2017 Football - Year In Review |
Coaching Staff
Jimbo Fisher, Head Coach
A.J. Antonescu, Graduate Assistant, Offense
Tim Brewster, Recruiting Coordinator, Tight Ends
Lawrence Dawsey, Co-Offensive Coordinator, Wide Receivers
Jay Graham, Special Teams Coordinator, Running Backs
Odell Haggins, Interim Head Coach, Associate Head Coach, Defensive Tackles
Charles Kelly, Defensive Coordinator, Defensive Backs
Brad Lawing, Defensive Ends, Outside Linebackers
Bill Miller, Linebackers
Myles Notkin, Graduate Assistant, Offense
Andrew Priest, Graduate Assistant, Defense
Randy Sanders, Co-Offensive Coordinator, Quarterbacks
Rick Trickett, Assistant Head Coach, Offensive Line
Jeremiah Wilson, Graduate Assistant, Defense
Click here to see individual photos
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2017 Football
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2017 Florida State Signees/Newcomers
Cam Akers, 5-11, 213, RB, Clinton, Miss.
- PERSONAL: One of the most sought-after players in the nation and the country's top running back recruit in the 2017 class...the five-star Akers ranked as the No. 2 player nationally and the No. 1
running back as part of 247Sports Composite…ranked No. 7 nationally and the top running back by 247Sports and No. 9 in the ESPN300 and the No. 1 running back…rated the No. 3 prospect in the nation by
both Rivals and Scout...participated in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and Nike's ‘The Opening'…was awarded the U.S. Army Player of the Year Award as the nation's most outstanding high school senior
football player…ran for 38 yards and a touchdown in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and was named player of the game…graduated from Clinton High School in Clinton, Miss., and led the Arrows to the
Class 6A state championship in 2016 – Clinton's first-ever state title in football…finished his four-year varsity career by passing for 8,140 yards and 78 touchdowns, while rushing for 5,103 yards and
71 scores…passed for 3,128 yards and 31 touchdowns at a 61.8 completion rate with just six interceptions as a senior to go along with 2,105 yards and 34 touchdowns on the ground…led Mississippi with
65 total touchdowns and ranked second in total yards (5,233)…named Mississippi's Mr. Football for Class 6A and the state's Gatorade Player of the Year in 2016…named to the 2016 All-USA Today first
team offense as a quarterback…two-time all-state selection in 2015 and 2016…passed for 2,331 yards and 20 touchdowns, while rushing for 1,418 yards and 16 scores in 2015…registered 2,596 total yards
and accounted for 37 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2014…became the Arrows' starting quarterback as a freshman in 2013 and accounted for 1,565 total yards and 11 touchdowns in eight games…chose Florida
State over Ole Miss, LSU, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia among several others.
James Blackman, 6-5, 185, QB, Belle Glade
- PERSONAL: Possesses a big arm and great size while showcasing his playmaking ability as the quarterback at Glades Central High School…captured a four-star rating from Rivals and 247Sports, while
being tabbed a three-start recruit by ESPN and Scout…rated the nation's No. 7 pro style quarterback and No. 29 overall player in Florida by 247Sports, while making the recruiting service's coveted
Top247 prospect list…rated the nation's No. 10 dual threat quarterback and No. 33 player in Florida by Rivals…ranked No. 220 in the Rivals300…ranked the nation's No. 24 overall quarterback by ESPN and
a top 100 player in the state of Florida…called a “pass-first quarterback that does a good job of keeping his eyes locked down the field” by Scout…ESPN says “Can play on the move, as a runner and
within the pocket”…passed for 2,511 yards and 14 touchdowns at Glades Central in 2016, leading the Raiders to the Class 4A regional semifinals…ranked Florida's No. 3 quarterback prospect by Scout and
the No. 7 signal caller in the Orlando Sentinel's Top 100 prospect list…rated No. 5 on the Palm Beach Post's Big Board of top area college prospects and was also a member of the Post's Super 11 for
the 2016 football season…collected Palm Beach Post All-Area First Team and Sun Sentinel All-Palm Beach County First Team accolades in 2016, as well as Class 4A honorable mention All-State honors in
2015 and 2016…tossed for over 2,000 yards and 24 touchdowns as a junior…has same alma mater as 2014 Carolina Panthers first round pick Kelvin Benjamin, the former Seminole star wide receiver who
caught the game-winning touchdown in the 2013 BCS National Championship…committed to FSU in August 2016…chose the Noles over offers from Louisville, Miami and West Virginia, among others.
DeCalon Brooks, 5-10, 195, LB, Tampa
- PERSONAL: Consensus three-star prospect and Top 50 linebacker recruit who starred at Gaither High School in Tampa…named the nation's No. 47 inside linebacker prospect in Florida by 247Sports…rated
the No. 7 inside linebacker prospect in Florida and No. 52 South ILB by Scout…ranked as one of the nation's Top 100 linebacker recruits by ESPN…versatile prospect who has the rare blend of speed,
strength, explosiveness and instincts that could propel him to excel at linebacker or safety...said to have “a natural nose for the football” by ESPN…ranked No. 33 on the Tampa Bay Times Hometown 100
of top area high school players…member of the All-Hillsborough County and Tampa Bay Times' All-Tampa Bay first team defense as a linebacker after racking up 105 tackles, six sacks and one interception
as a senior at Gaither this fall…had 114 tackles, five sacks and 12 tackles for loss as a junior…tallied 104 tackles as a sophomore…snagged second team All-Hillsborough County honors and honorable
mention All-Tampa Bay as a junior…was a three-year starter for the Cowboys, averaging 10.8 tackles per game for his prep career...committed to Florida State in August 2016…selected the Seminoles over
offers from Louisville, USF and Illinois among others…his father, Derrick Brooks, a two-time consensus All-American linebacker at Florida State in 1993 and 1994, has his jersey, No. 10, retired at FSU
and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, College Football Hall of Fame and Florida State Hall of Fame.
Cory Durden, 6-5, 320, DT, Newberry
- PERSONAL: Holds a four-star rating from Scout and is one of the nation's top defensive tackle prospects…ranked a three-star recruit by Rivals, 247Sports and ESPN…ranked the No. 11 defensive tackle
in the nation by Scout and Florida's No. 2 recruit at his position…ranked the nation's No. 22 defensive tackle recruit by Rivals…rated the No. 24 defensive tackle prospect in the 247Sports
Composite…grabbed All-Southeast Region honors from PrepStar…according to Scout, has “a big body and can eat up space, push the pocket back and make plays”…participated in Nike's The Opening…ranked
fourth on the Orlando Sentinel's Top 100 recruits list, sandwiched between teammate and fellow FSU commit Ja'len Parks and early enrollee at FSU Stanford Samuels III…helped lead Newberry to an 8-2
record and an appearance in the Class 1A regional semifinals in 2016…totaled 52 tackles, including 41 solo and 18 tackles for loss, six sacks, one blocked field goal, three fumble recoveries and two
forced fumbles en route to Florida Class 1A All-State First Team honors….also had 22 receptions for 229 yards and three touchdowns as a tight end on offense…named the Florida Athletic Coaches
Association's District 7 Player of the Year…committed to FSU in February 2016…signed with Florida State over offers from Florida, Oklahoma, and Miami, among others.
Cyrus Fagan, 6-2, 180, DB, Daytona Beach
- High School: A four-star free safety in the 247Sports Composite and consensus top-15 safety in the country…Fagan is the 71st-best player and ninth-best safety in the 2017 class…ranks No. 116 and No.
13 safety by 247, the No. 123 player and No. 11 safety by Scout, No. 74 player and No. 9 safety by Rivals, and No. 59 in the ESPN300 and the No. 5 safety…originally committed to Florida State in
February 2016…invited to the Under Armour All-American Game…recorded one tackle and a pass breakup in the Under Armour All-American Game…attended the same Daytona Beach high school, Mainland, as
current FSU defensive back A.J. Westbrook…helped lead Mainland to the Class 6A Regional Finals in 2016...chose Florida State over Alabama, Auburn, and Florida, among others.
Bailey Hockman, 6-2, 187, QB, Powder Springs, Ga.
- High School: An Acworth, Ga., native, Hockman is a four-star recruit on the 247Sports Composite rankings…ranked No. 186 in the ESPN300 and is a consensus Top 15 pro-style quarterback in the 2017
class…according to MaxPreps, finished his senior season with 25 touchdown passes and 2,604 yards…led McEachern to the GHSA 7A state semifinals as a senior…was First-Team All-State in Georgia 6A in
2014 and 2015 and in 7A in 2017...ranks third all-time in touchdown passes in Georgia at 94...is third all-time in Georgia in career passing yards with 9,457...competed at the 2016 Junior Elite
Classic...selected as All-Cobb County in 2014-16 and was the Player of the Year in 2015...a three-year starter that led McEachern to nine playoff victories with two region championships and two state
final appearances...threw for 432 yards against Tucker in 2014 that ranks 42nd all-time in Georgia...committed to FSU in April 2016…chose Florida State over offers from North Carolina, Alabama, and
Georgia, among others.
Joshua Kaindoh, 6-6, 250, DE, Baltimore, Md.
- High School: One of the top defensive line prospects in the 2017 class, Kaindoh is ranked five-star talent by 247Sports and Rivals…ranked the top defensive end and 16th overall player in the nation
by Rivals…247 ranks him No. 22 nationally and the No. 3 weak-side defensive lineman and the No. 3 player in the state of Florida…ranks No. 53 overall and No. 6 at his position by Scout and No. 16 on
the ESPN300…a long, powerful athlete who already has the frame to compete at the college level…participated in The Opening and the Under Armour All-American Game…led all players on team Highlight with
6 tackles as well as a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry…named to the All-USA Today first team defense after a 41-tackle, 7.5 sack senior season…originally from Maryland, spent his final season at
IMG Academy in Bradenton in 2016…joins IMG teammate Tre’ McKitty in the 2017 signing class heading to the FSU…chose Florida State over Maryland, Penn State, Georgia, and Alabama, amongst others.
Khalan Laborn, 5-11, 199, RB, Ocean Lakes, Va.
- PERSONAL: Consensus five-star prospect who is ranked the nation's No. 1 all-purpose back by the 247Sports Composite and Rivals…named MVP for Team Highlight after rushing for 77 yards on eight
carries, including a 21-yard score, in the Under Armour All-American Game…ranked the No. 1 player in Virginia by Rivals, Scout and ESPN, and No. 2 by 247Sports…ranked No. 36 overall and the
fourth-ranked running back by ESPN…rated the nation's 23rd-best recruit by Rivals…ranked No. 44 overall and No. 5 running back by Scout…four-star recruit and No. 61 player on the Top 150 Dream Team by
PrepStar…two-time All-American rushed for 1,969 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2016, while leading Bishop Sullivan to a 7-3 mark…two-time All-Tidewater first-team pick recorded 4,174 yards his last two
seasons…also attended Ocean Lakes High School and Cox…named to the U19 Team USA National Team for the inaugural North American Championship (formerly the International Bowl)…comes to Florida State
from the same high school as defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi and defensive back Levonta Taylor (Ocean Lakes)…committed to Florida State in July 2016 at The Opening over offers from Alabama, Miami, and
Tennessee, among others.
Tre Lawson, 6-6, 248, DE, North Augusta, S.C.
