FSU Seminoles

Here are your top three performers from the Dr Pepper ACC championship game:

Florida State DT Timmy Jernigan: He had a career-best nine tackles, including 1.5 for loss and a sack, and was probably the biggest reason Florida State was able to hold Georgia Tech to just 183 rushing yards. His previous career best was six stops, which he had done twice. He earned his first full sack of the 2012 season when he stopped Vad Lee in the first quarter. He now has 4.0 career sacks.

Florida State LB Karlos Williams: His interception with about a minute remaining was the difference in the game, and he also led the team with 11 tackles in what was the first time he’s played extensively at linebacker. Williams, who had played at safety most of the season, had a breakout game.

Florida State RB James Wilder Jr.: He was named the MVP of the game after he led FSU with 69 yards rushing on 10 carries and scored two touchdowns in the second quarter. Wilder’s two rushing scores give him 11 on the season and mark his fourth two-touchdown game of the year. He becomes just the eighth Seminole ever to rush for 10 or more touchdowns in a single season and just the second since Warrick Dunn in 1996 (Antone Smith, 15, 2008).

Some of Saturday's numbers were ugly -- namely the second-half shutout for the Seminoles' offense. Some were impressive, like Karlos Williams' 11 tackles in emergency duty at linebacker. They all added up to Florida State's first ACC title in seven years.

Digging a bit deeper, here are five key stats that told the story of FSU's 21-15 win over Georgia Tech in Saturday's ACC championship game.

7. That's the number of turnovers coughed up by EJ Manuel in his past three games, including two in the second half against Georgia Tech. Manuel had been exceptional at protecting the football through the first 10 games of the season, even if he wasn't always particularly aggressive downfield. In the past three weeks, however, Manuel has made few big throws and has been prone to mistakes. In those three games, Manuel is a combined 51-for-77 (66 percent). He has just two completions of 25 yards or more and has averaged just 153 passing yards per game while tossing four INTs and just three touchdowns. On Saturday, he threw for just 134 yards against a Georgia Tech defense that had been allowing 248 yards per game through the air, and his longest completion of the day was a 21-yarder to fullback Lonnie Pryor, with the bulk of that yardage being picked up on the ground.

117. That was FSU's total second half offensive output. The Seminoles averaged a woeful 4.03 yards per play in the half and, for the second time this year, failed to score during a full half of football. Florida State had six second-half possessions Saturday, three of which ended in turnovers, two in punts, and the final came when the Seminoles ran out the clock to end the game. While Manuel did little to jump start the offense in the second half, the bigger problem was the running game, which averaged just 2.8 yards per carry after a strong first half in which it racked up 147 yards on 20 touches.

183. Georgia Tech's rushing yardage total was its second-worst performance of the season, with more than 150 yards fewer than its per-game average for the year. Tech ran 52 times, but mustered just 3.5 yards per carry as the Florida State defense was strong up front even without star defensive end Cornellius Carradine, and the linebackers turned in an exceptional performance. Karlos Williams, Telvin Smith, Vince Williams and Christian Jones combined for 37 tackles, including three for a loss, and a game-clinching interception. Tech entered the game second in the nation with 38 runs of 20 yards or more. It had just one Saturday -- by QB Tevin Washington for exactly 20.

3. That was the total number of catches by all of Florida State's wide receivers other than Rashad Greene, who set a season high with nine grabs. The remainder of FSU's receiving corps struggled to get open, and the three grabs it managed accounted for 16 yards, while Kelvin Benjamin's lone catch ended with a fumble. In the Seminoles' first 12 games of the season, the fewest catches by receivers other than Greene was six.

3. That's the number of times Manuel was sacked, on just 24 passing attempts. If there's a common thread in Manuel's recent struggles, it might be the pass protection. In FSU's past four games, Manuel has been sacked 14 times -- once every 9.6 passing plays. In the Seminoles' first nine games, Manuel was sacked just 13 times, or once every 17.7 passing plays. Of course, part of Saturday's troubles stemmed from Menelik Watson's ankle injury which forced Bobby Hart into action in the second half. Concurrently, FSU's offense withered.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- In a span of four days last week, Florida State lost three times.

