TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Oct. 27 (UPI) -- Chris Rix threw five touchdown passes Saturday -- three of them coming in the fourth quarter -- as the 18th-ranked Florida State Seminoles knocked mistake-prone No. 12 Maryland from the ranks of the unbeaten, 52-31.
Having won the ACC title nine years in a row, the Seminoles (5-2, 4-1) entered Saturday in third place in the conference, 1 1/2 games behind the surprising Terrapins.
On Saturday, Florida State showed the Terrapins -- a traditional doormat of the conference -- that it still has more than enough to win the league crown.
Rix, who has struggled this season to replace Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke, played his best game. The freshman went 15 of 24 for 344 yards, including touchdown passes of nine, 16, 28, 22 and 31 yards.
Rix found Talman Gardner from 28 yards out with 12:28 remaining to snap a 31-31 tie. He added two more touchdown passes in the final 11:17 left as the Seminoles rolled to their latest win over an ACC foe at Doak-Campbell Stadium.
Florida State, which had a 37-game winning streak and 54-game unbeaten streak stopped two weeks ago with a loss to Miami, improved to 39-0 all-time at home against ACC teams.
In its biggest test of the season, Maryland (7-1, 5-1 ACC) turned over the ball four times and fell to 0-12 all-time against the Seminoles. The Terrapins also failed in a bid for the first 8-0 start in school history.
Maryland, which squandered a two-touchdown lead in the first half, battled back and took a 24-21 lead early in the third quarter on Bruce Perry's eight-yard touchdown run.
After Xavier Beitia kicked a 31-yard field goal to tie it, Jamal Chance fumbled the ensuing kickoff, putting the Seminoles back in business deep in Maryland territory.
Four plays later, Greg Jones barrelled over from four yards, giving the Seminoles a 31-24 lead with 6:50 remaining in the third quarter.
But the Terrapins continued to show their resiliency, moving 84 yards in 12 plays. Quarterback Shaun Hill capped the drive with a two-yard run with 1:53 left in the period, tying the game.
Hill completed 20 of 36 passes for 190 yards and added 55 yards rushing on 13 attempts.
Florida State, which has an abundance of new faces on offense this season, had its coming-out party over the final 15 minutes.
Rix started things by finding Gardner in the left corner of the end zone for a 28-yard touchdown pass, giving the Seminoles a 38-31 lead with 12:28 remaining.
Gardner, who is trying to help revive the Seminoles' decimated wide receiving corps, had a huge game with seven receptions for 151 yards and three touchdowns.
Maryland continued to hurt itself with mistakes, committing its fourth turnover on the ensuing possession when Perry fumbled and cornerback Rufus Brown recovered inside the Terrapins' 25.
Three plays after the miscue, Rix connected with Javon Walker on a 22-yard touchdown pass, extending the lead to 45-31 with 11:17 left.
Rix capped the big fourth quarter with a 32-yard touchdown pass to Atrews Bell with 6:58 to play, giving Florida State the final margin. Bell had four catches for 106 yards.
The Terrapins broke on top late in the first quarter on fullback James Lynch's 65-yard run.
In the second quarter, Maryland converted on fourth-and-inches from inside the Seminoles one, then took a 14-0 lead on the next play when Marc Riley plunged over.
The Seminoles quickly found their offense, scoring three touchdowns in less than three minutes to take the lead.
Rix had touchdown passes of 16 and nine yards to Gardner around a 23-yard interception return by linebacker Michael Boulware.
The Terrapins pulled within 21-17 on Nick Novak's 51-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.