- PERSONAL: One of South Carolina's top overall prospects and a four-star defensive end recruit, according to ESPN…grabbed a three-star rating from Rivals, Scout and 247Sports…gets off the ball quick
and is effective against the run and pass…rated the sixth-best player in South Carolina and the nation's No. 32 defensive end prospect by ESPN…ranked the No. 11 recruit in South Carolina and the No.
29 strong side defensive end by 247Sports…was the 2016 Aiken Standard Defensive Player of the Year…recorded five tackles in the Touchstone Energy North-South Game in December 2016…recorded 88.5
tackles and 22 TFLs along with 8.5 sacks during his senior season at North Augusta High School…also had one 30-yard pick-six…was the Region 4-AAA Defensive Player of the Year and the North Augusta
Star Player of the Year…earned an invitation to the Border Bowl…chose FSU over Tennessee, Louisville, USC, Ole Miss, and South Carolina, among several others.
Alex Marshall, 6-8, 240, TE, Andover, Mass.
- PERSONAL: Four-star tight end prospect who is ranked as the consensus top recruit in Maine…rated the No. 12 tight end in the country by ESPN and the No. 19 tight end by both the 247Sports Composite
and Scout…collected All-East Region honors by PrepStar…the former North Carolina lacrosse commit “knows how to use his impressive frame to shield off defenders and locates the ball quickly,” according
to Scout…made his official visit to Florida State in November…named to the 2017 U19 Team USA National Team for the inaugural North American Championship (formerly the International Bowl)…played for
Andover (Mass.) High School and Proctor Academy in Andover, N.H. before spending his post-graduate year at Bridgton Academy in Bridgton, Maine…caught 22 passes for 351 yards at Andover in 2014 and
tallied 471 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 2015 in Proctor Academy's run-first offense…committed to Florida State in June 2016 over offers from some of the best teams in the country, including
Alabama, Ohio State, LSU, Clemson, and others.
D.J. Matthews, 5-10, 160, WR, Jacksonville
- PERSONAL: A consensus four-star wide receiver prospect from Jacksonville who is explosive with the ball in his hands…had arguably the most impressive play in the U.S. Army All-American Game, a
76-yard touchdown reception in which he sprinted at least 50 yards after making the catch…led Trinity Christian to a fourth consecutive Class 3A state championship in 2016, starring at quarterback and
wide receiver…ranked among the nation's Top 10 wide receivers by Rivals (No. 5), 247Sports (No. 6), ESPN (No. 7) and in the 247Sports Composite (No. 8)…rated the No. 9 player in Florida and No. 36
overall player by Rivals…ranked the No. 12 player in the Sunshine State and the No. 53 overall recruit by ESPN…ranked the No. 7 Florida recruit and No. 42 player in the nation by
247Sports…participated in Nike's The Opening…entered his senior year having already totaled 136 receptions for 2,253 yards and 26 TDs before seeing significant action at quarterback in 2016…finished
his senior season by accounting for 1,487 yards rushing, receiving and passing to go along with 19 total touchdowns…led Trinity Christian to an 11-3 mark in 2016…named to the Jacksonville Times-Union
Super 11… called “one of the premier guys in the class” by top recruiting analyst Tom Lemming of Prep Football Magazine…one of the original members of the 2017 class committed to the Seminoles back in
July 2014...according to ESPN, Matthews “possesses excellent foot quickness and is a bit of a nightmare to handle in space”…chose Florida State over Alabama, Clemson, Florida and others.
Tre' McKitty, 6-4, 235, TE, Bradenton
- High School: A three-star tight end on the 247 Sports Composite rankings, McKitty is the No. 18 tight end prospect in the 2017 class…a high school teammate of fellow incoming freshman Joshua
Kaindoh, ranks No. 251 on the ESPN300 and is the No. 6 tight end…caught 25 passes for 341 yards and four touchdowns for IMG Academy in Bradenton in 2016, helping lead the Ascenders to a perfect 11-0
record…named to the 2016 All-USA Today Florida first team…chose Florida State over offers from Oregon, Auburn, Florida, and Miami, among others.
Hamsah Nasirildeen, 6-4, 210, DB, Concord, N.C.
- PERSONAL: Consensus four-star prospect and No. 1 recruit in North Carolina who played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl…versatile prospect who can play safety, linebacker, tight end or wide
receiver…rated the nation's eighth-best safety and No. 63 overall prospect by Rivals…ranked the sixth-best outside linebacker and No. 96 recruit in the nation by 247Sports…didn't start playing defense
until his junior year…recorded 108 tackles and three interceptions to go along with 45 catches for 751 yards and five touchdowns in his senior season…as a junior, had 85 tackles, five interceptions,
two forced fumbles and seven pass break-ups, and 35 receptions for 634 yards playing receiver…received all-conference honors as a junior and a senior…a hard hitter, who often lined up at linebacker in
high school, but also displayed elite coverage skills…ESPN said “he is blessed with ideal measurables and versatility”…was named 2016 Associated Press First Team All-State and captured 2016 All-USA
North Carolina First Team honors…came away with four tackles in in the U.S. Army All-American Game, helping lead the East Team to victory…also a standout prep hoops player…committed to Florida State
in January 2017…chose the Seminoles over South Carolina, Clemson, Michigan and Penn State among several others.
Ja'lon Parks, 6-4, 304, DT, Newberry
- PERSONAL: Consensus four-star prospect and consensus top-15 defensive tackle who starred in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, helping lead Team East to victory with two tackles…ranked the No. 9
defensive tackle and No. 141 overall player by the 247Sports Composite…rated the No. 5 defensive tackle and No. 96 overall by Rivals…listed as the No. 10 defensive tackle and No. 183 in the nation by
Scout…rated the No. 14 defensive tackle and No. 172 by ESPN…racked up over 130 tackles, eight sacks and three forced fumbles in prep career…had 47 total tackles, including 32 solo stops and 14 TFLs,
four sacks, one blocked field goal and two forced fumbles as a senior…grabbed Florida Class 1A All-State First Team honors in 2016 while helping lead Newberry to an 8-2 record and an appearance in the
Class 1A regional semifinals…paired with fellow Seminole signee, defensive tackle Cory Durden, to form one of the most talented defensive line duos in the nation while at Newberry…committed to the
Seminoles in July of 2014… chose Florida State over Florida, Alabama, and Georgia, among several others.
Stanford Samuels, 6-2, 170, DB, Pembroke Pines
- High School: Consensus top five cornerback prospect in the nation… rated a five star, No. 10 nationally and No. 2 cornerback by Scout…ranks No. 37 overall and No. 5 corner by 247, No. 42 overall
and No. 5 cornerback by Rivals, , and No. 31 on the ESPN300…invited to the Under Armour All-American Game and The Opening…the 2016 All-Broward Defensive Player of the Year from the Sun-Sentinel… named
to the 2016 All-USA Today Florida first team…a Seminole legacy, his father, Stanford Samuels Jr., played at FSU from 1999-2003 and coaches at Flanagan…led Flanagan to a state championship as a junior
in 2015, sealing the victory with a pick-six…chose Florida State over offers from Alabama, Michigan, and Georgia, among others.
Brady Scott, 6-6, 285, OL, Powder Springs, Ga.
- PERSONAL: One of the top all-around athletes among prep football recruits in the country, having also garnered a three-star ranking for his talents in baseball…the consensus three-star football
recruit ranked among the nation's top 100 offensive tackle prospects as part of the 247Sports Composite…rated as one of Georgia's Top 100 prospects and among the Top 15 offensive linemen in the Peach
State…played his first two years at Hillgrove High School, before starring at Mount Paran Christian School for his junior and senior seasons, leading the Eagles to a 10-2 record and the quarterfinals
of the Class A private school playoffs in 2016…nabbed Georgia Sportswriters Class A First Team All-State honors on the offensive line and All-Region 6-1A South accolades as a tight end in
2016…excelled at tackle and guard in high school, but also stood out as a tight end and defensive end for Mount Paran…named to the 2015 Marietta Daily Journal Dynamite Dozen…offered a scholarship at
the Jimbo Fisher Camp in July 2016 and committed to the Seminoles that October…chose FSU over offers from Mississippi State, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest, as well as a baseball scholarship from South
Carolina.
Tamorrion Terry, 6-4, 208, WR, Ashburn, Ga.
- PERSONAL: Tabbed a four-star recruit by ESPN, 247Sports and Scout after starring at Turner County High School…collected three stars from Rivals…rated the No. 21 recruit in Georgia and the No. 32
wide receiver by 247Sports…ranked the No. 36 player in Georgia and No. 43 wide receiver by ESPN…rated the fourth-best wide receiver in Georgia by Scout…named to the Atlanta Journal Constitution Class
A public All-State First Team in 2015 and 2016 and First Team All-State by the Associated Press in 2015…also selected Georgia Sports Writers Association All-State Second Team 2015…named In the Game
Magazine Turner County Offensive Player of the Year and Region 2-A Player of the Year in 2016…is a big bodied receiver that can outmuscle defenders…ESPN said “he attacks the ball at its highest point
and will extend in a crowd”…finished 2016 with 40 receptions for 1,187 yards and 19 touchdowns…helped lead Turner County to an 8-4 record and its first playoff win since 2008…committed to Florida
State in January 2017…high school teammate of fellow 2017 signee Ontaria Wilson…chose the Seminoles over offers from Florida, Georgia, Auburn and Ole Miss among others.
Adonis Thomas, 6-3, 228, LB, Atlanta, Ga.
- High School: No. 24 JUCO player and No. 2 inside linebacker in the nation according to the 247Sports Composite…ranked No. 43 on the ESPN JC50, ranking the nation’s top junior college players…for
Northwest Mississippi Community College in 2016, recorded 73 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, six sacks and one interception…coming out of high school, ranked No. 170 overall in the 247Sports
Composite…will enter Florida State as a redshirt sophomore after choosing Alabama over FSU coming out of Central Gwinnett High in 2015…was selected to the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll with the
Crimson Tide…selected to play in the 2015 Under Armour All-American Game…chose Florida State over offers from Kentucky and Ole Miss, among others.
Leonard Warner, 6-4, 230, LB, Snellville, Ga.
- PERSONAL: Consensus four-star linebacker out of Snellville, Ga….rated the nation's No. 2 inside linebacker recruit by ESPN, No. 5 by Rivals and No. 7 by 247Sports…ranked among the nation's Top 200
prospects by the 247Sports Composite rankings, Rivals, Scout and ESPN…ranked the No. 16 player in Georgia by ESPN, No. 17 in the 247Sports Composite and No. 20 by Rivals…led Brookwood to an 8-4 record
and an appearance in the second round of the Class AAAAAAA state playoffs in 2016…finished with 125 tackles and two interceptions while snagging Gwinnett Daily Post All-County First Team and Class
AAAAAAA First Team All-State honors…had 110 tackles as a junior to also grab all-county accolades…participated in Nike's The Opening, where his SPARQ rating ranked as the fifth-best among
linebackers…chose Florida State over Georgia, Stanford and Georgia Tech among several other offers.
