Houston vs. FSU: Score and Reaction for 2015 Peach Bowl

The Houston Cougars earned one of the biggest wins in program history, knocking off the Florida State Seminoles 38-24 in the 2015 Peach Bowl on Thursday.  

Florida State's 38 points allowed represented its worst defensive output of the season by a wide margin, according to B/R's Bryan Fischer:

Houston head coach Tom Herman had one of the most impressive debut seasons in major college football history, according to ESPN Stats & Info:

Florida State rallied from a 21-3 halftime deficit, getting a 65-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Sean Maguire to wide receiver Travis Rudolph early in the fourth quarter that cut Houston's lead to 24-17.

The Cougars had been stifled by the Seminoles defense in the second half, getting held to 41 yards on their first four possessions after the break, but they had back-to-back drives, sandwiching Florida State's touchdown in the fourth quarter, that resulted in 10 points.   

Houston wide receiver Chance Allen provided the big blow with a 17-yard touchdown catch on a 12-play drive to take a 31-17 lead. 

After Florida State scored on a quick 75-yard touchdown drive with less than five minutes to play, Houston got excellent field position on Steven Dunbar's 37-yard kickoff return following Roberto Aguayo's pooch kick. 

Houston backup quarterback Kyle Postma, who came in for the injured Greg Ward Jr., had two huge third-down conversions on the subsequent drive. 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. 

According to ESPN Stats & Info, this is Florida State's first loss against a team outside the Power Five conferences under head coach Jimbo Fisher. 

The Seminoles kept things close early, trailing 7-3 at the end of the first quarter, but Houston's defense ramped up the intensity late in the second quarter, forcing a Dalvin Cook fumble that turned into a Cougars touchdown three plays later. 

Turnovers were the story of this game for Florida State, which had been so good at protecting the ball during the season. The Seminoles came into the Peach Bowl with just 10 turnovers, tied for the second-fewest in FBS, but they had two on back-to-back possessions late in the second quarter and five overall. 

Houston has been terrific at forcing turnovers this season, moving into sole possession of first place with 35 total after Thursday's contest. 

According to ESPN Stats & Info, recent bowl games have not been kind to Florida State in the turnover department:

That was before Maguire threw another interception on Florida State's final drive, so add one more to that total. 

Offense was a problem for Florida State most of this game. ESPN's Andrea Adelson highlighted a stat shown on the television broadcast regarding the Seminoles' five possessions after their field goal late in the first quarter:

Seminoles quarterback Sean Maguire, who briefly left the game with a leg injury, basically needed a special repair kit to get back on the field, per ESPN's Kevin Seifert, citing the television broadcast:

Maguire did come to life in the second half to finish with a solid stat line that included 392 passing yards and two touchdowns, but he completed just 50 percent of his passes with four interceptions. 

Florida State's usually reliable defense fell on its sword in the second quarter while trying to make up for the offensive shortcomings. Houston didn't have a dominant individual performance, but everyone contributed just enough.

Houston's Ward finished with 238 passing yards, 67 rushing yards, three touchdowns (two rushing) and one interception. Florida State's defense did bear down for most of the second half, allowing 41 yards on Houston's first four drives after the intermission, but it couldn't get a stop in the final five minutes. 

Herman and defensive coordinator Todd Orlando made a point of focusing on Cook to make Maguire beat them through the air. Florida State's star running back was held to a season-low 33 yards on 18 carries, though he did find the end zone once early in the third quarter. 

As a team, Florida State had just 16 yards rushing. According to Cory McCartney of Fox Sports South, per B/R's Barrett Sallee, that total represents the Seminoles' sixth-worst single game mark since 2000. 

Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports gave particular praise to Herman after seeing what Houston's defense did in the first half:

The job Herman has done with Houston in his first season can't be understated. He took over a program that had been successful, winning eight games each of the last two years, but got it to play at a different level this year en route to tying a school record with 13 victories. 

Anwar Richardson of Yahoo Sports said what everyone associated with the Houston program is dreading after seeing what Herman was able to do with this team:

Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports took note of everything the Cougars coaching staff was able to do in 2015 and the difference it made:

It wasn't clear during the season just how good this Houston program was. The Cougars kept winning games, even defeating another ACC team in Louisville, but there's always a stigma with non-Power Five teams because the competition level varies significantly each week. 

After defeating a Florida State team that was ranked ninth coming into the Peach Bowl, there's no doubt anymore that Houston is a program on the rise and a dangerous threat heading into 2016 under Herman's guidance. 

Postgame Reaction

Even though it's politically correct to stay humble after a victory of this magnitude, Houston athletic director Hunter Yurachek was not afraid to say exactly how his program knocked off the Seminoles, per Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle:

Mike Aresco, the commissioner of the American Athletic Conference, said Houston's victory "may be the most important win we've ever had," per Duarte. 

Renu Khator, the president of the University of Houston, echoed Aresco's sentiments, per Duarte:

Herman was particularly complimentary of the outgoing senior class and its contributions to the Houston program, according to Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle:

Knowing that this was a perfect opportunity to bust out his recruiting skills, Herman also let it be known that Houston is dreaming much bigger now, per Smith:

Things were certainly not as cheerful on the Florida State side. The Seminoles did win 10 games for the fourth consecutive year, but the last two have ended in disastrous fashion. 

One of the game's key plays, Aguayo's pooch kick, was not supposed to happen, according to Fisher (per Sallee):

Looking ahead to the offseason, according to Corey Clark of the Tallahassee Democrat, junior cornerback Jalen Ramsey will wait to talk with his family and Fisher about entering this year's NFL draft before making an official announcement. 

Even though it seems unlikely Ramey will return given his status as a likely first-round pick, the Seminoles figure to be one of the nation's best teams again in 2016. Fisher has been a master recruiter, already getting 17 commits, including 11 rated 4 stars or better by 247Sports. 

Cook struggled Thursday, but he's one of the nation's best running backs and will be back next year. The key for Fisher will be finding a stable quarterback situation, whether it's with Maguire or incoming freshman Malik Henry. 

Fisher has a great foundation in place. If one or two things break the right away, Florida State is going to be back in the playoff mix after falling short of the ultimate goal this season.