Before today, Maryland’s worst loss at Florida State since the series started was a 50-7 setback in 1997. That changed this afternoon as Florida State had no problem with the previously undefeated Terrapins and cruised to a 63-0 win in ACC play. Florida State piled up over 600 yards of offense and scored 21 points in the third and the fourth quarters to build on a 21-0 halftime lead.
Florida State’s freshman sensation Jameis Winston completed 23 of 32 passes for 393 yards and five touchdowns before his day was completed. He also rushed for 24 yards as Maryland’s defense was unable to rattle the freshman.
There is little question that Florida State remains the biggest threat in the ACC to Clemson. the one question about Florida State may be just what has their level of competition been so far? Maryland entered this game ranked at the bottom of the AP top 25 poll with a 4-0 mark, but the Terrapins strung those wins together against some weak competition as well.
Whatever the case may be, Florida State will get a chance to rest up before facing Clemson on the road on October 19. Winston has been putting on quite the show so far, but then we will get a chance to see just what he can do against a top-flight opponent in a hostile environment, something he has not ventured in to yet (sorry Pittsburgh and Boston College). If Winston can continue to put together the same kind of production he has so far, Florida State could start thinking about big things.
But we somewhat expect Florida State to be one of the top teams in the ACC. Today’s result does little to change that tune. What will be interesting to see is how Maryland responds after this loss. Losing quarterback C.J. Brown certainly did not help, but that was not the reason this result played out the way it did. Maryland returns home next week to face Virginia. If they can get back to what was working in September against the Cavaliers, the rest of the season could still lead to some promising results for Randy Edsall and Maryland.