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TALLAHASSEE, Florida (Ticker) -- Chris Weinke and top-ranked Florida State did not miss a beat without Peter Warrick. Weinke spread his throws around, passing for 332 yards and two touchdowns as the Seminoles earned a 31-21 victory over archrival and No. 21 Miami. With Warrick suspended from the team after being charged this week with grand theft, the pressure fell on Weinke, their 27-year-old quarterback. He responded with scoring throws to Germaine Stringer and tight end Ryan Sprague, completing 23-of-34 passes with one interception. Weinke was an amazing 11-of-12 on third down and completed passes to 11 different receivers. Ron Dugans led the way five receptions for 80 yards. Travis Minor added stability to the ground game with 146 yards on 25 carries. "We spread it out and played a lot of guys," Florida State coach Bobby Bowden. "Maybe that presents more challenges (than when Warrick is in there). The difference is what these guys (receivers) do after they catch it compared to Pete. That's where Pete is dangerous, after he catches it." "I think we made a statement today," Weinke said. "We stepped up and got the job done. Coach Bowden challenged us with Pete out by saying that this was an opportunity for somebody else to make a name for themselves. I think a few of our guys did just that." The defense did the rest. After a wild first half that ended 21-21, the unit held the Hurricanes (2-3) off the board in the second half. "After halftime we stepped it up," Florida State defensive tackle Jerry Johnson said. "We made the adjustments to win in the second half." Kenny Kelly and Santana Moss had career games for Miami. Kelly went 27-of-41 for 370 yards, three touchdowns and one interception while Moss caught nine passes for 180 yards and two scores. "Our defense played in the second half like I thought they would," Bowden said. "It was a battle of quarterbacks. I just can't believe how much Kelly improved from the last two games. He made some good throws. Chris just made more." Sebastian Janikowski's 38-yard field goal with 7:59 left in the third quarter turned out to be the winning points and Minor tacked on a two-yard touchdown run with 9:55 remaining that completed a 97-yard march. Janikowski's field goal capped a 10-play, 76-yard drive on FSU's first possession of the second half. Freddie Capshaw pinned the Seminoles at their 2 with a 57-yard punt, but Minor got them out of trouble with a 47-yard run to the Miami 40. In the fourth quarter, Capshaw nailed a 51-yard punt to the FSU 3. Again the Seminoles rebounded as Weinke threw a 54-yard pass to Dugans that moved the ball to the 30, setting up Minor's scoring run. The drive took eight plays, melted 3:38 off the clock and was kept alive by a pair of interference penalties by Miami's Leonard Myers. "We showed a lot of character today," Dugans said. "It was a tough week for everybody but we went out and took care of business. We had some guys step up and make plays with Peter out." "Weinke is the leader of this team and it showed today," Minor said. "He is so poised in the huddle and on the sidelines. Even when things aren't going our way, he stays calm and keeps everybody focused. He did that all week." With or without Warrick, the Seminoles (6-0) seemingly have only one more hurdle standing in the way of an unbeaten regular season. They visit Florida in the season finale on November 20. Florida State has won five straight and seven of the last 11 meetings with Miami. With Florida's loss to Alabama last weekend, Florida State owns the longest home winning streak in the nation at 27. Marshall has won 27 straight at home, but the streak began when the Thundering Herd were in Division I-AA. The Seminoles also have a 45-game home unbeaten streak since a 17-16 loss to Miami on November 16, 1991. "It is always nice to get a win against Miami," said Florida State rover Derrick Gibson. "I know a lot of their guys and I have bragging rights for another year." Florida State gained 485 yards to 448 for Miami, which turned the ball over once and took it away twice in its third straight loss. "I thought the kids spilled their guts and played as hard as we've probably played this year," Hurricanes coach Butch Davis said. "I think that with the kids you don't ever invest anything and you don't ever have a chance to get back to the top unless you are willing to spill your guts and your blood and try to come and get back to the top." The game was a shootout in the first half. Florida State started the contest by running a play usually designed for Warrick as receiver Marvin Minnis threw an incomplete pass on a reverse. Weinke made good on a 48-yard scoring pass to Stringer for a 7-0 lead 3:47 into the game. Kelly threw an eight-yard scoring pass to Reggie Wayne 3:08 later but Florida State responded less than four minutes thereafter on a three-yard TD burst by Jeff Chaney. On the next play from scrimmage, Kelly hooked up with the speedy Moss on an 80-yard scoring pass. "That reminded me of the old Miami-Florida State games," Bowden said. "It was like one of those old games 10 years ago." "We got off just exactly as we wanted to," Kelly said. "We got off to a great start. We could have won this game. We were in position to win. If we could have made a few plays, we would have." Miami forced a fumble by FSU fullback Dan Kendra and grabbed its only lead with 9:40 left in the first half when Kelly threw a 14-yard scoring pass to Moss, but the Seminoles marched back with a 13-play, 73-yard drive that ended with Weinke's 18-yard TD toss to Sprague. "A lot of people said a win today could make Miami's season," Dugans said. "But if we want to win the national championship, we had to win today. We couldn't let them ruin our season."
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