Florida State Wins the National Championship

Jameis Winston passes to Kelvin Benjamin, and the FSU Seminoles win the national title. What a game Winston had, and what a comeback! FSU trailed virtually the whole game but came back with a 100-yard kick return and then the pass to the six-foot, 234-pound Benjamin to put the team...

By Chuck Strouse

January 7, 2014

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Jameis Winston passes to Kelvin Benjamin, and the FSU Seminoles win the national title. What a game Winston had, and what a comeback!

FSU trailed virtually the whole game but came back with a 100-yard kick return and then the pass to the six-foot, 234-pound Benjamin to put the team ahead for the win.

The Noles beat Auburn 34 to 31, outscoring the Tigers 24 to 10 in the second half.

The win capped an amazing year for the Noles, who faced few challenges throughout the year. Though Winston was accused of rape in 2012, the case was dropped this past December because of insufficient evidence.

Florida State was a big favorite going into the championship but didn't look like it in the first half.

Auburn is from the SEC, which includes the University of Florida, and had won seven consecutive national championships.

"God did this," Winston said after the game.

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Chuck Strouse is the former editor in chief of Miami New Times. He has shared two Pulitzer Prizes and won dozens of other awards. He is an honors graduate of Brown University and has worked at newspapers including the Miami Herald and Los Angeles Times.

Contact: Chuck Strouse

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Twitter: @chuckstrouse