Zaquandre White, 6-0, 210, RB, North Fort Myers
- PERSONAL: A consensus four-star and the top running back recruit in Florida…rated the nation's No. 7 running back recruit, the No. 26 player in Florida and the No. 141 overall prospect by the
247Sports Composite…also ranked among the nation's Top 150 players and Top 15 running backs by ESPN and Scout…ranked the No. 15 running back and No. 39 prospect in Florida by Rivals…ranked No. 1 on
the News-Press and Naples Daily News' Big 15 list…scored four touchdowns and was the North MVP in December's Rotary South All-Star Classic in Fort Myers…participated in Nike's The Opening in 2016,
recording a 4.51 40-yard dash time…also ran track at North Fort Myers…rushed for over 1,500 yards and scored 14 touchdowns in two years despite playing only 14 games…had five-game stretch where he
rushed for an incredible 956 yards, including a 372-yard, five-touchdown game against Cape Coral…played under former NFL running back Earnest Graham at North Fort Myers High School…initially committed
to Florida State in February 2015…chose Florida State over offers from Louisville, Miami, and Tennessee, among others.
Marvin Wilson, 6-5, 329, DT, Houston, Tex.
- PERSONAL: Consensus five-star and the nation's No. 1 defensive tackle prospect as well as the top recruit in talent-rich Texas…helped lead Team Armour to a 24-21 victory in the Under Armour
All-American Game…racked up 71 tackles for loss and 42 sacks in his high school career…registered 19 TFL and 9 sacks as a senior at Episcopal…rated the No. 1 overall player in the Houston Chronicle
Hot 100…ranked the No. 1 DT and No. 2 overall player in the nation by Rivals…rated the No. 4 overall player in the ESPN300 and the No. 10 player in the country by Scout…the No. 6 overall prospect
according to the 247Sports Composite…member of the All-USA Today first team defense…Nike says “Wilson has prototypical size, excellent strength and sneaky athleticism” and “he dominates his current
level of competition and has the potential to duplicate that production at the next level”…Rivals Challenge and Nike's The Opening participant…chose FSU on National Signing Day over LSU, Ohio State,
Oklahoma and Alabama, among several scholarship offers.
Ontaria Wilson, 6-0, 175, DB, Ashburn, Ga.
- PERSONAL: Consensus three-star cornerback who scored an impressive seven non-offensive touchdowns at Turner County High School as a senior…collected Class A Public All-State First Team honors from
the Atlanta Journal Constitution and Second Team accolades from the Georgia Sports Writers Association…named In the Game Magazine Turner County Defensive Player of the Year…listed as a Region 2-A
Defensive Player of the Year and Region 2-A All-Region First Team honoree as a wide receiver…snagged Region 2-A All-Academic Team mention…standout in all three phases at Turner County, starring at
cornerback, wide receiver and as a kick returner…had four interceptions, including three he returned for a touchdown, and finished with 648 yards and six scores receiving…added three punt return
touchdowns and one kickoff return score…had a 103-yard pick six return to spark Turner County to a 41-6 victory in first round of the Georgia High School Association Class A public school
playoffs…Turner County finished 8-4 and won its first playoff game since 2008… committed to FSU in January…chose the Seminoles after receiving interest from several SEC schools such as Ole Miss,
Auburn and Georgia.
2017 Roster - By Name
L
T PY
R No Name Pos Hgt Wgt Cl Ltr Hometown (Prior School)
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63 Tanner Adkison LS 5-10 190 Fr-R Tallahassee (Godby)
* 23 Ricky Aguayo K 6-2 196 So * Mascotte (IMG Academy)
* 94 Walvenski Aime DT 6-5 300 Jr * Boynton Beach (Olympic Heights/Fort Scott CC)
* 3 Cam Akers RB 5-11 213 Fr Clinton, Miss. (Clinton)
* 29 Nate Andrews DB 6-0 214 Sr-R *** Fairhope, Ala. (Fairhope)
72 Mike Arnold OL 6-4 339 Fr-R Winter Haven (Winter Haven)
* 79 Josh Ball OL 6-8 287 Fr-R Fredericksburg, Va. (Stafford)
36 Brandon Barrett LB 6-1 230 So-R Jupiter (Oxbridge Academy)
35 Michael Barulich DB 5-11 195 Fr-R Orlando (Lake Nona)
* 15 Carlos Becker DB 6-2 183 So * Kissimmee (Osceola)
* 75 Abdul Bello OL 6-6 312 So-R Warri, Nigeria (Montverde Academy)
* 1 James Blackman QB 6-5 185 Fr Belle Glade (Glades Central)
60 Andrew Boselli OL 6-4 303 Fr-R Jacksonville (Episcopal)
* 10 Calvin Brewton DB 6-0 186 Jr ** Miami (Miami Central)
26 DeCalon Brooks LB 5-10 195 Fr Tampa (Gaither)
* 51 Josh Brown LB 6-3 216 So * Charlotte, N.C. (Mallard Creek)
40 Ken Burnham LS 6-0 203 Jr-R Lithia (Newsome)
* 99 Brian Burns DE 6-5 218 So * Fort Lauderdale (American Heritage-Delray Beach)
11 George Campbell WR 6-4 207 So-R * Clearwater (East Lake)
* 90 Demarcus Christmas DT 6-4 308 Jr-R ** Sarasota (Manatee)
* 16 J.J. Cosentino QB 6-5 230 Jr-R ** Lower Burrell, Pa. (Central Catholic)
32 Array Culmer DB 5-7 158 Jr-R Jacksonville (Lee)
13 Lawrence Dawsey DB 5-11 165 Fr-R Tampa (Hillsborough)
69 Landon Dickerson OL 6-5 310 So * Hickory, N.C. (South Caldwell)
31 Kris Dixon DE 6-1 217 So-R Tallahassee (Godby)
43 Jake Duff RB 6-0 184 So-R North Fort Myers (North Fort Myers)
92 Cory Durden DT 6-5 320 Fr Newberry (Newberry)
* 54 Alec Eberle C 6-4 294 Jr-R ** Mechanicsville, Va. (Atlee)
* 24 Cyrus Fagan DB 6-2 180 Fr Daytona Beach (Mainland)
84 Tristan Fineman WR 6-4 203 So Jacksonville (Atlantic Coast)
12 Deondre Francois QB 6-2 205 So-R * Orlando (IMG Academy)
* 62 Ethan Frith OL 6-7 316 Jr * Summit, Miss. (North Pike)
* 47 Stephen Gabbard LS 6-3 248 Sr *** Tallahassee (Godby)
47 Joseph Garcia LB 6-2 210 Fr-R Miami (Belen Jesuit Prep)
42 Richard Garzola LB 5-11 220 Jr Miami (Doral Academy)
* 89 Keith Gavin WR 6-3 225 So * Crawfordville (Wakulla)
Grant Glennon LS 6-3 218 So-R Tallahassee (Lincoln)
* 7 Ryan Green RB 5-11 204 Sr-R *** Saint Petersburg (Saint Petersburg Catholic)
28 Gilbert Henric WR 6-0 194 So-R Miami (Columbus)
10 Bailey Hockman QB 6-2 187 Fr Powder Springs, Ga. (McEachern)
* 18 Ro'Derrick Hoskins LB 6-2 240 Sr-R *** Orlando (Evans)
33 Kameron House DB 5-10 185 Fr-R Duluth, Ga. (Northview)
48 Ben Hoyle TE 6-4 215 Fr-R Bradenton (Bradenton Southeast)
* 81 Ryan Izzo TE 6-5 245 Jr-R ** Highland Lakes, N.J. (Pope John XXIII)
* 5 Dontavious Jackson LB 6-2 249 So * Houston, Tex. (Alief Elsik)
* 87 Jared Jackson WR 6-2 199 Sr-R ** Monticello (Aucilla Christian Academy)
* 28 Malique Jackson DB 6-0 170 Sr *** Jesup, Ga. (Wayne County)
* 3 Derwin James DB 6-3 211 So-R * Haines City (Haines City)
51 Baveon Johnson OL 6-3 326 Fr-R Lakeland (Lake Gibson)
36 Eric Johnson TE 6-5 225 Fr-R Stuart (Martin County)
* 55 Fredrick Jones DT 6-3 298 Jr-R ** Miami (Miami Central)
* 13 Joshua Kaindoh DE 6-6 250 Fr Baltimore, Md. (IMG Academy)
* 74 Derrick Kelly OL 6-5 323 Jr-R ** Quincy (East Gadsden)
4 Khalan Laborn RB 5-11 199 Fr Ocean Lakes, Va. (Bishop Sullivan Catholic)
* 83 Bryan LaCivita WR 6-1 178 Sr-R *** Gainesville (Saint Francis Catholic)
* 7 Ermon Lane DB 6-3 209 Sr *** Florida City (Homestead)
98 Tre Lawson DE 6-6 248 Fr North Augusta, S.C. (North Augusta)
* 76 Rick Leonard OL 6-7 306 Sr *** Middletown, Md. (Middletown)
40 Dwight Lomax LB 6-2 225 Jr Woodbridge, Va. (Lake Braddock/Central Connecticut State)
* 20 Bobby Lyons WR 6-0 184 Jr-R Orlando (Ocoee)
80 Alex Marshall TE 6-8 240 Fr Andover, Mass. (Bridgton Academy)
44 Chandler Marshall LB 6-0 221 Fr Panama City Beach (Arnold)
* 20 Trey Marshall DB 6-0 210 Sr *** Lake City (Columbia)
30 Tommy Martin P 5-11 184 Fr Chesapeake, Va. (Hickory)
57 Corey Martinez OL 6-4 298 Jr-R * Tampa (Tampa Catholic)
* 52 Jamario Mathis LB 6-1 240 Sr-R Thomasville, Ga. (Thomasville/Central Florida)
* 29 D.J. Matthews WR 5-10 160 Fr Jacksonville (Trinity Christian Academy)
