<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; Pittsburgh's defense hardly slowed Jameis Winston, who accounted for five TDs. (Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;PITTSBURGH -- Pitt shouldn\u2019t have had to play host to Florida State redshirt freshman Jameis Winston\u2019s coming out party on national television for its first game in a new conference, but someone had to usher in the prelude of the next great Florida State quarterback.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is the ACC we\u2019re talking about. Nothing makes sense, there\u2019s no such thing as fair, and the league is constantly making it up as it goes along. Pittsburgh learning that sooner rather than later isn\u2019t necessarily a bad thing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Winston spoiled the Panthers\u2019 ACC debut as the Seminoles won, 41-13, and exceeded every possible expectation anyone could have had of him along the way. He finished the day 25-of-27 (a school-record 92.6 percent completion percentage) for 356 yards and four touchdowns to go along with 25 rushing yards and a score against a Pitt defense that ranked 45th in defensive F/+ a year ago.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u201CIt\u2019s one ballgame guys,\u201D FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said. \u201CHe played one game. That\u2019s it. But he did a great job. As long as he keeps the process in mind and keeps working with great habits, everything\u2019s going to be fine, and that\u2019s what he has to do. It\u2019s not about age. It\u2019s about habits. If you have good work habits, you get results if you have ability.\u201D&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Winston started the game 11-of-11, and his only incompletion of the first half was caught a step out of bounds. He was crisp on his delivery, showed some wheels, and his play fakes were downright filthy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As the \u201Coohs\u201D and \u201Caahs\u201D coursed through the press box and Twitter exploded, something quickly became clear: we aren\u2019t just seeing a capable replacement for EJ Manuel on the Seminoles; we might be witnessing history.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u201CI knew this guy since freshman year out there on scout team was making plays,\u201D cornerback Lamarcus Joyner said. \u201CFifth-year senior EJ Manuel wasn\u2019t making throws like that, and I said to myself this guy\u2019s going to be special. Like you saw tonight, he did pretty great for it being his first game.\u201D&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pittsburgh coach Paul Chyrst has done an admirable job restoring calm at a program where there was none, and there is real potential here, on the field and in the growing fan base. Pittsburgh is a proud sports city, and it is looking for any excuse to get behind its college team.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Panther faithful and Chryst will just have to look for that excuse somewhere else in a game that seemed destined to showcase Winston.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u201CTowards the end of the night when they told us the numbers,\u201D FSU wide receiver Kenny Shaw, who had four catches for 94 yards, said, \u201Cit was like, \u2018Dang, he balled out.\u2019 But I\u2019m proud of him.\u201D&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The worry with any freshman quarterback is he will try to do too much, but Fisher\u2019s game plan left Winston plenty of room to make good decisions while not taking away his natural improvisation. Some of those throws are going to get the Seminoles into trouble down the road, and some of those scrambles could end badly.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But you\u2019d always rather have a guy who can make those plays, and you take your chances as you watch him develop.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It was important to get Winston some work in pressure situations as early as possible, as the FSU schedule doesn\u2019t pose a bevy of challenges until the showdown with Clemson in Death Valley on October 19. By then, we\u2019ll know if the \u2018Noles are a true ACC contender.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And a lot of that starts and ends with Winston.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u201CEvery time I step in the huddle the offensive line is looking at me with their mean looks,\u201D Winston said, \u201Cand I have to be calm for them. They have to see it in my eyes, just like \u2018Hey this guy, he\u2019s ready to do it.\u2019 Then I gotta look at my team and it\u2019s like, \u2018It\u2019s time to go.\u2019\u201D&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Whether or not the Seminoles and their freshman phenom will have a shot at a conference title will depend on the winds of ACC fate. And we all know those winds can send a team off course faster than you can say Odysseus. If Winston's journey is going to live up to the hype, he\u2019ll have to have a short memory and sail on.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;h2&gt;Welcome to the ACC&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pitt seems strangely excited to join the ACC, which is a breath of fresh air for a conference that has taken its lumps over the last few years. The Panthers are hanging ACC signs all over Heinz Field and on campus and have wholeheartedly embraced their new league. There was a ceremony before the game where flag bearers trotted out each individual team\u2019s flag, the fans booed half-heartedly (and with gusto when the Notre Dame flag was presented) and the band spelled out ACC during halftime.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While the Atlantic Coast doesn\u2019t immediately bring Pittsburgh to mind, the school fits right in with regards to its student body, academics and campus, not to mention a strong tradition in basketball.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u201CThey definitely fit in because as you see those guys are physical,\u201D Joyner said. \u201CIt definitely was a dogfight. The scoreboard doesn\u2019t always determine how the game was played. Those guys are very physical and they\u2019ll do pretty well in this league.\u201D&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Chances are the Panthers will make a nice addition, and Chryst\u2019s squad will upset a team or two along the way.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;h2&gt;Tailgate traditions&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I had the pleasure of spending a couple hours with the Internet\u2019s own Spilly, and he showed me around the tailgating lots and the outside of the stadium. He told me the school has had trouble drumming up new traditions since the team moved off campus to play its games at Heinz Field, and most attempts have been met with a bit of a laissez-faire attitude.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The most repeated phrase was \"It\u2019s sterile,\" which doesn\u2019t mean there isn\u2019t room for improvement. The first thing would be a better way of getting students here -- right now they have to take a city bus or school buses in from campus -- and establishing some consistency on the field.\nWhen a team wins, traditions organically spring up. Here's hoping the Panthers start winning, and new traditions take the place of campy borrowed interests like playing \u201CSweet Caroline\u201D after the third quarter.&lt;/p&gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.si.com/college-football/campus-union/2013/09/03/jameis-winston-florida-state-seminoles-pittsburgh-acc>