TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- No Dalvin Cook? No Everett Golson?

No problem for No. 17 Florida State.

With a Top 25 showdown looming next week against No. 3 Clemson, the Seminoles (7-1, 5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) got career games from a pair of backups and starting wideout Travis Rudolph on Saturday during a 45-21 rout of Syracuse.

Seminoles backup quarterback Sean Maguire, making his second-ever start, threw for a career-high 348 yards and three touchdown passes in place of Golson (concussion), while backup running back Jacques Patrick -- making his first career start in place of injured Heisman contender Cook (ankle) -- rushed for 162 yards on 24 carries and scored three touchdowns in the win.

Maguire found out just before kickoff he would get the start. And he made the most of it.

"It feels great. Coming off last week's (loss to Georgia Tech), this week was really important for us. I think a lot of guys just went out there and had fun, and I think that's what we needed, " said Maguire, whose 302 yards at halftime was the most by a Florida State QB in the opening two quarters since 2000. "It's always tough being the second guy. It's the hardest position because you still have to prepare like you're starting and you just never know. You could go in the second play of the game."

Rudolph, meanwhile, finished with five catches for 191 yards and three touchdown grabs -- the first of which was a highlight-reel run-and-catch that included a brutal stiff-arm of cornerback Corey Winfield just before crossing the goal line.

Between Rudolph's and Patrick's monster games Saturday, program history was made: The duo's output marked the first time a Seminoles running back and receiver both had three TDs apiece in a game.

"I just felt like today was going to be a big game," said Rudolph, who overtook fellow Florida State receiver Kermit Whitfield as the team's leading wideout with Saturday's performance. "We didn't miss a beat (with Sean at quarterback). Sean knows the offense."

Syracuse (3-5, 1-4) lost its fifth straight game and became the Seminoles' latest conference victim at home Saturday. Florida State has now won 15 in a row against ACC foes at Doak Campbell Stadium.

The Orange, who would have been shut out in the second half Saturday if not for receiver Brisly Estime's 59-yard punt return for a TD with 1:20 remaining in the game, also fell to 1-8 all-time against the Seminoles. They haven't beaten Florida State, which was without six starters Saturday, since their first-ever meeting in 1966.

Running back George Morris was Syracuse's top rusher with 55 yards, while Dontae Strickland led the Orange in receiving with 62 yards. Orange freshman quarterback Eric Dungey scored both of the Orange's offensive touchdowns on a pair of 1-yard TD runs, but he fumbled during a key third-quarter drive and passed for just 120 yards in the loss.

"I don't know if (Eric) had a chance to play well, to be quite honest with you," said Syracuse coach Scott Shafer, who is now 6-14 as a head coach and has only beaten two FBS programs during his tenure. "I don't think we did a good enough job up front to give him a chance. Congratulations to a very talented Florida State team today. They did a nice job. They got after us good."

Shafer added that the Orange did not prepare for Maguire at all.

"No we did not. He hadn't played enough football to prepare for him," Shafer said. "He's usually (in during) mop-up duty."

The offensive production Florida State lost when Cook and Golson were both ruled out was significant and could've put the Seminoles at risk for an upset Saturday. Coming in, Florida State had scored 25 offensive touchdowns this season, and Cook had 12 of those to go along with 1,037 yards rushing. Golson had thrown 11 of those touchdowns and his 1,659 passing yards this season rank second in the ACC.

Maguire and Co., however, more than filled the void Saturday.

Patrick scored a second-half TD from 28 yards out after breaking three tackles, and Maguire's third TD pass of the game was a beauty in the back of the end zone to a double-covered Rudolph from 19 yards out.

The last time Florida State fans saw Maguire, he led the Seminoles to a 23-17 overtime win in 2014 against Clemson. But after Saturday's performance, he may have very well played himself into a quarterback controversy this week as the Seminoles prepare for a trip to Death Valley.

Seminoles head coach Jimbo Fisher was coy after the game about his plans going forward.

"I'm always re-evaluating," Fisher said with a laugh when he asked if he would take a closer look at his starting quarterback situation following Maguire's big day. "But I'm happy right now. I've always told you we've got two good quarterbacks. We'll wait on health and all that, but (come next Saturday) the best player will play.

"But very proud of Sean. Being a backup quarterback is the hardest job in ball, man. It takes a mature, selfless, team player. I can't be any happier for any one guy."

The Seminoles' defense was led Saturday by 12 tackles each from defensive back Derwin James and linebacker Reggie Northrup. Two of James' tackles were for a loss and he also forced a fumble. Defensive linemen Derrick Nnadi and Demarcus Walker both recorded sacks in the win for Florida State.

Syracuse's defense got a sack from Ron Thompson, who came into the game second in the ACC in that category, and a team-high nine tackles from linebacker Zaire Franklin.

The Seminoles jumped ahead 28-14 at halftime on 75- and 45-yard TD passes from Maguire to Rudolph and a pair of short TD runs by Patrick, but only after Syracuse struck first on its second drive of the game.

Dungey capped off a three-play, 66-yard drive with a 1-yard TD scamper into the end zone to give Syracuse an early 7-0 lead. The march was highlighted by a 64-yard screen pass from Dungey to Strickland down to the Florida State 4-yard line. But that ended up being the biggest play all day for the Orange, who will try to rebound next week at Louisville.

Florida State's streak of being scary-good on Halloween continued Saturday. The Seminoles are now 8-1 all-time in games played on the national holiday, with their last Halloween victory prior to Saturday coming in a last-minute, 45-42 thriller against N.C. State and now-NFL star quarterback Russell Wilson in 2009.

NOTES: Calling Saturday's game in the broadcast booth for ABC was Sean McDonough, a graduate of the Orange's famed School of Broadcast Journalism. ... WR Travis Rudolph's 172 yards at halftime was the most in a first half by a Seminole receiver since 2000. ... Midway through the second quarter Saturday, Florida State's offense already had 291 yards, compared to just 280 yards the Seminoles had total in last week's loss to Georgia Tech ... Two Syracuse players left the game with upper-body injuries and did not return: DE Luke Arciniega and LB Paris Bennett. ... In addition to QB Everett Golson and DB Dalvin Cook, the other Florida State starters out for Saturday's game were OLs Ryan Hoefeld (shoulder), Cole Minshew (concussion) and Derrick Kelly (knee), and LB Terrance Smith (ankle). ... Saturday's attendance was 67,630.