FLORIDA STATE OFFENSE PICKS ITS SPOT; STRUGGLES END ON LONG MARCH.

Byline: Eric Noland Daily News Staff Writer

For the first 46 minutes, 32 seconds, the offensive demonstration was a lurching, wheezing disaster. A lot of sacks, 2-yard runs and pass plays that misfired horribly.

In other words, a performance that was extremely un-Florida-State-like.

But then, as if in the flipping of a switch, all that athleticism gained sync and began to produce something other than sweat and grass stains.

Florida State systematically advanced 97 yards in nine plays in the fourth quarter Saturday evening to deliver the decisive touchdown in a 14-7 victory over USC at the Coliseum.

``When we started the drive, the question was can we go (97) yards,'' said tailback Dee Feaster, who ultimately finished it with a power dash off the right side for the final 3 yards. ``We were saying, `The time is now to win the game. We've been slopping around all day.' ''

Strangely, the one element of USC's game that had been so instrumental in Florida State's struggles to that point - the play of cornerbacks Daylon McCutcheon and Brian Kelly - contributed to the Trojans' undoing on the winning drive.

On second-and-10 from the 3, Kelly dropped a certain interception and likely touchdown when quarterback Thad Busby, in a terrible misunderstanding with one of his receivers, lobbed a marshmallow directly to Kelly in Florida State's right flat.

Later, McCutcheon grabbed but couldn't hold Damian Harrell on a completion in the left flat, and the 26-yard play carried to the USC 3, setting up the winning score.

To that point in the game, Harrell said, Kelly and McCutcheon had been playing ``a mixture of coverage: A lot of bumps. Sometimes (playing) off.'' But throughout most of the drive, Harrell said, ``They backed out. I know I got a nice cushion.''

Busby, before the drive began, had completed just 14 of 30 passes. And his first two of the possession fell incomplete - the second off Kelly's hands.

``Whoo! That kind of scared me,'' said Seminoles receiver Peter Warrick. ``I thought (Kelly) was going to step up and go.''

Coach Bobby Bowden deadpanned: ``That was my best coaching job.''

The near-miss seemed to revitalize Florida State, however.

On third-and-10, still at the 3, Busby found Warrick for exactly 10 yards. It would begin a stretch of five completions over six consecutive pass plays - 1 yard to Melvin Pearsall, 46 to E.G. Green, 11 to Warrick, 26 to Harrell.

And then Feaster running wide for the final 3.

The whole sequence took all of 2 minutes, 48 seconds.

``Our strength is throwing and catching,'' said Bowden. ``That was a good example of what I was talking about before the season. We've got to be able to run the ball down the line, but that's our strength (passing).''

What made everything click for that three minutes and 97 yards? ``The quarterback having time to throw the ball,'' Bowden said. ``The offense picking up the blitz. Guys making some good plays.'' He grinned and added, ``Them dropping some balls.''

Aside from the winning drive, the Seminoles didn't look particularly worthy of their No. 5 national ranking throughout the evening. Certainly no one out there was resembling Charlie Ward or Warrick Dunn or Danny Kanell.

But maybe there is an inherent burden in being Florida State, a perennial top-five team which had averaged 47.7 points per game over its previous seven openers.

``All the Florida State teams beat everybody by 50 points,'' said Busby with a sigh. ``It's hard to start out the year on fire.''

Nice to be able to deliver it on demand, though.

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Photo

PHOTO USC's Lawrence Larry slows down Florida State quarterback Thad Busby in the second quarter.

David R. Crane / Daily News