FSU Upsets Second-Ranked BC: Drew Weatherford Completed 29 of 45 Passes for 354 Yards, and Geno Haye

Nov 04, 04:46 AM

Current Headlines: By Jeff Shain, The Miami Herald

Nov. 4--CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. -- Matt Ryan didn't just lose his unbeaten season and his front-runner status for the Heisman Trophy. He lost title to his home turf.

Alumni Stadium, it seems, belongs to Drew Weatherford.

Engineering a coolly efficient attack in the rain and wind, Weatherford threw for 354 yards and two touchdowns as Florida State knocked No. 2 Boston College from the unbeaten ranks with a 27-17 triumph Saturday.

FSU's defense smashed Ryan's Heisman campaign with three interceptions, sealed when Geno Hayes took one back 38 yards for a touchdown with 1:10 left.

It added up to the Seminoles' biggest victory of the season, knocking off a No. 2 team for just the second time in school history.

"It was a big win," said Weatherford, who completed 29 of 45 passes on the night. "We showed the whole country we believe in where we're going and the direction we're heading. We executed from the start to the end."

Weatherford hit Preston Parker with a 23-yard TD in the first half, then found De'Cody Fagg with a 42-yard strike that gave the Seminoles (6-3, 3-3 ACC) some breathing room.

Gary Cismesia added two field goals, giving him 11 in his past three games.

Ryan, the Heisman front-runner according to this week's straw poll, threw for 415 yards on 26-for-53 passing. But he couldn't come up with the same heroics as a week ago at Virginia Tech.

One interception stopped a first-half drive at the FSU 2, and the Seminoles turned the other two into points.

Trying to overcome a 20-17 deficit, Ryan drove the Eagles (8-1, 4-1) from their own 7 to the 32 before firing a pass at tight end Ryan Purvis. Hayes reached it to tip the ball, gathering in the deflection before sprinting untouched to the end zone.

"It just shows how good we can be as a team," said Patrick Robinson, who also had an interception.

Boston College has lost just twice at home since joining the ACC -- both times to Florida State. The Seminoles won a 28-17 decision in BC's league debut two years ago.

Though the Seminoles held possession for nearly 22 minutes in the first half, they didn't make the best use of it in taking just a 7-0 lead at halftime.

FSU reeled off a season-high 46 snaps in the half, including 19 in a 67-yard drive that chewed up nearly eight minutes bridging the first and second quarters. But it went for naught when Cismesia's 48-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide left.

The Eagles were much quicker on their ensuing series, needing two Ryan passes to go from their own 31 to the FSU 5. But the result was the same, as Steve Aponavicius went wide right with a 31-yard field-goal attempt.

Weatherford didn't lose his rhythm, though, taking the Seminoles on an 80-yard march that needed only nine plays. Parker capped it with a diving catch on the goal line for a 23-yard TD, which was upheld by video review.

Cismesia extended the lead to 10-0 with a 40-yard field goal midway through the third quarter.

The score was set up in part by a flea-flicker that featured three handoffs before Weatherford hit Antone Smith for 24 yards to the BC 26.

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