TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Before the season, the general belief was it would be unlikely Jameis Winston could improve upon his freshman season statistically. He lost a first-round receiver and a venerable slot option, and 4,000-yard and 40-touchdown seasons don’t come around often.
Through Florida State’s first four games this season, however, Winston has only 57 fewer passing yards, and that is with one fewer game because of the Week 4 suspension. In 2014, Winston is averaging 40 more yards per game (330), and his 69.5 completion percentage is more than two points higher than last season’s number.
With lingering questions surrounding the rushing attack and defense, Winston and the passing offense have carried the Seminoles to three of the team's four wins. The defense, which allowed a program-record 24 first-quarter points Saturday, knows there is a larger margin for error with Winston directing the offense.
“We're definitely confident in the offense, knowing they can score any time. It's not really like ‘Oh, we know we're going to lose,'" safety Tyler Hunter said. “We're always going to be confident in the offense, that it can go up and score on anybody.”
Winston is coming off his best game of the season against NC State, completing 26 of 38 passes for 365 yards and four touchdowns. In the second half, he led touchdown drives on five of the Seminoles’ seven possessions, and on the last drive, Winston orchestrated a four-minute drive and ran for a critical first down to seal the win.
The reigning Heisman Trophy winner has struggled with turnovers through his first three games, however. He fumbled in the first half against NC State and threw two second-half interceptions. The second came inside the Seminoles’ 15-yard line while they were nursing a tenuous fourth-quarter lead.
Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher and co-offensive coordinator Randy Sanders were already prepping to give Winston an earful as he trotted to the sideline because it is a play Fisher said the offense runs “all the, all the, all the, all the time.” But he acknowledged sometimes quarterbacks misread the defense or suffer from information overload, which causes a split-second breakdown.
“It is like driving home and you drive past the turn to turn into your house. Sometimes you can be distracted. There’s so much on these quarterbacks today, especially like an offense like ours,” Fisher said. “These guys are making every decision -- run, pass where it goes and who gets it. There is so much on them. No matter how mature a guy is he’s still got a young mind.”
Fisher said those minds often work like computers. If it freezes, set it aside and give it a minute to reboot. Florida State knows any malfunction with its quarterback is not a product of a growing virus in need of persistent troubleshooting.
“Those guys have that true confidence in themselves. They know they messed up but they will come back,” Fisher said, “… and you are going to keep going back to them and they are going to keep making plays.”