TALLAHASSEE -- Playing from behind generally hasn't been part of the script over the last two years for Florida State.
The end of the story, however, always has remained the same.
Karlos Williams returned from injury to score the go-ahead touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, and No. 2 FSU held on late to turn back fifth-ranked Notre Dame 31-27 at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday night.
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The Irish had a late touchdown turned back because of penalty, and FSU forced a turnover on downs on Notre Dame's final possession to secure the win, the Seminoles' 23rd in a row.
"It's a family," FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said immediately after the game. "It believes in each other and stuck together. It's something special for the guys. ... It's what you play for. It's what you live for."
Williams, who had been out with an ankle injury, carried the ball eight times for 25 yards, but two of those carries resulted in touchdowns. His 1-yard touchdown plunge gave FSU its first lead of the game with 7 1/2 minutes left in the contest. He also added a 2-yard touchdown run with 19 seconds left in the third quarter to tie the game 24-24.
Notre Dame deserved credit for executing a game plan that kept the Irish in front on the scoreboard for most of the game. The Irish settled for a field goal in the fourth quarter to take a 27-24 lead, however, and that opened the door for FSU to storm back and seize a 31-27 advantage with Williams' second touchdown.
Both teams were forced to punt on their next possessions, and the Irish regained possession at midfield with just under 3 minutes left. Irish quarterback Everett Golson located Corey Robinson open for a 20-yard pass and a first down on fourth-and-18 to keep Notre Dame's hopes alive.
The Irish ultimately advanced the ball to the FSU 3, but a penalty on Notre Dame's Will Fuller for offensive pass interference negated a touchdown pass from Golson to Corey Robinson with 13 seconds left. Golson made a desperate throw under pressure on the next play, and the ball fell incomplete to allow the Seminoles to escape with a narrow win.
FSU quarterback Jameis Winston struggled in the first half before settling into a groove after halftime. He finished the game 23-for-31 passing for 273 yards with two touchdowns and one interception He completed just 8 of 15 passes for 92 yards in the first half, and his one interception proved costly as it led to Notre Dame's second touchdown.
With Williams still nursing a tender ankle and Mario Pender sitting out with an ankle injury of his own, Seminole freshman Dalvin Cook was FSU's only healthy tailback. That led to an increased reliance on Winston's right arm, and the reigning Heisman Trophy winner made several key throws in the second half to keep the FSU offense moving.
Golson outperformed Winston in stretches, particularly in the first half, and he finished 31-for-52 passing for 313 yards in a courageous performance. He appeared to tweak his right hamstring in the second half and quickly jogged back to the locker room for treatment. He reappeared soon thereafter and did not miss any time on the field.
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FSU scored a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter to even the score at 24-all going into the final quarter. Rashad Greene hauled down a 10-yard touchdown pass to cap a nine-play, 70-yard drive to knot the score at 17-17. After Golson's 11-yard touchdown pass to Fuller gave the Irish a 24-17 lead, FSU answered with Williams' first touchdown run.
The Irish carried a 17-10 lead into the locker room at halftime and played from a position of strength -- as in, leading on the scoreboard -- for most of the contest. The halftime score marked only the second time with Winston under center that the Seminoles failed to score more than 10 points in the first two quarters.
Golson used Robinson, a 6-foot-4 receiver, to great effect, throwing touchdown passes of 1 and 9 yards to help the Irish build a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter. Those plays sandwiched an 11-yard touchdown pass from Winston to Travis Rudolph with 19 seconds left in the first quarter.