Paul Myerberg

USA TODAY Sports

PASADENA, Calif. — Florida State was able to complete one of the most impressive seasons in recent college football history by defeating Auburn, 34-31, in the BCS National Championship Game. How did the Seminoles do it? By sticking to the script even when they found tough sledding against a tremendous Auburn effort. Slowly but surely, Florida State chipped away at the Tigers' 21-3 first-half lead and moved ahead for good with only 13 seconds left in the fourth quarter. In hindsight, these 12 moments stand out – these moments decided the national championship.

1. Auburn missed on an easy touchdown on its first possession of the game. How easy? On third down, quarterback Nick Marshall stepped back and delivered down the middle of the field – this would be a theme – to an open Ricardo Louis, the hero of November's miracle win against Georgia. The only issue: Marshall threw it short. Louis tried to scoop in the pass but couldn't, leading to an Auburn punt. He could have walked into the end zone.

2. Auburn's second drive of the first half died at FSU's 40-yard line. On came punter Steven Clark, one of the SEC's best at pinning opponents inside their own red zone. Clark delivered with a beauty, a punt that hit at the two-yard line and simply died. FSU's next drive featured an incomplete pass, a minimal gain on the ground and an incomplete pass, and a short punt returned 22 yards to the Seminoles' 37-yard line by Auburn cornerback Chris Davis led to the Tigers' first scoring drive. With 3:07 left in the first quarter, it was 7-3 Auburn.

3. Florida State made several physical and mental errors against Auburn, but one led right to a touchdown. Less than a minute into the second quarter, FSU cornerback Lamarcus Joyner was called for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the Seminoles' defense had stopped running back Corey Grant for a three-yard loss. That penalty moved Auburn right to midfield; on its next play, Marshall found reserve receiver Melvin Ray for a 50-yard touchdown. With 13:48 left in the half, Auburn led 14-3.

4. Down 21-3 with less than four minutes left in the first half, Florida State had to roll the dice. On 4th-and-4 from its own 40-yard line, coach Jimbo Fisher called the fake punt. The snap was caught and flipped to running back Karlos Williams, who ran around the left side for a seven-yard gain and a first down. That play seemed to light a fire under FSU's offense, which went completion, nice running gain, completion, scramble, touchdown – to make it a 21-10 Auburn lead with 1:28 left in the half.

5. Getting wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin involved – after he was noticeably missing in the first half – led to Florida State's first scoring drive of the second half. One play stood out: Jameis Winston threaded a pass to Benjamin down the left sideline smack between two Auburn defenders for a 24-yards gain. While the drive sputtered from there, the completion led to a field goal, making it a one-possession game with 6:05 left in the third quarter.

6. Marshall finally made a major mistake. On 2nd-and-16 from his team's 34-yard line, Marshall was intercepted by FSU defensive back P.J. Williams on a pass thrown down the right hash. Williams then fumbled the ball on his return, though it the loose ball was recovered by Lamarcus Joyner. For a defense that had clamped down after a slow start, this was the big play they'd be looking for.

7. FSU needed only five plays to go 56 yards and score after Williams' interception, making it a 21-19 game with 10:55 left in the fourth quarter. Here comes the two-point conversion attempt, right? Well, not quite. After the FSU touchdown, referees flagged running back Devonta Freeman for a celebration penalty. That changed things for the Seminoles, who were then forced to kick a longer extra-point rather than try to tie the game with a two-point attempt. Rather than potentially tying the game, FSU trailed by a single point, 21-20.

8. With 6:40 left in the game, Auburn running back Tre Mason converted a huge third down to prolong a Tigers' drive. On 3rd-and-2, Mason squeezed through the left side of the offensive line to gain four yards to the FSU 12-yard line. While the drive didn't end in six points, an Auburn field goal with 4:42 left made it a 24-20 game. FSU now needed a touchdown to win – and a field goal would be meaningless.

9. It was one of the great moments in BCS history – or, if you're willing, one of the great big-play moments in college football history. After Auburn's field goal made it 24-20, FSU returner Levonte Whitfield took the ensuing kickoff 100 yards to give FSU a 27-24 lead. Who was at fault for Auburn? Nobody. Whitfield simply erased any angle held by a would-be tackler, finding the sideline in a flash and hitting his top gear in a blur. Cue the tomahawk chant from the FSU faithful, and the press box in the Rose Bowl shook. With 4:31 left, FSU led by three points.

10. The lead didn't last long. On the next drive, Auburn responded the way it had responded all season – perfectly, without missing a beat, and with a flair for the dramatic. After moving to Florida State's 37-yard line, Mason took a handoff on 2nd-and-16 and took it into the end zone, breaking a number of tackles along the way – including one inside the 15, running right over an FSU defensive back. You'd be surprised if you hadn't seen Auburn shine in the fourth quarter again and again on the road to the title game.

11. A tackle saved the game for Auburn. On the second play of its final drive, quarterback Jameis Winston hit Kenny Shaw on a short hitch to the right side; Shaw then took the ball and scampered for 49 yards, eventually getting pulled down at the Auburn 23-yard line by defensive back Ryan White. What if Shaw outruns White? What if White takes a bad angle? What if White slips, Shaw fakes, Shaw leaps over the tackle? Then Florida State wins the ballgame. Instead, White brought Shaw to the ground to keep FSU out of the end zone with less than a minute left.

12. A pass-interference call set up Florida State's game-winning score. Did Chris Davis foul Rashad Greene? Yes, but was that sort of in-his-jersey defense called throughout the game? As it was, the penalty, which occurred in the end zone on a pass from the 10-yard line, gave FSU 1st-and-goal from the Auburn two. On the next play, Winston found Benjamin for the touchdown. With 13 seconds left, FSU led 34-31. Auburn got off two plays, the latter a lateral-heavy prayer, and Florida State escaped to claim the national title.

Paul Myerberg, a national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports, is on Twitter @PaulMyerberg.