On Saturday, the Seminoles lost a heartbreaker to rival Florida in the final game of the season on their home turf. On Sunday, they lost their leading tackler and star defensive end, Tank Carradine, to a torn anterior cruciate ligament. And on Tuesday, they lost their beloved defensive coordinator, Mark Stoops, to Kentucky. Never mind the constant swirl of rumors about head coach Jimbo Fisher following Stoops into the SEC for another head-coaching gig.

“There were a lot of distractions this week,” FSU athletic director Randy Spetman said.

Despite it all, one thing Florida State didn’t lose was sight of its goals.

With a 21-15 victory over Georgia Tech on Saturday in the Dr Pepper ACC championship game, the Seminoles knocked any perceived distractions over like bowling pins. There was no sign of a hangover from the Florida game as FSU jumped out to a convincing 21-6 lead at the half. The news about Carradine and Stoops inspired the defense to a game-changing finish in the fourth quarter, as an interception by Karlos Williams sealed the ACC title with about a minute remaining. For a fleeting moment late Saturday night, as confetti scattered in the air and the Seminoles celebrated their first ACC title since 2005, the rest of the college football world was forced to pause and finally let the Noles enjoy themselves.

They earned it.

“We are still ACC champions, and that is one goal,” FSU safety Lamarcus Joyner said. “We had a lot of goals and we met one of them. We have another one in front of us. That makes greatness, grasping opportunities in front of you.”

In order to do that, they had to forget the missed opportunities behind them -- the loss to NC State, the loss to Florida.

There’s no question there was a sense of relief from within the program Saturday night. This is a team that began the season ranked No. 3 in the country. The loss to NC State knocked the Noles out of the national title conversation and will continue to haunt them long after this season ends. Five turnovers in a loss to Florida was another statement opportunity squandered. And with Georgia Tech in position to put together a game-winning drive late in Saturday's game, NC State 2.0 looked like a very real possibility.

It was almost as if you could hear the entire city of Tallahassee exhale all the way in Charlotte when Williams snagged that pick.

“Oh man,” defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan said. “Oh, man. We’ve been trying to get here for a long time. That’s why I thank God for letting us win this game and I thank the seniors for helping this program get back to the top and get back into the national title conversations and winning these ACC championships and Orange Bowls and those types of games. We’re Florida State. That’s what’s supposed to happen. It wasn’t nothing miraculous. That’s what we’re supposed to do.”

It wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t pretty, but it didn’t matter.

Give 'em a break. In the end, Florida State is right where almost everyone predicted this summer it would be: heading to the Discover Orange Bowl. While many will continue to lament what could have been, Florida State is staring down what is: the possibility at a 12-2 season with an ACC title and a BCS win.

Not exactly a five-loss Rose Bowl team, now is it?

“I’m extremely happy for our players because I know how hard it is and how much flak they’ve taken: ‘When are you going to be back, when are you going to win a championship, when are you going to do this,’” Fisher said. “... There’s a point in time you point back and you look at it and you say, ‘That was it.’ That’s the time that you got over the hump and you got there and you didn’t let the circumstances blur your vision, and they did that.”

It doesn’t always have to be about playing in the shadow of the SEC or comparing what’s happening in Charlotte to what’s happening in Atlanta. It wasn’t time to ask whether Fisher was the right man to replace Bobby Bowden. For once -- just once -- it can be simply about putting a trophy in the case and letting a group of players -- kids -- who have been through a lot enjoy it.

“I’ll be extremely proud of it 10, 15 years from now,” quarterback EJ Manuel said. “I’ll be able to say I helped our team get back to where we needed to be as far as the BCS conversation, the national championship conversation and things like that. I want to see greatness from here on out. We have a lot of great players, a lot of great young players, and guys understand what it takes to get to this point, so I don’t see us going back to where we used to be. I think Florida State is back in the conversation.”

Thanks in large part to the defense, which held Georgia Tech and the nation’s No. 3 rushing offense to just 183 rushing yards.

“You didn’t want to work this hard for three years and not be able to finish this,” Stoops said, “because our program, Coach Fisher and the players deserved this win.”

And they deserve to celebrate it -- without any distractions.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Florida State defensive coordinator Mark Stoops might have coached his last game with the Seminoles in Saturday's 21-15 victory over Georgia Tech in the Dr Pepper ACC championship game, but he hasn't entirely ruled out coaching in the Discover Orange Bowl. Stoops will be introduced as Kentucky's next head coach at a press conference Sunday.

