Rose Bowl showdown more than matchup of Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota

The Rose Bowl, arguably college football's most famous forum, will once again play host to a historic event. On Jan. 1 it welcomes the No. 2-seeded Oregon Ducks (12-1) and the No. 3-seeded Florida State Seminoles (13-0) for the inaugural College Football Playoff's first semifinal game.

The New Year's Day matchup marks the first meeting between the Ducks and Seminoles, two teams that have become accustomed to winning. Oregon has won 23 out of its past 26 games, and Florida State is on a school-record and nation-long 29-game winning streak that began in December 2012.

"Twenty-nine straight, I haven't figured that one out," Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich said of the Seminoles' streak. "Nobody's really broken that code."

The 2015 Rose Bowl will also showcase a pairing of Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks, Oregon's Marcus Mariota and Florida State's Jameis Winston, for just the third time in college football postseason history.

Mariota, this year's winner, set an Oregon single-season record with 4,442 yards of total offense and led the nation with a 186.3 passer rating. He has thrown a touchdown pass in every game of his career, 39 outings, and finished 2014 with a touchdown-to-turnover ratio of 53-to-4.

"The focus on us defensively is keeping [Mariota] contained," Florida State defensive lineman Mario Edwards Jr. said. "He's an athletic quarterback. He's able to extend plays with his legs and keep his eyes downfield and make big plays. We definitely have to put pressure on him and hit him often.

"If he breaks containment, he's able to go 60, 80 yards on you easily and able to get his eyes downfield. If he can't run it 60, 80 yards, he can throw a bomb and score a touchdown."

Winston won the Heisman last year after throwing 40 touchdown passes with 10 interceptions. This season was much different, as he saw his touchdowns fall to 24 and his interceptions rise to 17. Through it all, though, Winston was able to lead his team to victory week after week -- returning the Seminoles to Pasadena, Calif., site of last year's national championship victory over Auburn.

"I think, to me, that's the sign of a great quarterback," Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher said. "He can flip the switch and be almost perfect when he had to be. Learn to be more patient .... Even when he's made mistakes, some guys, they go in the tank. He doesn't. He's gotten better to me as this year has gone on. He's playing better now than he was a year ago."

What gets lost in all of the hoopla with the two Heisman winners squaring off is that these two teams are where they are because of the way all units have played this season -- not just the quarterback position.

"... Both defenses have won games this year," Helfrich said. "They've won games and taken over games. We certainly don't undervalue what our defense has done."

When asked about the historic quarterback showdown, Winston responded similarly.

"It's going to be a Florida State team versus an Oregon team, not Jameis Winston versus Marcus Mariota."

According to Las Vegas, the Seminoles are an eight-point underdog heading into the game. They finished the season as the only undefeated FBS team, which leaves some Florida State players a little puzzled about the spread.

"To be honest, I don't feel like the underdog," Seminoles defensive back Jalen Ramsey said. "I don't think this team feels like they're the underdog. We shouldn't feel like underdogs, because we're the ones who have 29 in a row. What are we scared of? I don't really understand it."

No matter the spread or the pregame storylines, this game has all the makings to be a classic matchup between two of college football's current powerhouse programs.

MATCHUP TO WATCH

Oregon's up-tempo offense vs. Mario Edwards Jr. and Florida State's defense.

The Ducks' offense ran an average of 74.3 plays per game this season. This up-tempo approach kept defenses off balance all year, allowing the Ducks to average 546.2 yards of offense per game, third best in the nation.

The elusive Mariota causes nightmares for defensive coaches and presents an even larger challenge for the players tasked with stopping him. This isn't the first time the Seminoles have faced a dual-threat quarterback this season -- they've beaten Notre Dame's Everett Golson, Clemson's Deshaun Watson and NC State's Jacoby Brissett, but none is in the same class as Mariota. The Hawaii native has accounted for four or more touchdowns in 10 games this season, which leads the nation.

"You can try to make him one-dimensional," defensive lineman Mario Edwards Jr. said. "But he's a great athlete. We definitely have to keep up with the hurry-up tempo they have and try not to get too tired and out of whack."

Edwards is arguably the best defender in Florida State's front seven. Listed at 315 pounds, he has the size of a defensive tackle, which allows him to plug up running gaps, but he also possesses the quickness of a linebacker, which he uses to beat slower offensive linemen off the ball and chase down quarterbacks.

The Seminoles line also will get an added boost as defensive tackle Nile Lawrence-Stample is expected to return from a torn pectoral muscle that kept him out of the past 10 games.

"People don't realize how good of a player Nile is," Fisher said. "Hopefully, he plays well in this game. We've got to try to control the line of scrimmage, or try to as much as we can. They run the football. You've got to be able to stop that run first."

