PASADENA, Calif. — A furious second-half comeback. A 100-yard kickoff return. A touchdown drive led by a redshirt freshman quarterback that ended with 13 seconds on the clock.
That was all it took to end the Southeastern Conference's stranglehold on the Bowl Championship Series trophy. That was what it took for Florida State to out-Auburn the Auburn Tigers in its 34-31 triumph at the Rose Bowl Stadium on Monday night.
The final minutes looked like a wayward polygraph test, the teams flying up the field, the lead flipping back and forth. A full 24 points were scored in the last 4 minutes 42 seconds, otherwise known this season as the time when Auburn normally did something — like catching a tipped Hail Mary pass or returning a missed field goal for a touchdown — to pull off another stunner.
That meant that Auburn had Florida State right where it wanted it late in the fourth quarter. Sure, the Seminoles had unleashed Levonte Whitfield, he of the 4.37 40-yard dash and the Kermit nickname, for a kickoff return that started in the front of the end zone, moved toward the left sideline and ended 100 yards down field. But this was Auburn, the team for whom "insurmountable" means "let's get started."
The Tigers took over with 4:31 left. Auburn time, at least in 2013. In seven plays they moved the ball to Florida State's 37-yard-line. The next handoff went to running back Tre Mason, who sliced up the middle, scooted into the secondary and scored to reclaim the lead, 31-27.
"Felt pretty good," Coach Gus Malzahn said of his team's chances at that point.
Only Auburn made a critical mistake there. It left 1:19 on the clock against Florida State's offense.
That was enough for Jameis Winston, the Heisman Trophy winner who spent the latter part of this season under scrutiny for an accusation of sexual assault. Winston, known as Famous Jameis, more famous than ever now, began the march.
Florida State's drive started on its own 20-yard-line. It stalled on Auburn's 10. On that play, on third down, Winston lobbed a pass into the end zone, and while the toss fell incomplete, it also drew a pass interference penalty on Chris Davis, the Auburn player who returned the missed field goal to beat Alabama.
The penalty extended the drive. The Seminoles avoided a fourth down.
On first-and-goal from the 2, Winston scanned the defense. He later said he knew the instant he looked at Auburn's play call that the Seminoles were going to score.
The receiver that he targeted, Kelvin Benjamin, struck Winston as emotional before the game started. He had tears in his eyes. Then he hauled in the winning touchdown in decidedly Auburn fashion for a 2-yard score and thanked teammates who believed in him. Same as his quarterback.
"I was ready," Winston said. "I wanted to be in that situation."
The Seminoles' victory came in the final B.C.S. championship game. It ended a streak of seven straight B.C.S. titles secured by the SEC, including four straight won by universities from Alabama.
Auburn attempted one final miracle on the final play. But where a tipped desperation pass was completed against Georgia and a missed field goal was returned 109 yards against Alabama, a last-gasp comeback bid on Monday at the Rose Bowl was simply thwarted.
A full 94,208 stood and acknowledged this defibrillator of a football game.
"The A.C.C. is good football, folks," Florida State Coach Jimbo Fisher said, referring to the Atlantic Coast Conference. "I'm happy for the A.C.C. There's some good football played in this conference, too."
The theme before the game centered on destiny versus dominance, or a so-called team of destiny (Auburn) against a dominant one (Florida State), or the best team versus perhaps the hottest one. The catchy alliteration highlighted the stark contrast between these teams — Auburn and its four fourth-quarter comebacks (two of the miracle variety) and how Florida State never trailed after halftime.
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