Boston College vs. FSU: Score and Twitter Reaction

Style points haven't been the No. 3 Florida State Seminoles' strong suit this season, but all the defending national champions continue to do is win.      

Enduring rainy conditions and a physical matchup with ACC foe Boston College on Saturday in Tallahassee, Florida State found a way to improve to 11-0 with a 20-17 victory.

An impressive, clock-milking drive culminated in Florida State kicker Roberto Aguayo's game-winning 26-yard field goal with just three seconds left.

ESPN Stats & Info referenced the close-call, cardiac-kid type of games the Seminoles have been involved in several times this year:

ESPN.com's Jared Shanker wrote before the game that the field conditions favored the underdog Eagles:

Boston College had already defeated a Top 10 team earlier in the year in an upset over then-No. 9 USC, but going on the road and winning against the Seminoles would have been even more remarkable. A relentless commitment to the run allowed the Eagles to control time of possession, convert more often than not on third down and remain close throughout.

But as Anish Shroff of ESPN alluded to, the Seminoles dug deep to rally from the precipice of falling out of  college football's elite:

It was a far different story for Florida State's offense in the first half, as it relied almost exclusively on the talents of reigning Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston.

That was evident right away on an opening drive that went 75 yards and spanned 14 plays, capped by a three-yard touchdown jaunt by power back Karlos Williams. Dustin Tackett of the Orlando Sentinel put into context how slow the Seminoles had started prior to Saturday:

Williams' plunge to paydirt was a rare successful running play for FSU in the opening half, too.

The Orlando Sentinel's Brendan Sonnone explains:

One of the 10 pass attempts from dual-threat Eagles quarterback Tyler Murphy resulted in a 49-yard touchdown to Shakim Phillips, allowing the visitors to even the score at 10 with 5:29 to go in the second quarter.

Winston, who wound up 22-of-32, passing for 281 yards, a touchdown and an interception, was playing as well as he had all year, though, even amid the unfavorable circumstances and several drops by his receivers.

The sophomore threw a 30-yard touchdown strike to answer BC's first TD drive, finding decorated tight end Nick O'Leary for a 17-10 lead with 3:02 remaining before halftime.

Tom D'Angelo of The Palm Beach Post highlighted O'Leary's place in conference history:

While Winston's leadership and ability to combat adversity on the field is respectable, Sports Illustrated's Greg A. Bedard was a bit critical of the signal-caller's antics amid Saturday's tight contest:

Murphy scampered for a 21-yard TD to knot the score at 17 approximately midway through the third quarter, setting the stage for a tense fourth-quarter battle. College GameDay highlighted the play:

After Aguayo had missed a critical field goal earlier in the game, BC's Alex Howell blew a potential go-ahead shot wide right from 42 yards out. The play was noted by College GameDay:

ESPN's Andrew Brandt weighed in on the wayward kick:

That came with just 4:37 remaining on the clock, giving Winston and Co. favorable field position to mount a winning drive.

Senior leader Rashad Greene (who had a game-high eight receptions and 106 yards receiving) had multiple key receptions during FSU's triumphant final march of the season in Doak Campbell Stadium. FSU Football noted Greene's amazing accomplishment in that stretch:

Before the game, Seminoles coach Jimbo Fisher discussed the new playoff system's relative disregard for Florida State's perfect record, via Rivals.com's Ben Jones:

Those words bear relevance now, and it will be interesting to see how the College Football Playoff selection committee views this latest gritty win.

With yet another difficult hurdle cleared, Fisher's resilient team can focus on the regular-season finale against archrival Florida. While that contest should be a bit easier to manage in theory, the ACC Championship Game against Georgia Tech ought to test the Seminoles in terse fashion.

Georgia Tech uses a run-heavy triple-option offense that is difficult to prepare for since it's so rare in modern college football. If BC's rushing success on Saturday is any indication, the Seminoles are far from a lock to win the ACC title game. 

This is a heartbreaking loss for the Eagles, yet there are plenty of positives to take away for the budding BC program under coach Steve Addazio.