* 4 Tarvarus McFadden DB 6-2 198 Jr ** Fort Lauderdale (American Heritage-Delray Beach)
* 6 Tre' McKitty TE 6-4 235 Fr Bradenton (IMG Academy)
64 JT Mertz DT 6-2 265 Jr Savannah, Ga. (Savannah Christian)
* 14 Kyle Meyers DB 6-0 168 So * New Orleans, La. (Holy Cross)
37 Blaik Middleton RB 5-10 194 So-R Hutchinson, Kans. (Hutchinson/Hutchinson CC)
* 70 Cole Minshew OL 6-5 338 So-R * Pridgen, Ga. (Coffee County)
46 John Moschella DB 5-9 190 So-R West Palm Beach (Cardinal Newman)
* 86 Justin Motlow WR 5-11 183 Jr-R Tampa (Tampa Catholic)
* 8 Nyqwan Murray WR 5-11 176 Jr ** Orlando (Oak Ridge)
* 35 Gabe Nabers FB 6-3 144 So Hahira, Ga. (Lowndes County)
* 23 Hamsah Nasirildeen DB 6-4 210 Fr Concord, N.C. (Concord)
* 91 Derrick Nnadi DT 6-1 312 Sr *** Virginia Beach, Va. (Ocean Lakes)
93 Ja'lon Parks DT 6-4 304 Fr Newberry (Newberry)
* 9 Jacques Patrick RB 6-2 231 Jr ** Orlando (Timber Creek)
* 37 Herbans Paul DB 6-2 191 Sr-R Immokalee (Immokalee)
* 53 Joshua Peters OL 6-3 274 Jr-R * Orlando (First Academy)
5 Da'Vante Phillips WR 6-1 206 Jr ** Miami (Miami Central)
33 Colton Plante FB 6-2 236 Jr ** Windermere (First Academy)
38 Izaiah Prouse-Lackey DB 5-9 177 Jr-R Atlanta, Ga. (Riverwood)
* 16 Jacob Pugh LB 6-4 229 Sr *** Dade City (Godby)
45 Delvin Purifoy LB 6-2 246 Jr-R Cantonment (Pensacola Catholic)
* 22 Amir Rasul RB 5-10 196 So * Miami (Coral Gables)
* 56 Emmett Rice LB 6-2 203 So * Miami Gardens (Norland)
14 Jake Rizzo QB 6-0 193 Fr-R Fort Lauderdale (Saint Thomas Aquinas)
52 David Robbins OL 6-4 324 So-R Glenelg, Md. (Glenelg)
* 11 Janarius Robinson DE 6-5 249 Fr-R Panama City (Bay)
* 71 Brock Ruble OL 6-8 319 Jr-R ** Charlotte Hall, Md. (DeMatha Catholic)
* 8 Stanford Samuels DB 6-2 170 Fr Pembroke Pines (Flanagan)
* 88 Mavin Saunders TE 6-5 257 Jr-R ** Bimini, Bahamas (The Kinkaid School)
26 Joseph Schergen DB 5-9 170 Fr-R Loxahatchee (Seminole Ridge)
59 Brady Scott OL 6-6 285 Fr Powder Springs, Ga. (Mount Paran Christian)
14 Deonte Sheffield RB 5-9 198 Fr Destin (Niceville)
97 Isaiah Smallwood DE 6-3 216 Jr-R Dover (Strawberry Crest)
93 Justin Smith DT 6-3 265 Fr-R Wewahitchka (Wewahitchka)
* 9 Josh Sweat DE 6-5 250 Jr ** Chesapeake, Va. (Oscar Smith)
* 18 Auden Tate WR 6-5 225 Jr ** Irmo, S.C. (Wharton)
86 Darvin Taylor DT 6-3 304 So-R Chester, Va. (Thomas Dale)
* 1 Levonta Taylor DB 5-9 169 So * Virginia Beach, Va. (Ocean Lakes)
15 Tamorrion Terry WR 6-4 208 Fr Ashburn, Ga. (Turner County)
* 22 Adonis Thomas LB 6-3 228 So-R Atlanta, Ga. (Central Gwinnett/Northwest Mississippi CC)
* 6 Matthew Thomas LB 6-3 227 Sr-R ** Miami (Booker T. Washington)
67 Adam Torres DT 6-4 281 Jr-R Lake Mary (Lake Mary)
68 Greg Turnage OL 6-3 283 So-R Gainesville (Eastside)
* 21 Logan Tyler K-P 6-0 201 So * Nixa, Mo. (Nixa)
* 82 Naseir Upshur TE 6-2 249 So * Philadelphia, Pa. (Imhotep Institute Charter)
* 26 Johnathan Vickers RB 6-1 228 Jr-R ** Quincy (North Florida Christian)
* 35 Leonard Warner LB 6-4 230 Fr Snellville, Ga. (Brookwood)
41 Zachary Weber DB 6-0 190 Fr-R Coral Springs (Coral Springs Charter)
* 19 A.J. Westbrook DB 6-0 186 Jr ** Daytona Beach (Mainland)
27 Zaquandre White RB 6-0 210 Fr North Fort Myers (North Fort Myers)
* 30 Jalen Wilkerson DE 6-4 273 So-R Douglas, Ga. (Coffee County)
* 12 Arthur Williams DT 6-4 327 Jr-R ** Waycross, Ga. (Smith)
39 Claudio Williams DE 6-0 260 So-R Hialeah (Hialeah)
73 Jauan Williams OL 6-6 300 Fr-R Cheltenham, Md. (Archbishop Carroll)
* 21 Marvin Wilson DT 6-5 329 Fr Houston, Tex. (Episcopal)
27 Ontaria Wilson DB 6-0 175 Fr Ashburn, Ga. (Turner County)
27 Tyriq Leshon Withers WR 6-4 197 Fr-R Jacksonville (Paxon)
49 Cedric Wood DT 6-3 321 Fr-R Tallahassee (Godby)
2017 Roster - By Number
L
T PY
R No Name Pos Hgt Wgt Cl Ltr Hometown (Prior School)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grant Glennon LS 6-3 218 So-R Tallahassee (Lincoln)
* 1 James Blackman QB 6-5 185 Fr Belle Glade (Glades Central)
* 1 Levonta Taylor DB 5-9 169 So * Virginia Beach, Va. (Ocean Lakes)
* 3 Cam Akers RB 5-11 213 Fr Clinton, Miss. (Clinton)
* 3 Derwin James DB 6-3 211 So-R * Haines City (Haines City)
4 Khalan Laborn RB 5-11 199 Fr Ocean Lakes, Va. (Bishop Sullivan Catholic)
* 4 Tarvarus McFadden DB 6-2 198 Jr ** Fort Lauderdale (American Heritage-Delray Beach)
* 5 Dontavious Jackson LB 6-2 249 So * Houston, Tex. (Alief Elsik)
5 Da'Vante Phillips WR 6-1 206 Jr ** Miami (Miami Central)
* 6 Tre' McKitty TE 6-4 235 Fr Bradenton (IMG Academy)
* 6 Matthew Thomas LB 6-3 227 Sr-R ** Miami (Booker T. Washington)
* 7 Ryan Green RB 5-11 204 Sr-R *** Saint Petersburg (Saint Petersburg Catholic)
* 7 Ermon Lane DB 6-3 209 Sr *** Florida City (Homestead)
* 8 Nyqwan Murray WR 5-11 176 Jr ** Orlando (Oak Ridge)
* 8 Stanford Samuels DB 6-2 170 Fr Pembroke Pines (Flanagan)
* 9 Jacques Patrick RB 6-2 231 Jr ** Orlando (Timber Creek)
* 9 Josh Sweat DE 6-5 250 Jr ** Chesapeake, Va. (Oscar Smith)
* 10 Calvin Brewton DB 6-0 186 Jr ** Miami (Miami Central)
10 Bailey Hockman QB 6-2 187 Fr Powder Springs, Ga. (McEachern)
11 George Campbell WR 6-4 207 So-R * Clearwater (East Lake)
* 11 Janarius Robinson DE 6-5 249 Fr-R Panama City (Bay)
12 Deondre Francois QB 6-2 205 So-R * Orlando (IMG Academy)
* 12 Arthur Williams DT 6-4 327 Jr-R ** Waycross, Ga. (Smith)
13 Lawrence Dawsey DB 5-11 165 Fr-R Tampa (Hillsborough)
* 13 Joshua Kaindoh DE 6-6 250 Fr Baltimore, Md. (IMG Academy)
* 14 Kyle Meyers DB 6-0 168 So * New Orleans, La. (Holy Cross)
14 Jake Rizzo QB 6-0 193 Fr-R Fort Lauderdale (Saint Thomas Aquinas)
14 Deonte Sheffield RB 5-9 198 Fr Destin (Niceville)
* 15 Carlos Becker DB 6-2 183 So * Kissimmee (Osceola)
15 Tamorrion Terry WR 6-4 208 Fr Ashburn, Ga. (Turner County)
* 16 J.J. Cosentino QB 6-5 230 Jr-R ** Lower Burrell, Pa. (Central Catholic)
* 16 Jacob Pugh LB 6-4 229 Sr *** Dade City (Godby)
* 18 Ro'Derrick Hoskins LB 6-2 240 Sr-R *** Orlando (Evans)
* 18 Auden Tate WR 6-5 225 Jr ** Irmo, S.C. (Wharton)
* 19 A.J. Westbrook DB 6-0 186 Jr ** Daytona Beach (Mainland)
* 20 Bobby Lyons WR 6-0 184 Jr-R Orlando (Ocoee)
* 20 Trey Marshall DB 6-0 210 Sr *** Lake City (Columbia)
* 21 Logan Tyler K-P 6-0 201 So * Nixa, Mo. (Nixa)
* 21 Marvin Wilson DT 6-5 329 Fr Houston, Tex. (Episcopal)
* 22 Amir Rasul RB 5-10 196 So * Miami (Coral Gables)
* 22 Adonis Thomas LB 6-3 228 So-R Atlanta, Ga. (Central Gwinnett/Northwest Mississippi CC)
* 23 Ricky Aguayo K 6-2 196 So * Mascotte (IMG Academy)
* 23 Hamsah Nasirildeen DB 6-4 210 Fr Concord, N.C. (Concord)
* 24 Cyrus Fagan DB 6-2 180 Fr Daytona Beach (Mainland)
26 DeCalon Brooks LB 5-10 195 Fr Tampa (Gaither)
26 Joseph Schergen DB 5-9 170 Fr-R Loxahatchee (Seminole Ridge)
* 26 Johnathan Vickers RB 6-1 228 Jr-R ** Quincy (North Florida Christian)
27 Zaquandre White RB 6-0 210 Fr North Fort Myers (North Fort Myers)
27 Ontaria Wilson DB 6-0 175 Fr Ashburn, Ga. (Turner County)
27 Tyriq Leshon Withers WR 6-4 197 Fr-R Jacksonville (Paxon)
28 Gilbert Henric WR 6-0 194 So-R Miami (Columbus)
* 28 Malique Jackson DB 6-0 170 Sr *** Jesup, Ga. (Wayne County)
* 29 Nate Andrews DB 6-0 214 Sr-R *** Fairhope, Ala. (Fairhope)
* 29 D.J. Matthews WR 5-10 160 Fr Jacksonville (Trinity Christian Academy)
30 Tommy Martin P 5-11 184 Fr Chesapeake, Va. (Hickory)
* 30 Jalen Wilkerson DE 6-4 273 So-R Douglas, Ga. (Coffee County)
31 Kris Dixon DE 6-1 217 So-R Tallahassee (Godby)
32 Array Culmer DB 5-7 158 Jr-R Jacksonville (Lee)
33 Kameron House DB 5-10 185 Fr-R Duluth, Ga. (Northview)
33 Colton Plante FB 6-2 236 Jr ** Windermere (First Academy)
35 Michael Barulich DB 5-11 195 Fr-R Orlando (Lake Nona)
* 35 Gabe Nabers FB 6-3 144 So Hahira, Ga. (Lowndes County)
* 35 Leonard Warner LB 6-4 230 Fr Snellville, Ga. (Brookwood)
36 Brandon Barrett LB 6-1 230 So-R Jupiter (Oxbridge Academy)
36 Eric Johnson TE 6-5 225 Fr-R Stuart (Martin County)
37 Blaik Middleton RB 5-10 194 So-R Hutchinson, Kans. (Hutchinson/Hutchinson CC)
