Counting Down Jameis Winston’s 5 Best Games: No. 4

With the NFL Draft five days away and Jameis Winston the No. 1 overall pick in the draft in mock drafts from just about all the reputable sources, I will be counting down Winston’s five best games as a Seminole leading up to next Thursday when it seems likely that he will make history as the first No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft in Florida State history. You can find No. 5 in the countdown here.

In making this list of Winston’s best games, I realized that one of the two ACC Championships needed to be included in the countdown due to the impressive feat that is winning back-to-back ACC titles (3 in a row if you go back to the year before Winston was the starter). Although 2013 was the far more impressive year for Winston, the 2013 ACC Championship win over Duke was one of his less impressive games that season. He completed less than 60% of his passes and threw 2 interceptions, one of just two multiple-interception games in the 2013 season for Winston. However, the 2014 ACC Championship against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets was a much better conference championship for Winston than a year ago and was one of Winston’s best games of the 2014 season. As such, the ACC Championship Game win over Georgia Tech comes in at No. 4 on the list of Winston’s best games.

Florida State’s 2014 season was easily one of the most stressful seasons for any fan base in the history of sports. After winning games by an average margin of 39.5 points on the way to a national championship in the 2013 campaign, the Seminoles entered the ACC Championship against GT with a perfect 12-0 record but a much lower average margin of victory at 12.6. FSU had earned a reputation of digging themselves into early deficits against teams who were often of a lower caliber and needing an exceptional second half nearly every week to make the comebacks that became commonplace to ‘Noles fans.

After the 2013 ACC Championship Game, which was quite mediocre by Winston’s standards, he entered the 2014 ACC Championship against the Ramblin’ Wreck with something to prove.

Jameis Winston’s sophomore season was not nearly as strong statistically as his Heisman-winning freshman season. After breaking FSU and NCAA freshman records in 2013 with 40 passing touchdowns compared to just 10 interceptions, Winston had significantly less passing touchdowns (21) and significantly more interceptions (17) through the first twelve games of the 2014 season. It is worth mentioning that a notable amount of those interceptions can be chocked up to receivers not finishing routes, passes bouncing off receivers’ hands, and a lessened amount of talent in the receiver corps after the early departure of Kelvin Benjamin. Regardless of these facts though, it is undeniable that Winston struggled more in his sophomore season.

After the 2013 ACC Championship Game, which was quite mediocre by Winston’s standards, he entered the 2014 ACC Championship Game against the Ramblin’ Wreck with something to prove.

With the exception of the opening drive for the Seminoles, which was a 3 and out, both teams moved the ball at will early in the game. At the end of the first quarter, Georgia Tech led 14-7.

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Despite the potent GT offense that racked up 331 rushing yards in the game, the Florida State offense responded every time that they were called upon. After the opening drive that resulted in no points, Winston led the Seminoles on 7 straight drives that resulted in points, a streak lasting from halfway through the first quarter all the way into the final five minutes of the game. A 44-yard touchdown from Winston to Rashad Greene leveled the score at 21 with 5:40 to go in the second quarter and after that, the ‘Noles never trailed again. In the end, FSU escaped with a 37-35 win, Winston’s second ACC Title and the seventh game which they won by 6 or fewer points in the 2014 season.

In the game, Winston went 21-30 (70%) for 309 yards with 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. It was just his third interception-free game of the 2014 season. This game is considered Winston’s best of the 2014 season per quarterback rating (189.5), raw QBR (95.3), and adjusted QBR (95.8).

One of the most impressive things about Winston always was his ability to make his most clutch throws in the most necessary situations. That skill was showcased on multiple occasions in the win over Georgia Tech. In the first quarter with FSU trailing 7-0, Winston found Nick O’Leary for a 22-yard completion on third and fifteen. On the very next play, Winston again found O’Leary, this time for a 46 yard touchdown which tied the game up. In the second quarter with the Seminoles trailing again, this time 21-14, Winston found Rashad Greene for a 44-yard touchdown pass to convert on third and eleven.