Ward powers Houston past Florida State 38-24 in Peach Bowl

(1) celebrates his touchdown against Florida State during the first half of the Peach Bowl NCAA college football game, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015, in Atlanta. After a handoff, WR Demarcus Ayers took a reverse pitch and then threw to a wide open Chance Allen in the end zone.

Soon thereafter Maguire came back from the locker room with some form of an apparatus on his ankle and finished out the game with a mediocre performance, going 22-44 for two touchdowns and a whopping four interceptions.

Houston started the second half with a series of very conservative play calls as they would quickly give possession back to Florida State and Sean McGuire. Houston quarterback Greg Ward Jr. passed for 238 yards and a touchdown and ran for two touchdowns and 67 yards in the win, although he was knocked out of the game late in the fourth quarter.

Houston led off the fourth with a field goal increasing their lead to two touchdowns with 12:50 left.

No. 18 Houston was a significant underdog against No. 9 Florida State in the Peach Bowl.

A combination of turnovers, injuries and a stout Houston defense knocked FSU out of sync in the first half of Thursday’s game. Ward was able to loft a pass that fell just long of the receiver’s fingertips. His 29-yard run on a 3rd-and-7 set up running back Ryan Jackson’s two-yard touchdown with less than two minutes left to seal the victory. In December, Herman, coveted by many teams looking for a new head coach, signed a new deal to stay at Houston, and Ward also is expected to return for his senior season.

Sure, the Cougars’ dynamic dual-threat quarterback made the explosive offense go, but Fisher was equally leery of a fast and physical Houston defense. The Cougars weren’t left empty handed as Ty Cumming’s 39 yard field goal attempt brought the score to 24-10 with just 13 minutes left in the game.

The Seminoles finally pulled within seven of the lead when Maguire and Jesus Wilson connected for a 14-yard touchdown with 4:55 remaining, but Aguayo hurt Florida State’s momentum by kicking the ball high and short.

“To be on this stage and do it with everybody watching, this bowl is huge”, said Houston running back Kenneth Farrow.

Maguire’s 65-yard scoring pass to Travis Rudolph cut Houston’s lead to 24-17 early in the fourth quarter.

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. The two have combined for 27 completions, 596 yards and four touchdowns.

“It was the players, and the love that have for each other and the trust and love they have in the staff”, Herman said.