* 37 Herbans Paul DB 6-2 191 Sr-R Immokalee (Immokalee)
38 Izaiah Prouse-Lackey DB 5-9 177 Jr-R Atlanta, Ga. (Riverwood)
39 Claudio Williams DE 6-0 260 So-R Hialeah (Hialeah)
40 Ken Burnham LS 6-0 203 Jr-R Lithia (Newsome)
40 Dwight Lomax LB 6-2 225 Jr Woodbridge, Va. (Lake Braddock/Central Connecticut State)
41 Zachary Weber DB 6-0 190 Fr-R Coral Springs (Coral Springs Charter)
42 Richard Garzola LB 5-11 220 Jr Miami (Doral Academy)
43 Jake Duff RB 6-0 184 So-R North Fort Myers (North Fort Myers)
44 Chandler Marshall LB 6-0 221 Fr Panama City Beach (Arnold)
45 Delvin Purifoy LB 6-2 246 Jr-R Cantonment (Pensacola Catholic)
46 John Moschella DB 5-9 190 So-R West Palm Beach (Cardinal Newman)
* 47 Stephen Gabbard LS 6-3 248 Sr *** Tallahassee (Godby)
47 Joseph Garcia LB 6-2 210 Fr-R Miami (Belen Jesuit Prep)
48 Ben Hoyle TE 6-4 215 Fr-R Bradenton (Bradenton Southeast)
49 Cedric Wood DT 6-3 321 Fr-R Tallahassee (Godby)
* 51 Josh Brown LB 6-3 216 So * Charlotte, N.C. (Mallard Creek)
51 Baveon Johnson OL 6-3 326 Fr-R Lakeland (Lake Gibson)
* 52 Jamario Mathis LB 6-1 240 Sr-R Thomasville, Ga. (Thomasville/Central Florida)
52 David Robbins OL 6-4 324 So-R Glenelg, Md. (Glenelg)
* 53 Joshua Peters OL 6-3 274 Jr-R * Orlando (First Academy)
* 54 Alec Eberle C 6-4 294 Jr-R ** Mechanicsville, Va. (Atlee)
* 55 Fredrick Jones DT 6-3 298 Jr-R ** Miami (Miami Central)
* 56 Emmett Rice LB 6-2 203 So * Miami Gardens (Norland)
57 Corey Martinez OL 6-4 298 Jr-R * Tampa (Tampa Catholic)
59 Brady Scott OL 6-6 285 Fr Powder Springs, Ga. (Mount Paran Christian)
60 Andrew Boselli OL 6-4 303 Fr-R Jacksonville (Episcopal)
* 62 Ethan Frith OL 6-7 316 Jr * Summit, Miss. (North Pike)
63 Tanner Adkison LS 5-10 190 Fr-R Tallahassee (Godby)
64 JT Mertz DT 6-2 265 Jr Savannah, Ga. (Savannah Christian)
67 Adam Torres DT 6-4 281 Jr-R Lake Mary (Lake Mary)
68 Greg Turnage OL 6-3 283 So-R Gainesville (Eastside)
69 Landon Dickerson OL 6-5 310 So * Hickory, N.C. (South Caldwell)
* 70 Cole Minshew OL 6-5 338 So-R * Pridgen, Ga. (Coffee County)
* 71 Brock Ruble OL 6-8 319 Jr-R ** Charlotte Hall, Md. (DeMatha Catholic)
72 Mike Arnold OL 6-4 339 Fr-R Winter Haven (Winter Haven)
73 Jauan Williams OL 6-6 300 Fr-R Cheltenham, Md. (Archbishop Carroll)
* 74 Derrick Kelly OL 6-5 323 Jr-R ** Quincy (East Gadsden)
* 75 Abdul Bello OL 6-6 312 So-R Warri, Nigeria (Montverde Academy)
* 76 Rick Leonard OL 6-7 306 Sr *** Middletown, Md. (Middletown)
* 79 Josh Ball OL 6-8 287 Fr-R Fredericksburg, Va. (Stafford)
80 Alex Marshall TE 6-8 240 Fr Andover, Mass. (Bridgton Academy)
* 81 Ryan Izzo TE 6-5 245 Jr-R ** Highland Lakes, N.J. (Pope John XXIII)
* 82 Naseir Upshur TE 6-2 249 So * Philadelphia, Pa. (Imhotep Institute Charter)
* 83 Bryan LaCivita WR 6-1 178 Sr-R *** Gainesville (Saint Francis Catholic)
84 Tristan Fineman WR 6-4 203 So Jacksonville (Atlantic Coast)
* 86 Justin Motlow WR 5-11 183 Jr-R Tampa (Tampa Catholic)
86 Darvin Taylor DT 6-3 304 So-R Chester, Va. (Thomas Dale)
* 87 Jared Jackson WR 6-2 199 Sr-R ** Monticello (Aucilla Christian Academy)
* 88 Mavin Saunders TE 6-5 257 Jr-R ** Bimini, Bahamas (The Kinkaid School)
* 89 Keith Gavin WR 6-3 225 So * Crawfordville (Wakulla)
* 90 Demarcus Christmas DT 6-4 308 Jr-R ** Sarasota (Manatee)
* 91 Derrick Nnadi DT 6-1 312 Sr *** Virginia Beach, Va. (Ocean Lakes)
92 Cory Durden DT 6-5 320 Fr Newberry (Newberry)
93 Ja'lon Parks DT 6-4 304 Fr Newberry (Newberry)
93 Justin Smith DT 6-3 265 Fr-R Wewahitchka (Wewahitchka)
* 94 Walvenski Aime DT 6-5 300 Jr * Boynton Beach (Olympic Heights/Fort Scott CC)
97 Isaiah Smallwood DE 6-3 216 Jr-R Dover (Strawberry Crest)
98 Tre Lawson DE 6-6 248 Fr North Augusta, S.C. (North Augusta)
* 99 Brian Burns DE 6-5 218 So * Fort Lauderdale (American Heritage-Delray Beach)
12/31/2016 - Dalvin Cook declared for the NFL draft
1/10/2017 - Roderick Johnson declared for the NFL draft
1/12/2017 - Travis Rudolph declared for the NFL draft
9/3/2017 - Deondre Francois is out for the remainder of the season after suffering a patella tendon injury in his left knee toward the end of the Alabama game.
2017 Conference Awards
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ricky Aguayo Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - Honorable Mention
Cam Akers Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 3rd Team
Alec Eberle Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 2nd Team
Derwin James Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 1st Team
Tarvarus McFadden Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 2nd Team
Derrick Nnadi Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 3rd Team
All-Conference - 6
2017 All-Americans
Name Organization
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Derwin James CBS Sports - 1st Team
Football Writers Association of America - 1st Team
Phil Steele - 1st Team
American Football Coaches Association - 2nd Team
Associated Press - 2nd Team
Walter Camp - 2nd Team
The Sporting News - 2nd Team
All-Americans - 1
2017 Award Winners
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mavin Saunders AFCA Good Works Team
Award Winners - 1
2017 Noles in the Pros
Name No Pos Team
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kelvin Benjamin 13 WR Carolina Panthers
Kelvin Benjamin 13 WR Buffalo Bills
Nigel Bradham 53 LB Philadelphia Eagles
Terrence Brooks 23 DB New York Jets
Tank Carradine 95 DL San Francisco 49ers
Dalvin Cook 33 RB Minnesota Vikings
Ronald Darby 41 CB Philadelphia Eagles
Mario Edwards 97 DE Oakland Raiders
Ukeme Eligwe 45 LB Kansas City Chiefs
Javien Elliott 35 CB Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Cameron Erving 75 OL Kansas City Chiefs
Devonta Freeman 24 RB Atlanta Falcons
Graham Gano 9 K Carolina Panthers
Eddie Goldman 91 NT Chicago Bears
Rashad Greene 13 WR Jacksonville Jaguars
Bobby Hart 68 G New York Giants
Dustin Hopkins 3 K Washington Redskins
Rodney Hudson 61 C Oakland Raiders
Sebastian Janikowski 11 K Oakland Raiders
Timmy Jernigan 93 DT Philadelphia Eagles
Roderick Johnson 78 OL Cleveland Browns
Christian Jones 52 ILB Chicago Bears
Lamarcus Joyner 20 CB Los Angeles Rams
E.J. Manuel 3 QB Oakland Raiders
Nick O'Leary 84 TE Buffalo Bills
Jalen Ramsey 20 CB Jacksonville Jaguars
Xavier Rhodes 29 CB Minnesota Vikings
Patrick Robinson 21 CB Philadelphia Eagles
Travis Rudolph 19 WR New York Giants
Garrison Sanborn 65 LS Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Telvin Smith 50 LB Jacksonville Jaguars
Terrance Smith 48 LB Kansas City Chiefs
Chris Thompson 25 RB Washington Redskins
Lawrence Timmons 94 LB Miami Dolphins
Will Tye 82 TE New York Jets
DeMarcus Walker 57 DE Denver Broncos
Dekoda Watson 97 LB San Francisco 49ers
Menelik Watson 75 T Denver Broncos
Marquez White 39 CB Dallas Cowboys
Kermit Whitfield 17 WR Cincinnati Bengals
P.J. Williams 26 CB New Orleans Saints
Vince Williams 98 LB Pittsburgh Steelers
Jesus "Bobo" Wilson 85 WR Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jameis Winston 3 QB Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Noles in the Pros - 43
2017 Schedule and Results
EOY Stats | Ref |
Conference games in bold
Overall Home Away Neutral
------------------------------------------------
FSU record is 7- 6 3-3 3-2 1-1
vs ACC 3- 5 1-3 2-2 0-0
Against Top 25 0- 3 0-1 0-1 0-1
2017 Atlantic Coast Conference Results
ATLANTIC DIVISION
1 Clemson 7- 1 12- 2
2 North Carolina State 6- 2 9- 4
3t Louisville 4- 4 8- 5
3t Wake Forest 4- 4 8- 5
3t Boston College 4- 4 7- 6
6 Florida State 3- 5 7- 6
7 Syracuse 2- 6 4- 8
COASTAL DIVISION
1 Miami 7- 1 10- 3
2 Virginia Tech 5- 3 9- 4
3 Georgia Tech 4- 4 5- 6
4t Duke 3- 5 7- 6
4t Virginia 3- 5 6- 7
4t Pittsburgh 3- 5 5- 7
7 North Carolina 1- 7 3- 9
2017 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP, Charlotte, N.C.
