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... starting at wide receiver for the Seminoles, senior receiver Peter Warrick.

Warrick, the all-everything wideout who passed on a fortune in the NFL last season for a chance at the national title, has been priceless for the top-ranked 'Noles this season.

No game was it more evident than Saturday's 41-35 victory over pesky, No. 10 Georgia Tech.

With the FSU defense being driven like a rental car, it was Warrick who drove a stake through the hearts of the upset-minded Yellow Jackets.

"You have to give Georgia Tech a lot of credit," Florida State quarterback Chris Weinke said. "They fought hard for the whole 60 minutes. I thought the offense came to play tonight. Pete (Warrick) had another outstanding game. It is amazing what he can do on the football field."

In a game that featured 945 combined yards and 76 total points, Warrick was even more impressive than those gaudy numbers. He caught 8 passes for 142 yards. He scored two touchdowns, one on the ground and one through the air. He even lined up under center and took a couple snaps at quarterback, scoring once on a draw from 17 yards out.

Said Bowden: "Peter Warrick was incredible tonight. When we needed a boost or lift, he was there. Whenever he is on the field, he makes us that much better offensively. As far as him lining up at quarterback, we wanted to get the ball in the hands of our best player a bit more. And he made things happened when he was back there."

When Florida State needed points, they turned to No. 9.

When the Seminoles needed a clutch third down, it was Warrick who moved the chains.

Too bad he couldn't line up on defense and give help to a unit that surrendered 501 total yards, the first time an opposing offense crossed the 500-yard barrier against Florida State since Florida put up 587 yards in 1995. Georgia Tech quarterback Joe Hamilton finished the game 22 of 25 for 387 yards and accounted for five touchdowns, four through the air.

But for as good as Hamilton and the offense was, Warrick and the 'Noles were better. Florida State had an answer for every Georgia Tech threat. And nearly every reply was in the form of Warrick. Of the Seminoles' seven scoring drives, Warrick accounted for five either making a big play to put the 'Noles in scoring position or crossing the goal line himself.

Peter Warrick passed up a fortune in the NFL to star at Florida State this season. (AP)

"They were sitting back in a zone and giving up the underneath routes," Warrick said. "We knew they would play soft so we took advantage of that. We basically took what they gave us. They played so deep, we had no choice but to go short and try to get yards after the catch."

"He's the real deal," Georgia Tech linebacker Nick Rogers said. "He's so quick. You give him a seam and he can take it all the way. He's slippery. We had a tough time dealing with him."

Overall, Florida State's performance wasn't befitting of the No. 1 team in the land. Though the Warrick-led offense looked the part, Georgia Tech exposed a weakness in what was supposed to be the best defensive unit in the nation.

"Defensively, we hadn't played a game like that in I don't know how long," Bowden said. "It's been a long time since I've seen us get pushed around like that on defense. The offense bailed us out.

"Tech lined up and whipped our defense. I never thought I would see the day that an offense would score that many points on us. We need to definitely correct some things defensively."

Lucky for Bowden and the Seminoles, they have nine more regular-season games left to work on the defense. And 10 more introductions with senior receiver Peter Warrick in the lineup, Sugar Bowl included.