"Coach [Jimbo Fisher] and I really have not discussed it," Stoops said. "Coach and I need to sit down and have a discussion on that. It will be hard. It will be hard to do. I don't want to be a distraction. We'll see. I'm never going to turn my back on these kids. It will be a mutual decision we'll all sit down and figure out."

Heather Dinich talks to ACC title game MVP James Wilder Jr. following the Seminoles' 21-15 win over Georgia Tech.

No. 13 Florida State held off a late push from Georgia Tech to win the ACC championship game 21-15 on Saturday night in Charlotte, N.C. Here is a quick look at how it happened:

It was over when: You did not step into an NC State time warp, Florida State fans. The Seminoles found themselves in a dogfight with the Yellow Jackets after cruising to a 21-6 halftime lead. The Noles did not score again on a defense that ranks No. 10 in the ACC in scoring D. You remember the last time FSU was scoreless in a half: the loss to the Wolfpack. Georgia Tech threatened to pull the major upset, after Jemea Thomas intercepted EJ Manuel with 2:17 to go. But the Jackets do not have a prolific quarterback like Mike Glennon, and Tevin Washington could not deliver. Karlos Williams sealed the game with an interception to give Florida State its first ACC championship since 2005.

Game ball goes to: Safety Karlos Williams. What a momentous time for Williams to intercept the first pass of his career. His incredible play allowed the Seminoles to hold on for the victory.

Stat of the game: 194-183. This is not a typo -- the Seminoles outrushed one of the most prolific rushing offenses in the country. Running back James Wilder Jr. ended up being selected game MVP after rushing for 69 yards and two touchdowns. Florida State won this game in large measure because of the way it was able to shut down the triple-option.

Second guessing: Interestingly, Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson had Washington in the game for the final drive -- even though Vad Lee has the much stronger arm. In fact, Washington played a large portion of the game. And in the end, it was Washington who threw the game-ending interception.

What it means: Florida State is headed to the Orange Bowl, and its most likely opponent is Louisville -- a future Atlantic Division rival. Georgia Tech got its bowl waiver and could end up in the Hyundai Sun Bowl.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- It's a beautiful evening here in the Queen City, and the dedicated ACC fans who are here are enjoying themselves.

Let's get to the news first.

B.J. Bostic will start in place of A-back Orwin Smith, the Jackets' leading rusher who injured his ankle in the Duke game and was also sidelined for last week's game against Georgia. Defensively, Euclid Cummings will start in place of defensive end Emmanuel Dieke. Florida State has not reported any lineup changes.

As for attendance, which is sure to be a hot button topic this year ...

More than 50,000 tickets were sold in advance, according to an ACC official. There are two giant, black, ACC-branded tarps blocking off four upper-deck sections in each end zone, and if the seats are empty, you'll be able to see them on TV, as the majority are Carolina Panthers blue. This year should be an anomaly, though, not a trend for the league championship game (at least ACC officials hope). Last year was great attendance for the Clemson-Virginia Tech rematch, but let's face it: this game has taken the backseat even to other news within the conference this week. Not to mention the Coastal Division was an absolute disaster, with both Miami and North Carolina ineligible to play in this game. Georgia Tech is here by default, and if it loses this game, it will drop to 6-7 and play in a bowl game thanks to a waiver granted by the NCAA.

And yet Georgia Tech is just one win away from playing in the Discover Orange Bowl.

It's the goal for both teams, regardless of how many fans come out to watch tonight.

Heather Dinich and David Hale preview Saturday's ACC title game between Florida State and Georgia Tech.

Auburn bid farewell to head coach Gene Chizik on Sunday. Could the Tigers also be saying goodbye to a trio of ESPN 150 recruits who could take their talents elsewhere?

Each week, RecruitingNation summons its writers from around the country to compile a list of the top 10 battles for elite football recruits leading up to February's signing day.

Here are this week's top battles , and you can take a shot at ranking the top 10 recruiting battles on SportsNation.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- An injury relegated Vince Williams to the sideline when Florida State last faced off against Georgia Tech's frustrating triple option offense in 2009.

