Top-Ranked FSU Slams Duke
Florida State coach Bobby Bowden says his team is improving quarter by quarter.
A week after getting 28 points at North Carolina in the first quarter, the top-ranked Seminoles rolled up a 44-0 halftime lead on the way to a 51-23 victory Saturday over winless Duke.
"This time we played two quarters instead of one," Bowden said.
The veteran Florida State coach had to find several starters for some fourth quarter action after Duke scored 13 unanswered points in the third period against a host of Florida State reserves.
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"I don't mind them (offense) not doing anything, but I don't like letting the other team get points," Bowden said. "They're sitting over there with their shoes off rubbing their toes in the dirt and then they have to go back into the ballgame."
Chris Weinke threw five touchdown passes, three to Peter Warrick, to lead an offense now averaging 43.2 points a game.
Florida State (5-0, 4-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) scored on all eight of its first-half possessions as Bowden picked up his 297th career victory.
The Seminoles, who needed only seven minutes last week to take a 28-0 lead at North Carolina, took a 24-0 lead 10 seconds into the second quarter after Sebastian Janikowski's 46-yard field goal.
Warrick caught all three of his scoring passes in the first quarter and then threw for a 35-yard touchdown to Laveranues Coles in the second quarter.
"Was that a Heisman voter pass play? We didn't name it that," Bowden said. "But it could be."
Janikowski added a 27-yard field goal and Weinke threw his fourth TD pass of the half, seven yards to fullback Dan Kendra, to round out the first-half scoring.
"(The) first alf, it got away from us in a hurry," first-year coach Carl Franks said. "They hit a lot of big plays. It seemed like each turnover they would score on. We stopped them, roughed the punter, they scored. That's the kind of team they are."
Weinke didn't play in the third quarter, but was put back into the game after backups Marcus Outzen and Jared Jones were ineffective.
Weinke, 19-of-27 for 290 yards, immediately hooked up with Ron Dugans on an 84-yard touchdown pass play to give Florida State a 51-13 lead.
"We knew if we executed, even though they had many returning people on defense, we could be successful like we were in the first half," Weinke said.
Duke (0-4, 0-1) scored the only points in the third period on a 15-yard touchdown run by Kevin Thompson and field goals by Sims Lenhardt covering 46 and 47 yards. Lenhardt added a 48-yard field goal in the fourth period and Thompson threw a 16-yard scoring pass to Richmond Flowers.
Nine Duke penalties and two interceptions in the first half made it easy work for Florida State.
"We knew we had done what we couldn't do to have a chance in that football game," Franks said.
Brian Allen made a juggling interception of Bobby Campbell's pass to set up Florida State's first touchdown.
"We're very disappointed not shutting Duke out," Allen said. "All week we had been talking about a shutout. Duke's not scored 23 points against anyone."
Duke received $800,000 to move its home game to Jacksonville.
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