Notre Dame-Florida State final score: 3 things we learned from the Seminoles’ 31-27 win

Florida State took their first lead Saturday with 7:39 left in the fourth and didn’t turn back from there. The No. 2 Seminoles delivered their first statement win of the season, beating No. 5 Notre Dame 31-27 at home.

Both quarterbacks struggled in the first half, but Everett Golson’s two touchdowns beat Jameis Winston’s one into the break.

One of the early game’s biggest differences came in the run game, where Notre Dame was able to take an advantage. The Irish outgained the Seminoles 115-19 in the first half, playing no small part in their ability to convert six of 12 third down opportunities (compared to an 0-for-4 mark from Florida State). That didn’t change much for Florida State in the second half -- they averaged just 2.1 yards per carry in the game -- but Winston put on a stellar performance in the final two periods to lead them to the win.

The two defenses may have impressed in the first half, but it was the offenses that took over for the final two periods.

Tied 17-17 after an early second half Florida State touchdown, Notre Dame picked up a few big plays from wide receiver William Fuller en route to the leading score. After a five-yard catch on the second play of the drive, Fuller took a short pass 30 yards for a big Notre Dame first down. Later in the drive, Fuller zig-zagged through the defense again en route to the 11-yard touchdown and the lead.

Florida State answered with a number of key throws from Winston and a two-yard touchdown from Karlos Williams, tying the game back up. Another short Williams touchdown, this one coming midway through the fourth, was able to take the clinching lead.

Golson and Notre Dame made one last grab at it, even converting on fourth-and-long and making it within the 10, but Florida State’s defense was able to stop the Irish and preserve the win. On fourth-and-goal, Golson completed what appeared to be a touchdown pass, but it was called back on offensive pass interference:

On fourth-and-goal from the 18, Golson’s pass fell incomplete.

1. Pencil in Florida State for your playoff bracket. It’s hard to find too many opportunities for Florida State to, you know, lose. Road games at Louisville or Miami? A home game against Virginia? Florida going for one last hurrah? There’s a strong chance they don’t play another ranked opponent this season, and that probably suits the Seminoles just fine - a relative lack of ranked teams on their schedule didn’t hurt them last year when it came tot he postseason.

2. Notre Dame is probably out of contention. The Irish were the team better equipped to make a playoff case with a loss due to their remaining schedule, but some severe chaos would be needed to get a one-loss Notre Dame in there. Games against Arizona State and USC may not quite be marquee games, but they’re at the very least good tests against opponents that will likely be ranked.

3. Jameis Winston has returned to the Heisman race. The quarterback has had a relatively slow start to the season but has lingered in the leaderboards due to the strength of his team, his skill showcased last season and his own performances (while not excellent, they’ve certainly been good to very good). This was it, the first breakout game of the year for the sophomore.

Winston struggled in the first half (8/15, 92 yards), but made throw after throw in the second half while leading the Seminoles to the comeback victory. In what has been an underwhelming year on the field for Winston and Florida State, it’s the first real “Heisman moment” he can point to so far. Winston was 15/16 for 181 yards in the second half, leading the Seminoles to three touchdown drives and the victory.

As for the other Heisman candidate, Golson threw three early touchdowns, helping Notre Dame take command of the game. He wasn’t quite so good in the second half and was ultimately unable to complete the comeback, but he finished with a nice statline and completed a number of highlight throws.