Seminoles win rematch with LSU 34-16, advance to BCS title game to face Texas

The Florida State Seminoles defeated the LSU Tigers 34-16 in the season 1 SEC Championship Game last night. With the victory, the Seminoles moved back up into the #1 spot in the BCS and advance to the BCS National Championship Game in the New Orleans Superdome to face the #2 ranked Texas Longhorns. Both teams are 13-0 this season.

The Seminoles used a steady offense and some timely turnovers and sacks on defense to defeat LSU in a rematch from their week 4 slugfest. The Noles forced Tiger QB Jordan Jefferson into 2 fumbles on scrambles and 1 interception. The first Jefferson fumble came on the Tigers' first drive and FSU capitalized a few plays later to take a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.

LSU battled back, cut the lead to 14-7, and got the ball back midway through the second quarter with a chance to tie. Facing 3rd and goal inside the Seminole 10 yard line, FSU's defense came up with a huge sack, and the Tigers had to settle for a FG to cut the lead to 14-10. FSU drove back down the field, and All-American Kicker Dustin Hopkins kicked a 45 yard FG to make the score 17-10 FSU at halftime.

To start the second half, the Tigers got the ball, hoping to tie the score with a TD drive, but the Seminole defense benefited once again from Jefferson putting the ball on the ground. Scrambling away from pressure, Jefferson was hit from behind and stripped of the ball. FSU DE Brandon Jenkins scooped up the ball and raced 35 yards for the touchdown, giving FSU a 24-10 lead. After another 3rd down sack, the Florida State defense forced the Tigers to punt on their next possession, which lead to another Seminole score. QB EJ Manuel raced 7 yards into the end zone on a QB keeper, giving the Noles a commanding 31-10 lead late in the 3rd quarter.

"We were steady on offense," said Coach UTVOL54. "We tried not to make any big mistakes, and we wanted our defense to give us some opportunities to get good field position and work with a short field."

"Our first matchup with LSU was so low scoring and nip & tuck, so we knew either our defense or LSU's defense would win this game for either team. It was a great battle."

The Coach also credited his team's uniforms for the win. "We used our 13th combo of the year, and overall, this one was one of my favorites," he said of his teams Black Helmets, Garnet Jersey, & White Pants combo.

The Seminoles will now regroup and prepare for clash with 13-0 and #2 ranked Texas in the BCS National Championship Game. This will be Coach ChrisHicks21's first appearance in the BCS title game and Coach UTVOL54's first appearance since season 1 of RUTS3. This season marks the first time since RUTS2 season 3 that Coach StuBucksman or Coach utvol27 will not claim the season's national title.