MIAMI — Anxious to avoid an Orange Bowl shocker, the Florida State Seminoles kept getting tricked.
An onside kick fooled them, as did a fake punt, and a pooch punt by Northern Illinois’ star quarterback.
But the final score was no surprise. Florida State had too much speed and depth for the Huskies and pulled away for a 31-10 victory last night.
Senior fullback Lonnie Pryor, voted the game’s outstanding player, ran for a career-high 134 yards and two scores in only five carries.
Senior EJ Manuel threw for 291 yards, while the Seminoles stuffed Huskies’ QB and all-purpose threat Jordan Lynch.
The victory was a consolation prize for the No. 13 Seminoles (12-2), who began the season with national championship hopes.
After the game, the Seminoles wore T-shirts that read, “Florida Statement.”
“It’s not the national championship, but right below,” defensive end Bjoern Werner said.
For 16th-ranked Northern Illinois (12-2), two-touchdown underdogs widely derided as unworthy of a BCS bowl berth, the defeat snapped a 12-game winning streak. The Huskies were outgained 534 yards to 259.
“We knew that they were going to play us tough,” Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher said. “But our kids, it’s another step in which we handled the big platform, and I’m very proud of them.”