PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Royce Freeman scored a 1-yard touchdown and Taylor Alie threw for a 2-point conversion, giving the second-seeded Oregon Ducks an 8-3 lead over No. 3 seed Florida State after one quarter Thursday in the College Football semifinal at the Rose Bowl.
The Ducks were forced to punt on their opening possession on a sunny and unusually cool 57-degree day. But after the Seminoles struck first on a 28-yard field goal by Roberto Aguayo, Oregon bounced right back.
With Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Marcus Mariota leading the drive, Freeman ran in for the score one play after a wall of Seminoles had stopped him at the goal line.
The Ducks’ quick-trigger offense went for the two-point conversion, with Alie hitting Torrodney Prevot in the end zone at 6:55.
That score ended a sequence in which officials reviewed Charles Nelson’s somersault into the Oregon end zone before resetting the clock.
Oregon later had a chance to increase its lead, but Mariota overthrew a wide-open Dwyane Stanford near the middle of the end zone on its last drive of the quarter. The Ducks had eight first downs to three for the Seminoles.
Mariota was 8 of 11 for 71 yards in just the third matchup of Heisman winners. Former Heisman winner Jameis Winston of Florida State was 5 for 8 with 39 yards passing, while getting sacked once in the quarter.
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