Florida’s secondary is supposedly an elite unit.
The Gators boast two cornerbacks, Loucheiz Purifoy and Marcus Roberson, who are NFL draft prospects. Another, Vernon Hargreaves III, is widely considered one of the best freshmen in the country.
Jameis Winston and the Florida State offense did not seem to notice. Winston tossed three touchdowns to wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin, and the No. 2 Seminoles blasted the Gators 37-7 on Saturday in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
“To go 12-0, you have to have a really, really good quarterback,” Trey Burton said. “He’s special.”
After completing 19 of 31 passes for 327 yards with three scores and one interception, the redshirt freshman set the Florida State single-season record with 35 touchdown passes. Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke formerly held the record.
Winston also holds the record for most passing yards and touchdowns by a freshman in Atlantic Coast Conference history.
“Every day is a hard day with all the hard work we put out there on the field,” Winston said. “That’s one thing we do. We get in the groove, and it’s a victory. I’m not worried about my day; I’m worried about the team’s day, and we got a victory. It’s a big victory.”
While the loss is the final blow for one of the worst seasons in Florida football history, Florida State remained undefeated and took another step toward playing for a national title. If Florida State beats Duke in the ACC championship game Saturday, it will likely be one of the two teams playing in the BCS title game on Jan. 6.
Winston is as big a reason as any that the Seminoles are in this position.
Florida State entered as a four-touchdown favorite against a reeling Florida team that has now lost seven consecutive games to end the season. After a sluggish opening quarter, Winston began showcasing the ability that has made him a Heisman Trophy candidate this season.
In the second quarter, he found Benjamin deep down the middle of the field. The redshirt sophomore wideout caught the pass and powered through three members of the UF secondary to plunge into the end zone for a 45-yard touchdown.
A drive later, Benjamin initiated contact with Purifoy to gain separation and hauled in a 29-yard receiving touchdown. The pair connected for a third score in the fourth quarter to put the Seminoles ahead 34-7.
Benjamin finished the game with nine catches for 212 yards and three touchdowns, which are the most receiving yards Florida has ever allowed one player to accumulate in a game.
“He’s hard to defend,” coach Will Muschamp said of Benjamin. “They did a good job of getting him matched up on some of our smaller DBs by moving him around.”
The onslaught came in direct contrast to a Florida offense that failed to generate any momentum for much of the game.
Skyler Mornhinweg, the Gators’ redshirt freshman signal-caller, completed 20 of 25 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown but never provided much of a threat to the juggernaut Seminoles.
“Everybody started looking at the scoreboard as a collective group and saying, ‘Dang, the offense is just three-and-out, three-and-out, three-and-out,’” defensive end Jonathan Bullard said. “It’s not all on them. We let them get 37 points or something like that. We’ve just got to regroup and get better next year.”
Follow Phillip Heilman on Twitter @phillip_heilman.
Jameis Winston attempts a pass during Florida’s 37-7 loss to Florida State on Saturday in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
