The great ones always find a way. And they sometimes make it look ridiculously easy.
That’s what Florida State quarterback Charlie Ward did when he led the second-ranked Seminoles into the national championship game with a 33-21 victory over No. 7 Florida Saturday afternoon at Florida Field.
“You have great players, they make great plays,” Florida State coach Bobby Bowden said. “That’s the way you win. How did Nebraska beat Oklahoma back in 1971? Johnny Rodgers makes that fantastic punt return.”
The connection seemed obvious. Rodgers won the Heisman in 1972. Ward will almost certainly win it next month.
Asked if he thought he should win the Heisman, Ward shrugged. Next question, please.
If there was any remaining uncertainty over the Heisman-and with apologies to Northern Illinois sensation LeShon Johnson, there probably wasn’t-Ward put it to rest Saturday afternoon. He connected on 38 of 53 passes for a staggering 446 yards, all three figures his highs for the year. His longest string of incompletions: Two.
So what if Florida isn’t exactly the nation’s best defensive team?
Ward’s biggest completion was the one that made Bowden and others compare him to past Heisman winners. It came late in the fourth quarter, with Florida State clinging to a 27-21 lead and the upset-hunting Gators ready to add them to the Swamp’s list of 23 straight victims. On third-and-10 from his own 21, Ward dumped a pass that tailback Warrick Dunn carted 79 yards for the game-clinching score.
At first, the play seemed mostly Dunn’s creation. But it was obvious to people on both sidelines that Ward had reeled the defense in by feinting a run first, then setting up Dunn’s sprint by putting the ball in exactly the right place.
Ward, though, was quick to credit Dunn, his exceedingly talented freshman roomie. “I knew we had to make a big play,” Ward said. “And our guys did.”
Ward was not perfect, but he responded to his mistakes beautifully. He threw two interceptions, or half as many as he’d thrown in the first 11 games.
The first came on his first throw of the day, a poor crossfield heave. The next time the Seminoles had the ball, Ward hit on his first six throws and drove the Seminoles 57 yards for a touchdown.
The other interception came on an ill-advised third-quarter toss into the end zone. But when the Florida State defense immediately picked off a pass in Gator territory, Ward completed his next throw for 18 yards, then found a wide-open Kez McCorvey in the end zone.
“You always want to play against the best,” Florida safety Michael Gilmore said. “And that’s what we came up against in Ward.”
