FSU Football’s Best 15 Games Of The Last 40 Seasons: No. 3

Here’s a look at one of the best 15 games over the last 40 seasons of FSU football.

For the four decades, two men have led FSU football: Bobby Bowden and Jimbo Fisher. Over that span, the Seminoles have gone from a football program that seemed to be just weeks from being cancelled to one of the top teams in the country and a known brand across the country and all over the world.

There has been everything from big road wins that set the tone for FSU football’s “play anyone at anytime” attitude to rivalry wins against Florida and Miami. The 34 seasons with Bowden at the helm saw two national titles won and one of the greatest dynasty eras in the history of the sport take place. The last six seasons under Fisher have seen the ‘Noles bring another title to Tallahassee and restored FSU football’s place as one of college football’s elite teams.

Of all the games over the past four decades, which are the ones that meant the most to where FSU football is today? Let’s take a look at the best games over the past 40 seasons the ‘Noles have taken the field.

No. 3 – Florida State 46 Virginia Tech 29 (January 4, 2000)

For FSU football, the 1999 season was going to be the year that history would be made. Halfway through the season, the ‘Noles looked unstoppable and en route to their second national title in program history with very little standing in their way. Then, a legal issue involving a Tallahassee clothing store robbed the team of one receiver (Laveranues Coles) and saw the Heisman Trophy hopes of another gone following a two game suspension (Peter Warrick).

The Seminoles would never leave the top spot in the polls and continued to stay unbeaten for the rest of the regular season, locking them into a berth in the Sugar Bowl and a match up with freshman sensation quarterback Michael Vick and the Virginia Tech Hokies. The two teams were familiar with each other from showdowns in the 1980’s and early 90’s, but this would be the most important meeting in the history of their series. Head coach Bobby Bowden was still in search of his first undefeated team at any school and came in as a heavy favorite over the champs from the Big East conference.

For much of the first half, the game was in cruise control for the ‘Noles. Long touchdown passes from Chris Weinke to Warrick and Ron Dugans were coupled with a blocked punt returned for a touchdown and Warrick’s 59-yard punt return for another touchdown. The Hokies would score just before the half to cut the deficit to 28-14 and then things got interesting. Vick led Virginia Tech on two touchdown drives and the Hokies added a field goal to take the lead entering the fourth quarter. In the final frame, FSU football put their foot on the gas as Weinke found Dugans again for a score and then, in the play of the game, connected with Warrick for an amazing touchdown grab while being draped by the Virginia Tech defender.

Next: FSU Football: 5 Toughest Games in 2016

When it was all said and done, Bowden had finally gotten his undefeated team, FSU football had their second national championship and Warrick has his redemption by winning the game’s MVP award and showing why he was the best play in football that season, regardless of the Heisman. It was historical in that FSU football became the first team to go wire-to-wire as the top ranked team in the land.