Date Score Comments
========== ================================================== ==================================
12/02/2017 Clemson 38, Miami 3
2017 - 100 Yard Rushing Club
Name Date Opponent Att Yds Avg TDs
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cam Akers 11/04/2017 Syracuse 22 199 9.05 2
Jacques Patrick 12/02/2017 Louisiana-Monroe 19 155 8.16 2
Cam Akers 10/07/2017 Miami 20 121 6.05 0
Jacques Patrick 09/30/2017 Wake Forest 19 120 6.32 1
Cam Akers 12/02/2017 Louisiana-Monroe 19 117 6.16 2
Cam Akers 10/14/2017 Duke 15 115 7.67 1
2017 - 100 Yard Receiving Club
Name Date Opponent Rec Yds Avg TDs
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Auden Tate 09/23/2017 North Carolina State 9 138 15.33 1
Nyqwan Murray 10/27/2017 Boston College 3 102 34.00 0
2017 - 300 Yard Passing Club
Name Date Opponent Att Cmp Yds Int Avg TDs
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
None
2017 EOY Stats
Overall Team Statistics
TEAM STATISTICS FSU OPP
--------------------------------------------------------
SCORING....................... 362 276
Points Per Game............. 27.8 21.2
TOUCHDOWNS.................... 44 34
TDs Rushing................. 18 19
TDs Passing................. 21 15
TDs Fumble Return........... 2 0
TDs Punt Return............. 1 0
TDs Interception............ 2 0
TDs Kickoff Return.......... 0 0
TDs Blocked FG Return....... 0 0
PAT-ATTEMPTS.................. 42-44 29-34
Kick........................ 42-43 28-32
Pass........................ 0- 0 1- 1
Run......................... 0- 1 0- 1
FIELD GOALS-ATTEMPTS.......... 18-21 14-21
SAFETY........................ 1 0
FIRST DOWNS................... 234 226
Rushing..................... 110 90
Passing..................... 110 120
Penalty..................... 14 16
RUSHING YARDAGE............... 2024 1763
Yards gained rushing........ 2371 2066
Yards lost rushing.......... 347 303
Rushing Attempts............ 463 466
Average Per Rush............ 4.4 3.8
Average Per Game............ 155.7 135.6
PASSING YARDAGE............... 2551 2541
Att-Comp-Int................ 345-202-13 440-243- 9
Efficiency.................. 133.21 110.90
Average Per Pass............ 7.4 5.8
Average Per Catch........... 12.6 10.5
Average Per Game............ 196.2 195.5
TOTAL OFFENSE................. 4575 4304
Total Plays................. 808 906
Average Per Play............ 5.7 4.8
Average Per Game............ 351.9 331.1
KICK RETURNS: #-YARDS......... 27- 653 33- 677
Average Per Return.......... 24.2 20.5
PUNT RETURNS: #-YARDS......... 31-255 20-253
Average Per Return.......... 8.2 12.7
INT RETURNS: #-YARDS.......... 9- 88 13-133
Average Per Return.......... 9.8 10.2
FUMBLE RETURNS: #-YARDS....... 6- 57 8- 0
Average Per Return.......... 9.5 0.0
FUMBLES-LOST.................. 19- 8 10- 6
PENALTIES-YARDS............... 78- 699 60- 510
Average Per Game............ 53.8 39.2
PUNTS-YARDS................... 67-2849 77-3190
Average Per Punt............ 42.5 41.4
Net punt average............ 37.0 37.1
TIME OF POSSESSION/GAME....... 30:49 29:34
3RD DOWN CONVERSIONS-3RD DOWN. 57-162 72-199
3rd-Down Pct................ .352 .362
4TH DOWN CONVERSIONS-4TH DOWN. 5-10 13-27
4th-Down Pct................ .500 .481
SACKS BY-YARDS................ 29-157 32-218
MISC YARDS.................... 75 29
ATTENDANCE.................... 425,658 273,792
Games-Avg Per Game.......... 6-70,943 5-54,758
ATTENDANCE-NEUTRAL FIELD...... 109,931
Games-Avg Per Game.......... 2-54,966
| | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
OT |
Total |
|---|
| Florida State | 69 | 126 |
50 | 117 |
0 |
362 |
| Opponents | 56 | 77 |
82 | 61 |
0 |
276 |
Overall Individual Statistics
RUSHING G Att Gain Loss Net Avg TD Long Avg/G
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Cam Akers 13 194 1094 70 1024 5.3 7 63 78.8
Jacques Patrick 11 134 780 32 748 5.6 7 69 68.0
Amir Rasul 12 33 159 7 152 4.6 0 23 12.7
Ryan Green 5 13 127 1 126 9.7 3 50 25.2
Nyqwan Murray 12 3 16 1 15 5.0 1 13 1.3
Colton Plante 2 1 6 0 6 6.0 0 6 3.0
Keith Gavin 10 1 6 0 6 6.0 0 6 0.6
J.J. Cosentino 6 2 2 0 2 1.0 0 2 0.3
Blaik Middleton 1 1 1 0 1 1.0 0 1 1.0
Gabe Nabers 13 2 0 3 -3 -1.5 0 0 -0.2
George Campbell 4 1 0 4 -4 -4.0 0 -1.0
Deondre Francois 1 9 12 21 -9 -1.0 0 4 -9.0
James Blackman 13 65 168 200 -32 -0.5 0 21 -2.5
Total......... 13 463 2371 347 2024 4.4 18 69 155.7
Opponents..... 13 466 2066 303 1763 3.8 19 51 135.6
PASSING G Effic Att-Cmp-Int Pct Yds TD Long Avg/G
---------------------------------------------------------------------
James Blackman 13 135.02 297-173-11 .582 2230 19 60 171.5
Deondre Francois 1 108.91 33- 19- 2 .576 210 1 38 210.0
J.J. Cosentino 6 147.02 11- 8- 0 .727 58 1 12 9.7
Cam Akers 13 494.80 1- 1- 0 1.000 47 0 47 3.6
Jake Rizzo 1 75.20 2- 1- 0 .500 6 0 6 6.0
Team 0 0.00 1- 0- 0 .000 0 0 0
Total......... 13 133.21 345-202-13 .586 2551 21 60 196.2
Opponents..... 13 110.90 440-243- 9 .552 2541 15 71 195.5
RECEIVING G No Yds Avg TD Long Avg/G
------------------------------------------------------
Nyqwan Murray 12 40 604 15.1 4 51 50.3
Auden Tate 12 40 548 13.7 10 51 45.7
Ryan Izzo 13 20 317 15.9 3 60 24.4
Keith Gavin 10 27 278 10.3 0 43 27.8
Jacques Patrick 11 21 171 8.1 0 35 15.5
Ermon Lane 12 8 169 21.1 0 43 14.1
George Campbell 4 6 122 20.3 0 60 30.5
Cam Akers 13 16 116 7.3 1 19 8.9
D.J. Matthews 11 6 72 12.0 1 27 6.5
Johnathan Vickers 12 4 50 12.5 0 26 4.2
Amir Rasul 12 4 28 7.0 0 11 2.3
Justin Motlow 5 4 27 6.8 1 12 5.4
Tre' McKitty 11 1 23 23.0 0 23 2.1
Jared Jackson 13 2 13 6.5 0 10 1.0
Bryan LaCivita 4 1 6 6.0 0 6 1.5
Ryan Green 5 1 5 5.0 0 5 1.0
Gabe Nabers 13 1 2 2.0 1 2t 0.2
Total......... 13 202 2551 12.6 21 60 196.2
Opponents..... 13 243 2541 10.5 15 71 195.5
PUNT RETURNS No Yds Avg TD Long
------------------------------------------
D.J. Matthews 18 200 11.1 0 47
Tarvarus McFadden 12 42 3.5 0 15
Brian Burns 1 13 13.0 0 13
Total......... 31 255 8.2 1 47
Opponent...... 20 253 12.7 0 44
INTERCEPTIONS No Yds Avg TD Long
------------------------------------------
Derwin James 2 41 20.5 1
Levonta Taylor 2 18 9.0 1
Stanford Samuels 2 0 0.0 0
Matthew Thomas 1 29 29.0 0
Kyle Meyers 1 0 0.0 0
Emmett Rice 1 0 0.0 0
Total......... 9 88 9.8 2 41t
Opponent...... 13 133 10.2 0 38
KICK RETURNS No Yds Avg TD Long
------------------------------------------
Amir Rasul 9 205 22.8 0 39
Keith Gavin 7 178 25.4 0 81
Derwin James 6 170 28.3 0 49
George Campbell 2 40 20.0 0 24
D.J. Matthews 1 37 37.0 0 37
Naseir Upshur 1 12 12.0 0 12
Carlos Becker 1 11 11.0 0 11
Total......... 27 653 24.2 0 81
Opponent...... 33 677 20.5 0 43
Fum
FUMBLE RETURNS No Yds Avg TD Long For
-----------------------------------------------
Matthew Thomas 1 34 34.0 1 34 0
Jacob Pugh 1 16 16.0 1 . 0
Jalen Wilkerson 1 7 7.0 0 . 0
Brian Burns 1 0 0.0 0 . 3
Demarcus Christmas 1 0 0.0 0 . 0
A.J. Westbrook 1 0 0.0 0 . 0
Ro'Derrick Hoskins 0 0 . 0 . 1
Derrick Nnadi 0 0 . 0 . 1
Kyle Meyers 0 0 . 0 . 1
Stanford Samuels 0 0 . 0 . 1
Joshua Kaindoh 0 0 . 0 . 1
Total......... 6 57 9.5 2 34t 8
Opponent...... 8 0 0.0 0
|-------- PATs --------|
Name TD FGs Kick Rush Rcv Pass DXP Saf Points
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ricky Aguayo 0 18-21 42-43 0-1 0 0-0 0 0 96
Auden Tate 10 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 60
Cam Akers 8 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 48
Jacques Patrick 7 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 42
Nyqwan Murray 5 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 30
Ryan Green 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 18
Ryan Izzo 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 18
Matthew Thomas 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 6
Jacob Pugh 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 6
Justin Motlow 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 6
Derwin James 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 6
Tarvarus McFadden 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 6
Levonta Taylor 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 6
Gabe Nabers 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 6
D.J. Matthews 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 6
Team 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 1 2
====================================================================
FSU 44 18-21 42-43 0-1 0 0-0 0 1 362
Opponent 34 14-21 28-32 0-1 1 1-1 0 0 276
| Touchdowns | R | C |
P | I | FR |
PR | KR | BFG |
|---|
| Auden Tate |
. |
10 |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
| Cam Akers |
7 |
1 |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
| Jacques Patrick |
7 |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
| Nyqwan Murray |
1 |
4 |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
| Ryan Green |
3 |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
| Ryan Izzo |
. |
3 |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
| Matthew Thomas |
. |
. |
. |
. |
1 |
. |
. |
. |
| Jacob Pugh |
. |
. |
. |
. |
1 |
. |
. |
. |
| Justin Motlow |
. |
1 |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
| Derwin James |
. |
. |
. |
1 |
. |
. |
. |
. |
| Tarvarus McFadden |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
1 |
| Levonta Taylor |
. |
. |
. |
1 |
. |
. |
. |
. |
| Gabe Nabers |
. |
1 |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
| D.J. Matthews |
. |
