Final Score: Florida State 31, Notre Dame 27
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No. 2 Florida State defeated No. 5 Notre Dame in a dramatic 31-27 game.
Here’s how it happened.
Irish, Seminoles Trade Scores in First Quarter
In the highly anticipated battle, Notre Dame struck first when quarterback Everett Golson hit wide receiver Corey Robinson for a one-yard touchdown. But Florida State immediately responded when quarterback Jameis Winston hit freshman wide receiver Travis Rudolph for an 11-yard touchdown at the end of the first quarter (vine above).
Robinson Scores Second TD For Irish
After intercepting Jameis Winston in Florida State territory, Golson found Robinson in the back of the end zone for the duo’s second touchdown hookup of the game to give Notre Dame a 14-7 lead.
Seminoles Strike Early in Third Quarter
Florida State tied the game at the beginning of the third quarter, after Winston found Rashad Greene for a touchdown (vine above) on the Seminoles’ opening drive of the second half to tie the game at 17.
Notre Dame responded minutes later, when Golson hit William Fuller for an 11 yard touchdown pass to put the Irish up 24-17.
Teams Head to Fourth Quarter Tied
The game has lived up to the hype.
Through three quarters of play, nothing has separated Notre Dame and Florida State, as the teams are tied at 24, with Notre Dame driving down the field. But emotions are starting to come into play, as Florida State has been penalized several times for unsportsmanlike conduct, and Winston got into it on the sideline with teammate Cam Erving (vine above).
Seminoles Take First Lead With 7 Minutes Left
After trailing for most of the game, Florida State took its first lead of the game with just over seven minutes left in the game after running back Karlos Williams ran in from one-yard out to give Florida State a 31-27 lead.
The touchdown was set up by a diving catch by wide receiver Rashad Greene (vine above).
Golson Converts Incredible 4th-And-19
With Notre Dame facing its last chance, Golson found a wide-open Robinson to convert a fourth-and-19 attempt with just one minute remaining (vine above).
On 4th-and-goal from the three-yard line, Notre Dame scored to apparently take the lead, but the Irish were called for offensive pass interference, thus setting Notre Dame back 15 yards back. On Notre Dame’s last play, Golson’s pass was intercepted to end the game.