FSU at Syracuse: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

If there was ever a week where the Florida State Seminoles needed a statement game and signature thrashing of an opponent, this was the one. Evidently, Jameis Winston, Rashad Greene and head coach Jimbo Fisher did not receive the memo during the week.

The 38-20 win over Syracuse gave the Seminoles their 22^nd straight win, but with Mississippi State overtaking Auburn and the SEC hot on the ACC leader’s trail, how long will it before the current reigning national champions will relinquish hold of the top spot in the college rankings?

A 24-6 halftime lead was all Florida State needed to cruise to its sixth win of the season. The Seminoles are the nation's first bowl-eligible team, but this program should have won by a wider margin.

Here are the Good, the Bad and the Ugly of this game in Syracuse.

THE GOOD – DALVIN COOK TO THE RESCUE

The freshman gave the Seminoles a boost in the run game. Karlos Williams did not play due to injury. Cook responded by running for 122 yards and a touchdown. Mario Pender scored twice, on a 12-yard run to open the scoring in the first quarter and a 4-yard reception in the second as the Seminoles built a 24-6 halftime lead.

Jameis Winston showed his greatness again, despite off-field issues that continue to follow him.

Florida State improves to a perfect 19-0 with Jameis Winston as starter since he debuted to begin last season (DNP vs Clemson on Sept. 20 due to suspension)... Winston is now tied with Greg McElroy for the longest win streak by an FBS quarterback to begin his career as starter since 2000. (NOTE: Florida State has won 22 straight games overall dating back to the 2012 season).

THE BAD – NO ANSWER FOR WINSTON

Jameis Winston had his 10th-career 300-yard passing game, tying Danny Kanell for second-most in Florida State history. With a pair of Pass TD in the first half today, Jameis Winston passed Charlie Ward for fifth in school history. 

Winston came out in the first half and used ball control and tempo to move the Seminoles down the field. He used short and efficient passes to help the team jump out to an early 17-3 lead.

THE UGLY: ORANGE OFFENSE FAILS

The Orange entered the game with only nine touchdowns in 19 trips inside the 20 and the trend continued after the defense forced yet another turnover.

After Syracuse's John Raymon recovered Pender's fumble at the FSU 16, a dropped pass and an incompletion forced Syracuse to settle for Murphy's 32-yard field goal midway through the second quarter.