1 |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
| J.J. Cosentino |
. |
. |
1 |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
| Deondre Francois |
. |
. |
1 |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
| James Blackman |
. |
. |
19 |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
| Total |
18 |
21 |
21 |
2 |
2 |
. |
. |
1 |
| Opponents |
19 |
15 |
15 |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
R = Rushing
C = Catch
P = Pass
I = Interception
FR = Fumble Recovery/Return
PR = Punt Return/Blocked Punt
KR = Kickoff Return
BFG = Blocked FG Return
TOTAL OFFENSE G Plays Rush Pass Total Avg/G
--------------------------------------------------
James Blackman 13 362 -32 2230 2198 169.1
Cam Akers 13 195 1024 47 1071 82.4
Jacques Patrick 11 134 748 0 748 68.0
Deondre Francois 1 42 -9 210 201 201.0
Amir Rasul 12 33 152 0 152 12.7
Ryan Green 5 13 126 0 126 25.2
J.J. Cosentino 6 13 2 58 60 10.0
Nyqwan Murray 12 3 15 0 15 1.3
Colton Plante 2 1 6 0 6 3.0
Keith Gavin 10 1 6 0 6 0.6
Jake Rizzo 1 2 0 6 6 6.0
Blaik Middleton 1 1 1 0 1 1.0
Gabe Nabers 13 2 -3 0 -3 -0.2
George Campbell 4 1 -4 0 -4 -1.0
Team 0 5 -8 0 -8
Total......... 13 808 2024 2551 4575 351.9
Opponent...... 13 906 1763 2541 4304 331.1
FIELD GOALS FGM-FGA Pct 01-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-99 Lg
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Ricky Aguayo 18-21 .857 0- 0 5- 5 11-13 1- 2 1- 1 51
| FG SEQUENCE |
Ricky Aguayo |
|---|
| Alabama |
37 |
| North Carolina State |
30, (37), (36), (37), (34) |
| Wake Forest |
(51), (27), (37), (35) |
| Miami |
(27), (38) |
| Duke |
(23) |
| Louisville |
44 |
| Boston College |
(36) |
| Syracuse |
(49), (38) |
| Clemson |
None |
| Delaware State |
None |
| Florida |
(25) |
| Louisiana-Monroe |
None |
| Southern Mississippi |
(29), (39), (39) |
() For made field goals
PUNTING No Yds Avg Long TB FC I20 Blkd
-------------------------------------------------------
Logan Tyler 66 2849 43.2 61 6 19 22 0
Team 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 1
Total......... 67 2849 42.5 61 6 19 22 1
Opponent...... 77 3190 41.4 60 4 19 30 2
ALL PURPOSE G Rush Rec PR KR IR FR Tot Avg/G
----------------------------------------------------------------
Cam Akers 13 1024 116 0 0 0 0 1140 87.7
Jacques Patrick 11 748 171 0 0 0 0 919 83.5
Nyqwan Murray 12 15 604 0 0 0 0 619 51.6
Auden Tate 12 0 548 0 0 0 0 548 45.7
Keith Gavin 10 6 278 0 178 0 0 462 46.2
Amir Rasul 12 152 28 0 205 0 0 385 32.1
Ryan Izzo 13 0 317 0 0 0 0 317 24.4
D.J. Matthews 11 0 72 200 37 0 0 309 28.1
Derwin James 12 0 0 0 170 41 0 211 17.6
Ermon Lane 12 0 169 0 0 0 0 169 14.1
George Campbell 4 -4 122 0 40 0 0 158 39.5
Ryan Green 5 126 5 0 0 0 0 131 26.2
Matthew Thomas 12 0 0 0 0 29 34 63 5.3
Johnathan Vickers 12 0 50 0 0 0 0 50 4.2
Tarvarus McFadden 13 0 0 42 0 0 0 42 3.2
Justin Motlow 5 0 27 0 0 0 0 27 5.4
Tre' McKitty 11 0 23 0 0 0 0 23 2.1
Levonta Taylor 13 0 0 0 0 18 0 18 1.4
Jacob Pugh 11 0 0 0 0 0 16 16 1.5
Jared Jackson 13 0 13 0 0 0 0 13 1.0
Brian Burns 13 0 0 13 0 0 0 13 1.0
Naseir Upshur 12 0 0 0 12 0 0 12 1.0
Carlos Becker 9 0 0 0 11 0 0 11 1.2
Jalen Wilkerson 13 0 0 0 0 0 7 7 0.5
Bryan LaCivita 4 0 6 0 0 0 0 6 1.5
Colton Plante 2 6 0 0 0 0 0 6 3.0
J.J. Cosentino 6 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.3
Blaik Middleton 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1.0
Gabe Nabers 13 -3 2 0 0 0 0 -1 -0.1
Team 0 -8 0 0 0 0 0 -8
Deondre Francois 1 -9 0 0 0 0 0 -9 -9.0
James Blackman 13 -32 0 0 0 0 0 -32 -2.5
Total......... 13 2024 2551 255 653 88 57 5628 432.9
Opponent...... 13 1763 2541 253 677 133 0 5367 412.8
|---------Tackles---------| |---Sacks---| |---Pass Def---| |-Fumbles-| Blkd
DEFENSIVE LEADERS GP UT AT Total ForLoss No - Yards Int-Yds BrUp QBH Rcv-Yds FF Kick Saf
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Matthew Thomas 12 43 42 85 10.0- 47.0 2.0- 26.0 1- 29 2 1 1- 34 . 1 .
Derwin James 12 49 35 84 5.5- 10.0 1.0- 1.0 2- 41 11 4 . . 1 .
Josh Sweat 12 31 25 56 12.5- 47.0 5.5- 22.0 . 3 6 . . . .
Derrick Nnadi 13 22 31 53 10.0- 41.0 3.5- 20.0 . 1 2 . 1 . .
Brian Burns 13 26 22 48 13.5- 48.0 4.5- 20.0 . 4 5 1- 0 3 2 .
Ro'Derrick Hoskins 11 20 25 45 1.5- 2.0 . . 1 2 . 1 . .
Trey Marshall 9 21 23 44 1.5- 13.0 . . 1 . . . . .
A.J. Westbrook 12 33 7 40 . . . 7 . 1- 0 . . .
Demarcus Christmas 13 19 17 36 4.5- 17.0 1.0- 9.0 . 4 2 1- 0 . 1 .
Tarvarus McFadden 13 21 9 30 . . . 10 . . . . .
Hamsah Nasirildeen 13 23 6 29 . . . 3 . . . . .
Stanford Samuels 13 20 7 27 3.0- 13.0 1.0- 7.0 2- 0 5 . . 1 . .
Kyle Meyers 13 24 2 26 1.0- 7.0 . 1- 0 3 1 . 1 . .
Jacob Pugh 11 11 10 21 1.0- 1.0 . . 2 1 1- 16 . . .
Jalen Wilkerson 13 10 9 19 6.0- 14.0 0.5- 3.0 . . 3 1- 7 . . .
Levonta Taylor 13 11 7 18 1.0- 1.0 . 2- 18 3 . . . . .
Fredrick Jones 13 11 7 18 2.0- 10.0 0.5- 1.0 . . . . . . .
Walvenski Aime 11 8 10 18 2.0- 6.0 . . . 3 . . 1 .
Nate Andrews 10 13 5 18 . . . 1 . . . . .
Joshua Kaindoh 13 11 6 17 6.5- 34.0 4.0- 25.0 . . 6 . 1 . .
Dontavious Jackson 9 10 7 17 1.0- 4.0 1.0- 4.0 . . . . . . .
Emmett Rice 13 6 8 14 0.5- 1.0 . 1- 0 . . . . . .
Ermon Lane 12 7 5 12 . . . 2 . . . . .
Adonis Thomas 6 6 6 12 1.0- 2.0 . . . . . . . .
Jared Jackson 13 6 1 7 . . . . . . . . .
Marvin Wilson 12 3 4 7 0.5- 0.0 . . . 1 . . . .
Carlos Becker 9 5 2 7 . . . . . . . . .
Cyrus Fagan 7 3 3 6 1.0- 1.0 . . . 1 . . . .
Leonard Warner 13 2 3 5 . . . . . . . . .
Logan Tyler 13 5 . 5 . . . . . . . . .
Arthur Williams 13 4 . 4 3.0- 12.0 1.5- 10.0 . . . . . . .
Janarius Robinson 8 1 3 4 1.5- 4.0 1.0- 3.0 . . . . . . .
Josh Brown 12 . 3 3 . . . . . . . . .
Rick Leonard 13 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
Gabe Nabers 13 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
Jacques Patrick 11 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
George Campbell 4 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . .
Team 0 2 . 2 2.0- 6.0 2.0- 6.0 . . . . . . 1
Cole Minshew 13 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Ryan Izzo 13 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Amir Rasul 12 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Naseir Upshur 12 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Nyqwan Murray 12 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Johnathan Vickers 12 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Auden Tate 12 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
D.J. Matthews 11 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Cedric Wood 2 . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Array Culmer 1 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Stephen Gabbard 13 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Alec Eberle 13 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Derrick Kelly 13 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ricky Aguayo 13 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Josh Ball 13 . . . . . . . . . . . .
James Blackman 13 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cam Akers 13 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tre' McKitty 11 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Brock Ruble 10 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mavin Saunders 10 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Keith Gavin 10 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Abdul Bello 8 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ethan Frith 6 . . . . . . . . . . . .
J.J. Cosentino 6 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Calvin Brewton 5 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ryan Green 5 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Justin Motlow 5 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Landon Dickerson 4 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Bryan LaCivita 4 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Corey Martinez 4 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mike Arnold 4 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Gilbert Henric 3 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jake Duff 3 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Andrew Boselli 3 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Greg Turnage 3 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jamario Mathis 3 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Herbans Paul 2 . . . . . . 1 . . . . .
Bobby Lyons 2 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Colton Plante 2 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ken Burnham 2 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lawrence Dawsey 2 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dwight Lomax 1 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Deondre Francois 1 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Izaiah Prouse-Lackey 1 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Joshua Peters 1 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Claudio Williams 1 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Michael Barulich 1 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jake Rizzo 1 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Kameron House 1 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blaik Middleton 1 . . . . . . . . . . . .
John Moschella 1 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ben Hoyle 1 . . . . . . . . . . . .
