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FSU's Jameis Winston proves himself one of the greats despite defeat

 
The ball slips away from Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston in the second half of the Rose Bowl college football playoff semifinal on Thursday. Oregon linebacker Tony Washington, left, went on to score on the play.
The ball slips away from Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston in the second half of the Rose Bowl college football playoff semifinal on Thursday. Oregon linebacker Tony Washington, left, went on to score on the play.
Published Jan. 2, 2015

PASADENA, Calif. — Florida State's national title hopes were on the line and, once again, it was up to quarterback Jameis Winston to make a play — a throw, a run, something, anything to save the Seminoles' season.

He dropped back to pass on fourth down. No one was open. He stepped up in the pocket. Still, no one was open.

He drifted right, eluded trouble. He dotted back to his left, desperately trying to keep hope alive. Come on, was there nobody open? Winston pedaled back, breaking free from oncoming Oregon Ducks. You just knew that he was biding time to pull another miracle out of his pocket.

Just then, his feet slipped out from under him and the ball — oh nooooo! — slipped out of his hands. As Winston and Seminole Nation watched helplessly, Oregon's Tony Washington scooped it up and raced 58 yards toward the end zone.

"I was just trying to make a play," Winston said. "It's just an unfortunate play. I never thought I would slip and throw the ball backward. … But that's football."

And with that, Florida State's season was over. So, too, most likely, was the college career of the most controversial and, perhaps, best player in the history of the program.

Next stop: Tampa Bay?

In two seasons, every time Winston he stepped on a field, he won. Twenty-six games. A national championship. A Heisman Trophy. And he won even more, particularly the unwavering support of his team, coaches and fans through a series of allegations and missteps off the field.

But on Thursday, he finally did something he had never done before.

For the first time in his collegiate career, Winston left the field Thursday with a loss. But the embarrassing 59-20 downer in the Rose Bowl was hardly his fault. If anything, he showed as much poise, class and determination as he ever had in every victory.

That's why it hurts so much.

"It's hurt (worse) than you ever could imagine," Winston said. "No one likes to lose, man. Losing is not really in my vocabulary, to be honest with you. We fell short today, but we got to man up and just get better every day. I just hope we can learn from this."

What did FSU learn Thursday? That you can't turn the ball over five times. That you can't keep giving the ball back to one of the great offenses in college football history. That you can't throw jabs with a team that throws haymakers.

Most of all, the Seminoles learned that flirting with danger by falling behind time and time again is eventually going to catch up with you, especially when you play a team that is a whole lot better than North Carolina State, Miami and Louisville.

But they also learned that Winston truly is one of the great ones, as good as any quarterback who has ever worn the garnet and gold.

"What he did as a competitor and what he did with his teammates, he's not only one of the great players in college football, but college football history," FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said. "… Look back at his two years and what he was able to accomplish."

It's hard to talk about Winston without the serious sexual assault allegation that surrounded him for most of his two seasons in Tallahassee. He was never charged, yet he also was seemingly never affected, either. Time and time again, Winston would deal with trouble off the field Monday through Friday only to show up Saturday and get the Seminoles out of trouble, time and time again.

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As a freshman last season, he tore through college football as FSU was rarely challenged on its way to a national championship. This season, however, the Seminoles escaped danger nearly every week to land a spot in college football's first-ever four-team playoff.

The magic finally ran out Thursday, but not because of Winston.

"I thought he had a pretty good day," Fisher said.

Other than the fumble when he was simply trying to create something that was never there, Winston's only other mistake was an interception that went through the hands of a Seminoles receiver. For the game, Winston was 29-for-45 for 348 yards.

"He is a tremendous player, a tremendous competitor, tremendous person," Fisher said, "and we will have to wait to see what the future holds."

It's hard to imagine Winston going back to college for another season. There really is no upside to returning. He already has a national title and a Heisman and he runs the risk of injury by going back to school. He's not likely to raise his draft stock because he already is a top-two prospect should he declare himself eligible for the draft.

Winston wouldn't say after Thursday's game what he will do, but the Bucs, who have the first overall pick, certainly will be awaiting official word.

If it's about character then the Bucs have some serious work to do, investigating and interviewing everything and everyone to determine if Winston can be trusted as a face of a franchise. But as far as a football player, Winston is the real deal. He can make all the throws, all the reads, all the plays. He has NFL talent.

Put it this way: Despite what happened Thursday in Pasadena, the guy is a winner.