Houston hangs on for Peach Bowl victory over Florida State

ATLANTA | DeMarcus Walker doesn’t know if Thursday’s 38-24 loss to Houston in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl will be his final game with Florida State. What Else? – Houston QB Greg Ward Jr. completed 25-of-41 passes for 238 yards and a score with a pick, and ran 20 times for a team-high 67 yards and two scores.

Florida State turned the ball over twice in the first half and saw Maguire injure his left ankle late in the first quarter and leave the game for a few series. He holds school records for yards passing (12,200), completions (977) and touchdown passes (96). Receiver Demarcus Ayers capped a ideal seven-play, 75-yard drive with a touchdown pass to Chance Allen, Dalvin Cook fumbled on the second play of FSU’s ensuing drive, and Ward scored quickly.

Backup quarterback Kyle Postma replaced Ward, picked up two key first downs on runs, and running back Ryan Jackson sealed the win with a short touchdown run with two minutes to play.

Houston defenders cut down Florida State running back Dalvin Cook…

Ward constantly rushed to the line of scrimmage, urging his teammates to get set so that he could hike the ball for the next play.

The Cougars jumped out to a 21-3 lead by halftime until the Seminoles’ defense registered a third-quarter shutout. He kept Florida State off-balance by leading the Cougars’ fast-tempo, no-huddle attack.

Houston was comfortably outgained on a per-play basis yet again (FSU 5.8, UH 4.5) – it was the fifth time this happened in a win, which suggests that odds might have caught up to the Cougars over the course of a longer season. One thing that should not happen however is for people to discredit the Houston Cougars, who played a stellar football game.

With Tom Herman having agreed to a new contract and a top recruiting class in the pipeline, it feels like this Peach Bowl win is just the beginning of the Herman era at the University of Houston. It was the first 200 yard receiving game for the Seminoles this season.

Prior to the Peach Bowl, Florida State’s defense had not allowed more than 24 points in a game this season.

While FSU’s offensive day was marked by Maguire’s four interceptions and Cook’s 33-yard performance, there were still some causes for optimism among the Seminole faithful. The Cougars won the AAC this year and could’ve been in the mix for a spot in the College Football Playoff before a loss to UConn late in the season.

Maguire returned with a heavily bandaged ankle, which stirred social media.

The Seminoles were without quarterback Everett Golson, the Notre Dame transfer who began the season as the starter but was away from the team for the bowl game for personal reasons. And thanks to two Maguire interceptions, field position remained on Houston’s side.

Houston’s defense also forced five turnovers, including four interceptions of Sean Maguire (22 of 44, 392 yards, two TDs, four INTs).