The week leading up to the games for both Florida State and Georgia was about off the field issues for star players. Jameis Winston did play and put on a passing clinic in a 38-20 win over Syracuse, while the absence of Todd Gurley didn’t stop Georgia from dominating in a 34-0 win over Missouri.
Jameis Winston was never charged in the case of alleged sexual assault, but the school released it’s own detail of the timeline of events and is investigating if their was a breach of school conduct by Winston and the Department of Education is investigating the university on how it handles reports of sexual assault as a result of the case. Winston has already been suspended for one half already this season for shouting obscenities in the middle of campus.
Winston didn’t let the controversy swirling around his head bother him. He completed 30-of-36 passes against Syracuse, throwing three touchdown passes. The Seminoles are still undefeated with Winston as a starter, although this season most games haven’t gone as smoothly or ended in a dominant fashion as last year. One example is the overall time they’ve been behind in games this season (although it didn’t happen against Syracuse): This season they’ve been behind for just over 55 minutes. All of last year totaled at a bit over 37 minutes.
Florida State have won their last 22 games dating back to 2012, 19 of them with Winston. He is now tied with Greg McElroy (who played for Alabama) for the longest winning streak by a starting quarterback to start his CFB career since 2000. McElroy never really made it in the NFL and retired from the sport six months ago. Winston has bigger plans and expectations to do well not just in his remaining Florida State time but also in the pros.
Georgia aren’t undefeated like Florida State but no one is in the SEC East. And it’s hard to imagine anyone feeling better than them after a win over Missouri in Columbia. It’s not the win, but shutting out the Tigers, beating them 34-0 despite Todd Gurley not playing. Gurley is suspended while the Bulldogs investigate and alleged violation of NCAA rules, or to be more exact, getting paid to autograph memorabilia. For many, Gurley is the best running back in the nation and the leading candidate for the Heisman trophy, or was until now.
But no Gurley, no problem. It helped that Maty Mauk, the quarterback for Missouri, threw four interceptions and Missouri finished with five turnovers in all. The Tigers had only 147 yards of offense, allowing Georgia to pick up their first road shutout win against a ranked opponent. Georgia didn’t allow Missouri to convert once on third down during the entire game in one of the team’s best defensive performances ever.
So will the #13 Georgia do this well against everybody, even without Gurley, who might not play against this season? Maybe not this well, but except for a home game against Auburn, who’ll slide down from #2, the schedule doesn’t seem to offer too many difficulties for the Bulldogs, once again looking like the best team in their division.