Florida State defenders have compared the Ducks' hurry-up offense with that of other teams they have faced recently, including their opponent in last year's Rose Bowl.

"Their offense is like the Auburn offense a little bit, and it's kind of like Clemson as well," defensive back Jalen Ramsey said. "It's very versatile. They have great players, fast players. They can do a lot of different things. They're very competitive."

Hoping to use the experience and knowledge from those previous matchups, the Seminoles' defensive line will need to push Oregon's smaller but quicker offensive line off the ball and contain Mariota at the same time.

Responsibility will then trickle down to the linebackers, who will be asked to both protect the middle of the field and assist in containment. Finally, Ramsey and the rest of his secondary mates will have to blanket their assigned receivers and not allow them to get free down the field if Mariota scrambles outside the pocket.

Fisher jokingly explained his ideal plan of attack for stopping Mariota: "Get 14 guys on the field."

TRENDING UP

Oregon: The Ducks enter the matchup on an eight-game winning streak. Their offense has scored 42 or more points in all of those victories. They've allowed only two 100-yard rushers this season (Arizona's Terris Jones-Grigsby and UCLA's Paul Perkins), none in their last seven games.

Florida State: The Seminoles have scored 96 more touchdowns than their opponents during their 29-game winning streak, totaling 155 scores while allowing only 59. They've won 18 consecutive games away from Doak Campbell Stadium. Florida State's last loss on the road or at a neutral site came at NC State on Oct. 6, 2012 (17-16).

TRENDING DOWN

Oregon: The Ducks defense ranks 82nd in the nation in total defense and has allowed 20 or more points to an opponent seven times.

Florida State: The Seminoles are just 7-7 all-time away from home in The Associated Press top-five matchups, reaching the .500 mark with their BCS National Championship win over the Tigers last season. (Oregon is ranked No. 3 in the AP poll)

QUOTE BOARD

"I don't mean to come off as arrogant, but we don't discriminate. Even if he was on the field, we were going to be looking forward to playing him .... We don't fear nobody. Richard Sherman get out there and line up against us, we wouldn't throw away from him neither." -- Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston on All-American corner Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, who will miss the game due to injury.

"Personally, I'm glad we're not playing Richard Sherman." -- Florida State offensive coordinator Randy Sanders.

"I think it's going to be a once in a lifetime opportunity to see us play. And me, personally I'm going to be on the sideline watching Marcus myself -- so I think it's going to be a fun game." -- Winston on the matchup of Heisman winners.

"No, we're the best team in the nation. We haven't lost. Everybody is going to give us their A-game. That's what people don't really understand. They expect this team to be the same as last year's team and blow everybody out. But that's not the case. We just keep fighting until the end and a win is a win." -- Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey.

"Sure, I think that's a great story line. I think the key is Jameis' team and Marcus' team are the guys that really make this thing go. But, yeah, for the media that's a great story line. I don't know how many times it's happened in the history of college football, probably not very many, if any." -- Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich on the Mariota-Winston matchup.

"Yeah, you know, growing up I was a huge Michael Vick fan. Lately, I love watching Aaron Rodgers play. That being said, I hope I can emulate both those guys in my game. The way Michael Vick uses his legs and is able to throw out of the pocket really changes games. The way that Aaron Rodgers is able to sit in the pocket and make throws that not a lot of people can make, I hope I can be half what those guys are and emulate it into my game." -- Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota.

INJURY REPORT

Oregon: Questionable -- OL Andre Yruretagoyena (Ankle), OL Hroniss Grasu (Ankle), RB Thomas Tyner (Ankle); Out for Season -- CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu (knee), TE Pharaoh Brown (knee), OT Tyler Johnstone (knee), WR Bralon Addison (knee)

Florida State: Questionable -- RB Karlos Williams (concussion), LB Terrance Smith (knee); Out for Season -- DB Colin Blake (shoulder), LB Delvin Purifoy (leg)

DID YOU KNOW?

Since 1992, the Seminoles are 12-1 against first-time FBS opponents, with the only loss coming against South Florida in 2009. Florida State is 3-0 in bowl games during that span -- 2012 Northern Illinois, 2008 Wisconsin and 2005 UCLA.

Oregon's Marcus Mariota and Florida State's Jameis Winston have each thrown a touchdown pass in every collegiate game they've played. (Mariota: 39 games, Winston: 26)

LOOKING AHEAD

If the Seminoles win the Rose Bowl, they will advance to the College Football Playoff final where they will face the winner of the Sugar Bowl -- Alabama vs. Ohio State. If Florida State loses, it will end the Seminoles' current 29-game winning streak and begin the waiting process for quarterback Jameis Winston's decision to either declare for the NFL draft in April or return for a third season with the team.