It allowed Williams to skip out on the carnage as Tech racked up more than 400 yards rushing, but he bore witness to the dangers his defense will face Saturday, and the memories have stuck with him.

"There was a play [Jonathan] Dwyer broke they cut the defensive end, middle linebacker and safety on one play,” Williams said. “I was like, 'Man, that's crazy.' "

Williams is among a select group of FSU's defenders who knows firsthand the challenge that awaits. Only four active members of Florida State's defense played in that game in 2009, and only Nick Moody had a significant role.

For everyone else, preparing for the option is a new experience, and Williams said it's as much about forgetting what you've already learned and starting from scratch with a new system.

"Your same keys don't really work for this offense," Williams said. "You're going to have to do a complete overhaul of what you've already learned about football."

Based on last week’s defensive performance, that might not be a terrible idea. FSU allowed 244 rushing yards to Florida, the most it had given up since 2009, and the Gators’ 5.19 yards per carry was nearly double FSU’s season average.

Of course, the Tech offense -- which boasts the fifth-best yards-per-carry average in the country -- provides a far different challenge, and Moody said it's not one Florida State should fear. The triple option offense is unique, but it also leaves room for good teams to succeed on defense.

"It's kind of simplified, actually," Moody said. "You don't have to think about as many possibilities. You can kind of tell what to expect -- it'll be here, here or there."

“Here, here and there” are the A-back, B-back and quarterback -- all of whom can get the ball on any given play. Few other teams run a true triple option, which makes preparing for Tech in just one week a tall task.

The two keys to success revolve around defenders sticking to their assignments and defeating the immense amount of cut blocks that Georgia Tech runs effectively, but few teams practice during the season.

That puts a ton of pressure on the defensive linemen and linebackers to both get up field and control the perimeter.

"You've got to make sure your defensive linemen make a lot of tackles inside the box before a linebacker has to pursue out to the numbers," Williams said.

The triple option doesn’t make life easy on the secondary, either. Tech doesn’t throw the ball often -- it is attempting the fifth-fewest passes in the country -- but the Jackets lead the ACC in yards per attempt. When they do throw, it tends to be for big yardage because defenses were caught looking for the run.

“It’s definitely a game where you have to key in on your keys, read your keys,” safety Lamarcus Joyner said. “If you’re not, you can easily be embarrassed.”

That means the responsibility for shutting down Tech's offense won't fall on one defender, but rather on the unit working together as a group. Maturity and patience will be tested Saturday, but Moody said he's already been driving that point home with the myriad teammates who haven't already seen first hand how tough Tech's offense can be.

"Across the board we know we have to take care of our assignment for it to work, to stop them," Moody said. "That's what gets the job done."

My player to watch in the Dr Pepper ACC championship game is Florida State quarterback EJ Manuel.

Manuel has been here before, and last time it didn’t turn out so well. Filling in for an injured Christian Ponder in the 2010 ACC championship game against Virginia Tech, Manuel threw two interceptions in a 44-33 loss to the Hokies, including one that was returned for a touchdown.

"In the future, we'll learn from it," Manuel said that day. "Just remember how to get back in this position and win."

He’s back, and there’s no question he’s better.

Manuel enters Saturday’s title game against Georgia Tech as one of the most efficient passers in the country. His career pass-efficiency rating of 151.54 would be the best in ACC history if maintained, surpassing the mark of 151.15 set by former FSU Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke during the 1997 to '99 seasons. Manuel has led Florida State to a 23-6 record as a starter, including consecutive bowl wins against West Virginia, South Carolina and Notre Dame. This season, he has thrown for 2,967 yards, 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Surprisingly, a third of those picks came last weekend.

Manuel is coming off an uncharacteristically poor performance in a loss to rival Florida during which he threw three interceptions and lost a fumble that eventually led to a touchdown. FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said one of the biggest differences between Manuel now and the last time he played for the ACC title is his maturity in tough situations.

“I think how he deals with things from day to day and the ups and downs, and he understands there are ups and downs,” Fisher said. “There's going to be tough moments like [the loss to Florida] for him, and how he responds back and bounces back. I just think he's a much [more] mature player, and he has great knowledge of what we're doing.”

Manuel followed his own advice and got the Noles back to Charlotte. Now he's got to finish the job and help them win.