Phil Sears/Associated Press
A block by Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston, left, waylaid Syracuse's Julian Whigham as Levonte Whitfield broke free for a 74-yard touchdown run.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Jameis Winston walked into his postgame news conference Saturday night without the look of someone carrying a burden. His suit fit loosely, he wore flip-flops, his shirttail was out, and his smile was wide. A gold chain dangled from his neck. He looked at ease as he sat down in a metal folding chair surrounded by reporters.
"How y'all doing?" he said.
Winston, Florida State's quarterback and the No. 2 Seminoles' leader, motored through 5 minutes 12 seconds of questions. A Heisman Trophy front-runner, Winston is under investigation in connection with a sexual assault complaint filed in December 2012. The complaint, which does not mention Winston's name, was sent to the office of State Attorney William N. Meggs last week.
Reporters were ready with questions for Winston about the emotion of the week and the potential distractions the events off the field might have had on him.
A Florida State spokesman issued a reminder before allowing questions, saying of Winston: "He's only talking about football and the football game. Anything that's not related to football or this game, it will be ended."
Winston completed his first 11 passes in Florida State's 59-3 victory against Syracuse in an Atlantic Coast Conference game. It was the 10th consecutive game in which the Seminoles scored at least 40 points, the first time they have reached that scoring mark 10 times in a single season.
He was asked his thoughts on the seemingly unstoppable Seminole offense. "Once our offense gets in that groove, it's hard to slow us down," he said.
Winston was asked a question that touched on the sexual assault complaint, as a reporter wanted to know whether it had been business as usual for the Seminoles this past week.
"Always, always," Winston said. "That's how we go into every game, prepare the same. We came out victorious."
Coach Jimbo Fisher said last week that he wanted his team to eliminate clutter, and Winston was asked about his coach's remark.
"It's the same thing every single week," he said. "One thing about Florida State, we're a big family and we stay inside the family."
Winston's appearance Saturday did not reveal any distress, and neither did his play on the field. Winston, a 6-foot-4 redshirt freshman, completed 19 of 21 passes for 277 yards and 2 touchdowns.
His 6-yard touchdown pass to Rashad Greene with 40 seconds left in the first quarter helped push the Seminoles' lead to 28-0. Florida State (10-0, 8-0) led by 38-0 at halftime, and Winston did not play the rest of the game.
The Seminoles had 523 yards against Syracuse (5-5, 3-3), which had given up 3 points in its previous two games. Florida State's offense has dominated A.C.C. opponents all season and the Seminoles have won eight conference games by an average of 39 points. Florida State looked just as dominant as it did before news that the Tallahassee Police Department had passed on an 11-month-old complaint to Meggs's office.
Tim Jansen, Winston's lawyer, has said that Winston denies any wrongdoing, and Jansen told The Tallahassee Democrat last week that he had been told by a police officer last February that the case was dropped.
Support for Winston, 19, was evident Saturday as F.S.U. fans gave him a standing ovation during player introductions.
Several of Winston's teammates did not comment when asked about the investigation of Winston. Others offered a somewhat roundabout backing of their quarterback.
Nose tackle Timmy Jernigan, when asked about the emotion surrounding Winston over the past week, said: "He has a lot going on around him from the start of the season. You know, when you play like he plays, a lot is going to come with it, whether it is in a good way or bad way."
Florida State, in four seasons under Fisher, has stockpiled the kind of talent around Winston that was typical in the 1990s, when the Seminoles won two national championships under Bobby Bowden. The Seminoles average 52.7 points a game, but the defense looks just as formidable and leads the A.C.C. in points allowed per game.
The senior cornerback Lamarcus Joyner is a playmaker in pass defense or on the blitz. Defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. is difficult to single-block, which makes it easier for linebackers Christian Jones, Terrance Smith and Telvin Smith to pressure the opponent. Jernigan, a 296-pound junior, requires two blockers inside to keep him off the ball carrier.
The pieces are there for the Seminoles. And this past week, they again put them together to coast in an A.C.C. game. Distractions were put aside, at least for now.
Extra Points
Syracuse cornerback Julian Whigham was taken to a hospital with an abdominal injury when he collided with another player in the end zone on a pass defense in the first quarter Saturday. He was in stable condition.
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