Jameis Winston vs Marcus Mariota in 2015 NFL Draft

Oct 30, 2014; Louisville, KY, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston (5) throws a pass during the third quarter against the Louisville Cardinals at Papa John

Intangibles

A mark of a good leader is how much his team believes in him no matter how bad things may look for him early on. And the Seminoles’ belief in Winston has everything to do with why they believe they’re never in a situation they can’t win in. That was on full display on Thursday night as the Seminoles didn’t have a panic button to push, down 21 at halftime.

The reason why they were down 21 at halftime is because Winston was 10-22 for 123 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. But the Seminoles stayed the course and trusted that their man would bring them back and he did in a big way. Winston was 15-26 for 278 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in the second half to lead his Seminoles to a 42-31 win.

Intangibles like that definitely translate to the NFL as men like Joe Montana and John Elway started their comebacks in college. Meanwhile, Mariota is more of a front runner that gets his offense going to boat-race their opponents by wide margins. Outside of Michigan State this year, Mariota doesn’t usually win tough games and doesn’t have the signature wins Winston has.