Jan. 01--ATLANTA -- For weeks leading up to the Peach Bowl, FSU coach Jimbo Fisher stressed Houston was much more than Greg Ward Jr.
Sure, the Cougars' dynamic dual-threat quarterback made the explosive offense go, but Fisher was equally leery of a fast and physical Houston defense.
Fisher's concerns came to fruition Thursday as No. 9 FSU (10-3) ended its season with a 38-24 loss to No. 18 Houston (13-1). A feisty Cougars defense thrived on a high-risk, high-reward mentality and stifled a young Seminoles unit that was beginning to find its form late in the season.
"We just didn't block them," FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said. "There was nothing that we had never seen. They just beat us on blocks."
The answer succinctly summed up the game. The Seminoles were simply beat in just about every facet of the contest.
FSU's defense slowed down Ward, at times. Its offense also mustered up enough big plays to keep the game close, but the Seminoles did not have enough firepower to win a contest in which they fell behind by 18 points and turned the ball over five times.
The Cougars bottled up dynamic running back Dalvin Cook, holding him to 33 rushing yards on 18 carries. He also lost his first fumble of the season. Committed to stopping the run, Houston was content sending extra defenders to the line of scrimmage and forcing FSU to throw the ball.
That strategy enabled FSU to have some success through the air, but Houston's creative scheme -- combined with its physical play -- overwhelmed the Seminoles. Houston, which entered the game No. 3 nationally in turnover margin and a defense that was 12th against the run, played to its strengths.
"They stacked the box and the receivers made plays outside," Cook said. ". . . We just got off to a late start. It took a while to settle in and get our rhythm down."
Quarterback Sean Maguire, who said earlier in the week that he made his case to be FSU's starter next season, left the game in the first quarter with an ankle sprain.
Maguire sprinted back to the sideline midway through the second quarter with FSU down 7-3 and his left ankle heavily taped, but the damage was done.
Houston, the drive after Maguire's return, extended its lead to 14-3 on a 20-yard reverse pass from receiver Demarcus Ayers to Chance Allen. The Cougars scored once more, on a six-yard run from Ward, to take a 21-3 lead into halftime.
