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Tuesday, October 9, 2001
Weinke fills void for Seminoles
By Marc Connolly
ABC Sports Online
Who ever said the Miami-Florida State game needed Peter Warrick to pack its usual punch?
|  | | Chris Weinke impressed his teammates with his poise when the Seminoles defeated Miami without Peter Warrick. |
In fact, one would be hard-pressed to envision a game with as much excitement -- at least through three quarters -- between these two rivals as Florida State's 31-21 victory over a resurgent Miami Hurricanes squad.
There were so many yards gained (933) and points scored (52) by both teams, even a certain local clerk would have undoubtedly produced a relatively high number had she crunched the numbers.
In front of a capacity crowd of 80,976, one horse and a towel-waving, jeans-wearing superstar flanker, the star who shone brightest was the oldest gentleman on the playing field: FSU quarterback Chris Weinke.
Faced with the loss of two starting wide receivers, including one of the best collegiate flankers to ever grace a football field in Warrick, Weinke took hold of the offense. In arguably his best game as a Seminole, the 27-year-old threw for 332 yards and two touchdowns on 23 for 34 passing.
If his inexperienced group of receivers were nervous, Weinke didn't give them time to contemplate the situation.
"We hit them (Hurricanes defense) early on the post pattern and it killed them," said Weinke of his 48-yard TD strike to Germaine Stringer (anyone heard of him?) on FSU's second possession of the game to take a 7-0 lead.
Weinke claims he predicted the senior flanker would score on such a play.
"I told him (Stringer) after class on Friday that I'd hit him on the post for a TD," said Weinke, who audibled at the line to set up the play."
Saying such a thing to a seldom-used receiver in passing was all part of the plan for Weinke. With Warrick and Laveranues Coles out, he knew the onus would be on him. Not only to perform, but as a mentor.
"I didn't feel any added pressure this week, but I knew that I had to step up as a leader," said Weinke.
And his committee of receivers responded to such leadership.
"He played a great game, but Chris was simply Chris today," said flanker Marvin Minnis (anyone heard of him?), who caught four balls for 54 yards in an impressive showing. "He's a veteran and we knew he'd been in big games before, and he'd step up big time as a leader."
"Weinke is the leader of this team and it showed today," added running back Travis Minor, who rushed for 146 yards and one touchdown. "He is so poised in the huddle and on the sidelines. Even when things aren't going our way, he stays calm and keeps everybody focused, which he did all week."
Several people in the FSU locker room mentioned Weinke's demeanor in the week leading up to the game.
"He stepped forward and was making statements in practice that I hadn't heard him make before," said Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden. "Telling the offense what they had to do. He was the leader. You know I'm amazed at how our defense talks about him.
"They talk about his leadership and you think it would just be our offense."
On the 18-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Sprague (anyone heard of him?) that tied the game at 21-21, Weinke made sure to pull aside his tight end when they broke the huddle.
"He told me it was coming to me if they show zone," said Sprague. "I saw it and just ran off the line and the ball was there.
Only in a game surrounded by odd circumstances could a starter like Sprague claim the following after the game.
"It was my first point in football. EVER."
Never in Pee Wee, Pop Warner, high school or college had he scored a point, never mind a touchdown.
But that's the way the day went. And much of it is due to Weinke's calm demeanor in the huddle and pregame preparation.
"I spent time at home watching film this week, in addition to extra time at our team's film room," said Weinke.
He knew that he'd have to rely on a multitude of new faces in order to get by a Miami team that had two weeks to prepare for this game, in addition to a serious underdog mentality as two-touchdown underdogs.
"That was the important thing -- to spread the football around," said Weinke, who suffered a minor right elbow contusion in the contest.
Spreading around the pigskin might have been an understatement, as 11 different Seminoles got their hands on the ball against Miami. Most teams won't have 11 players end the season with a reception.
The unit was led by Ron Dugans, the lone remaining starter out wide, who responded with five receptions for 80 yards. The senior split end and Weinke were the key cogs in the Seminoles' final scoring drive, which ultimately sealed the victory.
Faced with a third-and-three from Miami's 13-yard line, Dugans' eyes lit up when he saw Leonard Myers covering him.
"Minnis told me that all he was doing was holding, so he walked to the line and said, 'Stop holding and just play ball,'" said Dugans.
Moments later, Myers grabbed onto his shoulder pad while he raced to the end zone. Seeing that Myers was holding, Weinke zoomed the ball in his vicinity to make sure the refs didn't miss it. It's quick decisions like that that win games.
On the next play, Minor punched it in from the two-yard line to send Seminole fans into a frenzy knowing their No. 1 ranking looked safe for another week.
As much as FSU showcased its exceptional depth at wide receiver ("We let everyone know we do have other receivers than Pete," said Minnis), Weinke and his coaches were surprised by his play.
"I did some things even I didn't think I was capable of today," said Weinke, regarding the deft scrambling and timely runs up the field he pulled out of his bag of tricks for Miami. "Maybe that was the difference -- Miami didn't expect it."
"He made plays today that I didn't think he could make," said Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden. "Scrambling like he did and running for first downs. Weinke felt he had to step forward and take it on.
"It was a battle of quarterbacks and Weinke won."
Marc Connolly is a senior writer for ABC Sports Online.
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 Chris Weinke connects with Germaine Stringer for the 48-yard TD. (ABC Sports)
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Santana Moss jukes the defender and runs it in 80 yards for the TD. (ABC Sports)
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Kenny Kelly lofts it up for Reggie Wayne. (ABC Sports)
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