PHOENIX — So, can these high, mighty, all-everything College Football Playoff semifinals on Saturday live up to that non-playoff, consolation-prize, supposedly lukewarm Florida State-Michigan Orange Bowl of Friday night? More
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) Dalvin Cook rushed for 153 yards and a touchdown as No. 15 Florida State defeated No. 13 Florida for the fourth straight year 31-13 on Saturday.
Cook’s 17-yard score in the first quarter was his 45th career rushing touchdown, which broke Greg Allen’s 32-year old mark. The junior is also the first FSU running back since Sammie Smith (1986-88) with three straight 100-yard games against Florida.
”You are blessed to coach certain guys in your career and he is one of them,” said Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher of Cook.
The Seminoles (9-3, 5-3 Atlantic Coast Conference, No. 14 CFP) rushed for 249 yards and averaged 6.2 yards per carry against the nation’s fifth-ranked run defense. Freddie Stevenson had a 27-yard touchdown on his lone carry during the fourth quarter to make it 24-6 and put the game out of reach.
”We made some big runs and were good on third down,” Fisher said. ”We were able to control the clock which allowed us to play solid.”
The victory ties the Seminoles’ longest winning streak in the Sunshine State Showdown series. They also won four straight from 1977-80 and 1987-90.
Deondre Francois was 15 of 26 for 138 yards, including a 46-yard touchdown to Travis Rudolph during the third quarter to give the Seminoles a 17-6 lead. Francois also had a 9-yard rushing touchdown late in the fourth quarter for the final score.
Florida (8-3, 6-2 Southeastern Conference, No. 15 CFP) took the opening kickoff and drove to the FSU 2, but on fourth-and-goal Austin Appleby…
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — They played a football game here Thursday night.
You’d think it would be pretty consequential one considering LSU and Texas A&M are bitter rivals and all that.
But the real game appeared to be playing out with a Texas school (or two) and a coach not involved in this one.
Right around kickoff at Kyle Field, someone ran over to the Tom Herman pile of fireworks with a match and set … it … off.
Explosions (figurative ones) surrounding the Houston coach’s candidacy/deal with LSU started mushrooming all over the place.
It looks like silly season has cometh early in Tigertown.
There were reports, from a variety of sources, that LSU was close to striking a deal with Herman, certainly not the biggest name but arguably the hottest name in college coaching this season. They coincided with rumors that FloridaState coach Jimbo Fisher, believed to be the No. 1 target for LSU, had turned down LSU and was going to remain in Tallahassee.
With little concrete to go on — other than a firm belief in our reporting that a deal had not been struck yet between LSU and Herman as of Thursday night — here are a few off-the-cuff observations: