The Oregon Ducks dominated the first College Football Playoff semifinal ever, forcing the defending national champion Florida State Seminoles into a string of second-half turnovers and converting them into 34 unanswered points en route to a 59-20 Rose Bowl victory. The win sends the Ducks to the College Football Playoff Championship on Jan. 12 in Arlington, Tex. It also ends a 29-game Florida State winning streak stretching back to Dec. 2012.
Rose Bowl final score: Oregon destroys Florida State in 59-20 semifinal win
The Ducks forced a handful of second-half turnovers and set a bevy of records in dismantling the Seminoles.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Oregon held an 18-13 lead at the end of a hard-hitting first half, with each team scoring a touchdown in the last three minutes before halftime and momentum swaying between the teams. But four Florida State third-quarter turnovers -- two by quarterback Jameis Winston, two by freshman halfback Dalvin Cook -- led to 27 Oregon points, and the Ducks had punched their ticket to the College Football Playoff final before the fourth quarter had even begun. A fifth turnover by receiver Jesus Wilson led to a Thomas Tyner fourth-quarter score and a 39-point Oregon lead. "Florida State has quit," said a stunned Kirk Herbstreit to an equally stunned audience. By the time it was over, Oregon had set Rose Bowl records for points and total yards.
Tyner finished the game with 124 yards on the ground, accounting for nearly half of Oregon's rushing output. Meanwhile, Darren Carrington caught seven passes for 165 yards and two scores, including the 30-yard third-quarter touchdown reception that broke Florida State's back.
Winston finished with statistics far better than his performance indicated. The sophomore quarterback completed 29 of 45 pass attempts for 348 yards, and four Seminoles receivers caught five or more passes. Cook ran for 103 yards on just 15 carries, with Karlos Williams adding 80 yards on the ground.
Oregon now waits for the result of the Sugar Bowl between Alabama and Ohio State, with 11 days to prepare for an historic championship game. Florida State goes back to Tallahassee to pick up the pieces and face its post-Jameis Winston reality.
Record-setting Rose Bowl. pic.twitter.com/7tHWg6syeJ
— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoAP) January 2, 2015
Three things we learned
1. Marcus Mariota was everything Jameis Winston wasn't. We knew entering Thursday that we would see the last two Heisman Trophy winners, and neither Marcus Mariota nor Jameis Winston disappointed. Mariota ran the high-powered, up-tempo Oregon offense with efficiency and composure, particularly in the second half. The current Heisman holder finished the Rose Bowl 26 of 36 for 338 yards and two touchdowns, with another 62 yards on eight carries before leaving the game with eight minutes to play.
The 2014 edition of Winston was not close to the transcendent force he had been in 2013, and when the Seminoles needed him to deliver in the second half Thursday, Winston folded. With Florida State down 19 points and facing a 4th and 5 from the Oregon 30 late in the third quarter, Winston dropped back, rolled right, then -- in the face of Oregon pressure -- fell backwards and dropped the ball. Oregon recovered the unforced error and returned it for a touchdown (GIF via ESPN).
On the next series, Winston threw an interception to Oregon defensive back Erick Dargan. Jimbo Fisher loudly threatened to bench Winston, minutes before Mariota skipped through the Florida State defense on a 23-yard touchdown run and put the dagger in Florida State’s dreams of a repeat.
2. Oregon is redefining “tough” for this century. Any talk of Oregon as “soft” should be dead after Thursday. The Ducks went toe-to-toe with one of the hardest-hitting teams in the country, exchanged blows throughout a brutal first half, and came out ahead. Oregon is stout on defense, hits opposing receivers as hard as anyone, and has no trouble overrunning defenders when needed.
But Oregon’s version of “tough” doesn’t look like what your grandfather remembers. Oregon grinds on teams, then finishes them with a blazing tempo in the second half. The Ducks outscored their opponents, 139-72, in the third quarter during the regular season and Pac-12 Championship Game, and outscored 11 of their 13 opponents in the third stanza. They regained the advantage on Michigan State with a 14-3 third quarter, then finished the Spartans in the fourth. They effectively ended all hope of a UCLA comeback with two third-quarter touchdowns.
And then at the Rose Bowl, they turned the typically calm Winston into a stammering mess and stopped any Florida State comeback before it ever started. When the game was over, Oregon was still hitting Florida State receivers over the middle, still forcing fumbles and still imposing its will like “tough” teams of yore.
3. A winning streak is dead. A meme is born. Winston’s faltering third-quarter pratfall went viral fast.
Ndamukong Suh be like "Sit down Jameis...you embarrassing yourself." pic.twitter.com/KzMfclNRaN
— Conrad McGorkin (@ConradMcGorkin) January 2, 2015 Oh my. RT @NFL_Memes: Odell Beckham Jr got your back.. pic.twitter.com/05G2Q83SW0
— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) January 2, 2015 And while rival Florida had Tebowing, FSU now has Jameising.
OH. MY. GOD. RT @Ludakrisi: I'm #Jameising pic.twitter.com/xDuVNv9NrP
— Tyler Dawgden (@TylerDawgden) January 2, 2015 See More:
