSU locker room from Seminoles legend Charlie Ward. "The underclassmen played outstanding this year."
With the win, the ACC is now 4-3 in bowl play this season. A win either by Virginia Tech over Stanford in the Orange Bowl or Boston College over Nevada in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl would give the ACC its first winning bowl season since 2005-06.
Similar to its 56-17 meltdown against Auburn in the SEC title game Dec. 4, South Carolina looked nothing like the SEC East champion team that had beaten Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Clemson. For the third year in a row, the Gamecocks delivered a clunker in their bowl game. Spurrier had changed practice routines this year in hopes of changing his luck, to no avail.
"It's not a mystery," Spurrier said of his team's bowl game failings. "We just lose our focus, I guess."
Defensive assistant head coach Ellis Johnson said he told players afterwards that they needed to become better students of the game.
"Some of them don't know as much football as they think they know," he said.
Quarterback Stephen Garcia threw three interceptions, all in his first 10 passes. The Gamecocks' star playmakers, running back Marcus Lattimore and wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, lost fumbles. (Both were caused by FSU cornerback Greg Reid, named the game's most outstanding defensive player.) Lattimore was lost for the game on the sixth snap of the game, when a brutal hit by Reid on a pass reception opened a cut on his lip and caused what Spurrier termed "a bit of a concussion." He was taken to a hospital at halftime.
On the play, Lattimore lost the ball – his first fumble of the season after 277 fumble-free touches – and FSU linebacker Kendall Smith returned it to 46 yards to set up a field goal. In Lattimore's place, South Carolina backs Kenny Miles and Brian Maddox ran a combined 22 times for 123 yards and a score.
However, the turnovers and South Carolina's general malaise in the first half dumped the Gamecocks in a 13-0 trench that would have been far deeper if not for their defense repeatedly stalemating the FSU offense.
After Lattimore left the game, "it took a little bit just to get everything rolling," Maddox said. "We just didn't come ready to play."
The Gamecocks rallied in the second half. Garcia drove South Carolina 92 and 79 yards for touchdowns, the second of which drew the Gamecocks to within 19-17 with 11:56 remaining in the fourth quarter. FSU answered with its own Manuel-powered touchdown drive that pushed the margin back to nine points with 5:27 to play.
"They're a tough team," Hudson said. "They wouldn't break."
Against the Seminoles, that wasn't enough.
"They played a lot better than we did," Spurrier said. "They were the better-coached team tonight. Simple as that."
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