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals 503 352 855 92.0-341.0 29.0-157.0 9- 88 64 38 6- 57 8 6 1
Game Participation
## Player GP-GS UAl NCS Wake UM Duke UL BC SU CU DSU UF ULM USM
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grant Glennon 0- 0
1 James Blackman 13-12 xx O-QB O-QB O-QB O-QB O-QB O-QB O-QB O-QB O-QB O-QB O-QB O-QB
1 Levonta Taylor 13-13 D-CB D-CB D-CB D-CB D-CB D-CB D-CB D-CB D-CB D-CB D-CB D-CB D-CB
3 Cam Akers 13- 4 xx xx xx xx xx xx O-TB O-TB O-TB O-TB xx xx xx
3 Derwin James 12-12 D-FS D-FS D-FS D-FS D-FS D-FS D-FS D-FS D-FS D-FS D-FS D-FS
4 Khalan Laborn 0- 0
4 Tarvarus McFadden 13-13 D-CB D-CB D-CB D-CB D-CB D-CB D-CB D-CB D-CB D-CB D-CB D-CB D-CB
5 Dontavious Jackson 9- 2 D-MIKE xx xx D-SAM xx xx xx xx xx
5 Da'Vante Phillips 0- 0
6 Tre' McKitty 11- 0 xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx
6 Matthew Thomas 12-12 D-WLB D-WLB D-WLB D-WLB D-WLB D-WLB D-WLB D-WLB D-WLB D-WLB D-WLB D-WILL
7 Ryan Green 5- 0 xx xx xx xx xx
7 Ermon Lane 12- 4 xx xx xx xx xx xx xx O-WR xx O-WR O-WR O-WR
8 Nyqwan Murray 12- 8 O-WR O-WR xx xx O-WR O-WR O-WR O-WR O-WR xx xx O-WR
8 Stanford Samuels 13- 1 xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx D-STAR xx
9 Jacques Patrick 11- 9 O-TB O-TB O-RB O-TB O-TB O-TB xx xx O-TB O-TB O-RB
9 Josh Sweat 12-12 D-BUCK D-BUCK D-BUCK D-BUCK D-BUCK D-BUCK D-BUCK D-BUCK D-BDE D-BUCK D-BUCK D-BUCK
10 Calvin Brewton 5- 0 xx xx xx xx xx
10 Bailey Hockman 0- 0
11 George Campbell 4- 2 xx O-WR O-WR xx
11 Janarius Robinson 8- 0 xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx
12 Deondre Francois 1- 1 O-QB
12 Arthur Williams 13- 0 xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx
13 Lawrence Dawsey 2- 0 xx xx
13 Joshua Kaindoh 13- 0 xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx
14 Kyle Meyers 13- 2 xx xx xx D-STAR xx xx xx D-STAR xx xx xx xx xx
14 Jake Rizzo 1- 0 xx
14 Deonte Sheffield 0- 0
15 Carlos Becker 9- 0 xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx
15 Tamorrion Terry 0- 0
16 J.J. Cosentino 6- 0 xx xx xx xx xx xx
16 Jacob Pugh 11- 7 D-SAM D-SAM xx D-SAM D-SAM xx xx D-SAM D-SAM xx D-LB
18 Ro'Derrick Hoskins 11- 9 D-MIKE D-MIKE D-MIKE xx D-MIKE xx D-MLB D-MIKE D-MIKE D-MIKE D-LB
18 Auden Tate 12- 8 O-WR O-WR xx O-WR O-WR O-WR O-WR xx xx O-WR xx O-WR
19 A.J. Westbrook 12- 5 D-SS xx xx xx D-SS D-SS xx xx D-SS xx xx D-S
20 Bobby Lyons 2- 0 xx xx
20 Trey Marshall 9- 7 xx D-SS D-SS D-SS xx D-SS D-SS D-SS D-SS
21 Logan Tyler 13- 0 xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx
21 Marvin Wilson 12- 0 xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx
22 Amir Rasul 12- 0 xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx
22 Adonis Thomas 6- 2 xx D-SAM D-MIKE xx xx xx
23 Ricky Aguayo 13- 0 xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx
23 Hamsah Nasirildeen 13- 2 xx xx xx xx xx xx xx D-SS D-NB xx xx xx xx
24 Cyrus Fagan 7- 0 xx xx xx xx xx xx xx
26 DeCalon Brooks 0- 0
26 Joseph Schergen 0- 0
26 Johnathan Vickers 12- 2 xx xx xx O-FB xx xx xx xx xx O-FB xx xx
27 Zaquandre White 0- 0
27 Ontaria Wilson 0- 0
27 Tyriq Leshon Withers 0- 0
28 Gilbert Henric 3- 0 xx xx xx
28 Malique Jackson 0- 0
29 Nate Andrews 10- 2 xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx D-SS D-S
29 D.J. Matthews 11- 1 xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx O-WR
30 Tommy Martin 0- 0
30 Jalen Wilkerson 13- 1 xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx D-DE
31 Kris Dixon 0- 0
32 Array Culmer 1- 0 xx
33 Kameron House 1- 0 xx
33 Colton Plante 2- 0 xx xx
35 Michael Barulich 1- 0 xx
35 Gabe Nabers 13- 0 xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx
35 Leonard Warner 13- 0 xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx
36 Brandon Barrett 0- 0
36 Eric Johnson 0- 0
37 Blaik Middleton 1- 0 xx
37 Herbans Paul 2- 0 xx xx
38 Izaiah Prouse-Lackey 1- 0 xx
39 Claudio Williams 1- 0 xx
40 Ken Burnham 2- 0 xx xx
40 Dwight Lomax 1- 0 xx
41 Zachary Weber 0- 0
42 Richard Garzola 0- 0
43 Jake Duff 3- 0 xx xx xx
44 Chandler Marshall 0- 0
45 Delvin Purifoy 0- 0
46 John Moschella 1- 0 xx
47 Stephen Gabbard 13- 0 xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx
47 Joseph Garcia 0- 0
48 Ben Hoyle 1- 0 xx
49 Cedric Wood 2- 0 xx xx
51 Josh Brown 12- 1 xx xx D-SAM xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx
51 Baveon Johnson 0- 0
52 Jamario Mathis 3- 0 xx xx xx
52 David Robbins 0- 0
53 Joshua Peters 1- 0 xx
54 Alec Eberle 13-13 O-C O-C O-C O-C O-C O-C O-C O-C O-C O-C O-C O-C O-C
55 Fredrick Jones 13- 0 xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx
56 Emmett Rice 13- 1 xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx D-LB
57 Corey Martinez 4- 0 xx xx xx xx
59 Brady Scott 0- 0
60 Andrew Boselli 3- 0 xx xx xx
62 Ethan Frith 6- 0 xx xx xx xx xx xx
63 Tanner Adkison 0- 0
64 JT Mertz 0- 0
67 Adam Torres 0- 0
68 Greg Turnage 3- 0 xx xx xx
69 Landon Dickerson 4- 4 O-LG O-LG O-LG O-LG
70 Cole Minshew 13-13 O-RG O-RG O-RG O-RG O-RG O-RG O-RG O-RG O-RG O-RG O-RG O-RG O-RG
71 Brock Ruble 10- 0 xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx
72 Mike Arnold 4- 0 xx xx xx xx
73 Jauan Williams 0- 0
74 Derrick Kelly 13-13 O-LT O-LT O-LT O-LT O-LG O-LG O-LG O-LG O-LG O-LG O-LG O-LG O-LG
75 Abdul Bello 8- 0 xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx
76 Rick Leonard 13-13 O-RT O-RT O-RT O-RT O-RT O-RT O-RT O-RT O-RT O-RT O-RT O-RT O-RT
79 Josh Ball 13- 9 xx xx xx xx O-LT O-LT O-LT O-LT O-LT O-LT O-LT O-LT O-LT
80 Alex Marshall 0- 0
81 Ryan Izzo 13-13 O-TE O-TE O-TE O-TE O-TE O-TE O-TE O-TE O-TE O-TE O-TE O-TE O-TE
82 Naseir Upshur 12- 0 xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx
83 Bryan LaCivita 4- 0 xx xx xx xx
84 Tristan Fineman 0- 0
86 Justin Motlow 5- 0 xx xx xx xx xx
86 Darvin Taylor 0- 0
87 Jared Jackson 13- 1 xx xx xx xx xx xx O-WR xx xx xx xx xx xx
88 Mavin Saunders 10- 5 xx xx O-TE xx O-TE O-TE xx O-TE O-TE xx
89 Keith Gavin 10- 8 O-WR xx O-WR O-WR xx O-WR O-WR O-WR O-WR O-WR
90 Demarcus Christmas 13-13 D-DT D-DT D-DT D-DT D-DT D-DT D-DT D-DT D-DT D-DT D-DT D-DT D-DT
91 Derrick Nnadi 13-13 D-NG D-NG D-NG D-NG D-NG D-NG D-NG D-NG D-NG D-NG D-NG D-NG D-DT
92 Cory Durden 0- 0
93 Ja'lon Parks 0- 0
93 Justin Smith 0- 0
94 Walvenski Aime 11- 0 xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx
97 Isaiah Smallwood 0- 0
98 Tre Lawson 0- 0
99 Brian Burns 13-13 D-DE D-DE D-DE D-DE D-DE D-DE D-DE D-DE D-DE D-DE D-DE D-DE D-DE
Alabama 24, Florida State 7
09/02/2017, Atlanta, Ga.
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com. No. 1 Bama Defeats No. 3 Noles, 24-7.
ATLANTA, GA – In the months leading up to Florida State’s season opener against No. 1 Alabama in the Chick-fil-A
Kickoff Game, Jimbo Fisher insisted that the contest was just one of 12 on the schedule. That, win or lose, the Seminoles’ season wouldn’t be totally defined by one game.
After a 24-7 defeat in
which No. 3 FSU played well in stretches but undermined its cause with a series of special-teams miscues and turnovers, the Seminoles will have a chance to prove their head coach right.
Just how
difficult that task will be remains to be seen.
The Seminoles lost the game, and they also lost starting quarterback Deondre Francois to an apparent left knee injury late in the fourth quarter.
The redshirt sophomore went to the locker room on a cart while freshman James Blackman finished the game. Fisher didn’t have specifics on Francois’ injury during his postgame press conference, but did
say, “Unfortunately, he’s hurt.”
“I don’t know (the severity) until we diagnose it and see,” Fisher said. “I’m not a doctor. … I don’t know. I’ve learned to wait until they see.”
If Francois is
unavailable, Fisher said Blackman would “most likely” be his replacement.
The Seminoles, 0-1 for the first time since 2009, host ULM next week at 7 p.m.
“I saw (Francois) and I hugged him and
told him I’m sorry he’s hurt,” Fisher said. “(I told him) we’ll get the diagnosis and I love him and we’ll figure out what we’ve got to do from here.”
“To look on back and see your quarterback on
the ground holding his knee, that’s definitely something that’s frightening,” center Alec Eberle added. “But, at the same time, knowing Deondre, knowing he’s a tough guy, knowing he’s a perseverant
guy, I think he’s going to be OK.”
While most pundits agreed that a loss to Alabama wouldn’t permanently damage FSU’s College Football Playoff hopes, losing Francois would be a difficult hurdle for
the Seminoles to overcome.
He was expected to be one of the top quarterbacks in the ACC, if not the nation, and he’s by far the most experienced quarterback on FSU’s roster.
On Saturday,
Francois threw for 210 yards and a 3-yard touchdown pass to Auden Tate that gave the Seminoles a 7-3 lead and had the FSU contingent at Mercedes-Benz Stadium feeling good.
That feeling was
short-lived.
On Alabama’s ensuing drive, quarterback Jalen Hurts connected with Calvin Ridley for a 53-yard score that put the Tide back on top for good.
It was the first of 21 unanswered points
for Alabama.
“They caught us one time on the safety rotation,” Fisher said. “They got a guy in the middle of the field and made a great play, but other than that our defense did a really nice
job.”
Indeed, in Derwin James’ return after nearly a year away, FSU did an admirable job keeping Hurts, Ridley and star running back Bo Scarbrough mostly in check.
The Crimson Tide finished with
just 269 yards of offense and 4.9 yards per play – slightly above FSU’s 250 and 4.2 – and Hurts mustered only 96 yards through the air.
FSU, however, did itself no favors by committing a series of
special-teams miscues that tilted the field in Alabama’s favor.
It started with a blocked field goal at the end of the second quarter that robbed FSU of a chance to tie the game at halftime.
It
continued with a blocked punt that led to a field goal. And a fumbled kickoff return that led to a game-breaking touchdown.
And that’s to say nothing of short returns that led to poor field
position. Or a miscommunication that caused Fisher to burn a timeout before a punt return. Or a 15-yard, personal-foul committed after a fair catch. “Very much,” Fisher said when asked if he was
surprised at FSU’s special teams troubles. “Because we work exclusively – and we do over 30, 40, 45 minutes a day on special teams. We work it hard.”
Those self-inflicted wounds were even more
painful because, for much of the first half, the Seminoles looked every bit Alabama’s equal.
And they had two great chances to tie or take the lead near the end of the first half – once when a poor
Alabama punt gave FSU the ball at UA’s 31-yard line, and again moments later when the Seminoles’ hurry-up offense drove to the Tide’s 20 with under a minute to go.
The first drive ended in a punt,
and the other in a blocked field goal.
“We played pretty well, but we didn’t finish when we needed to finish,” Eberle said. “We practiced too hard all summer, practiced too hard in camp, did too
much to come out here, play a game, move the ball the whole game and then not finish the game.
“That’s what we did. We didn’t finish. Which was unacceptable.”
The final score belied an
encouraging effort from Florida State’s defense. The Seminoles sacked Hurts twice, limited him to 3.7 yards on the ground and surrendered only one touchdown drive that started on their own side of the
field.
And Charles Kelly’s unit kept FSU in the game by forcing a field-goal attempt after the Tide blocked a punt and took over at the Seminoles’ 6-yard line.
It might not have been much
consolation after a loss, but it could still be something to build on.
“A couple times, Alabama had a chance to put it away, and we kept them to a two-score game,” Fisher said. “At 21-7, that’s
only two plays away. You’re one or two drives (away). We just couldn’t make the plays.”
It took more than two years for the FSU-Alabama matchup to finally arrive, but only a few moments for the
Seminoles to turn their attention beyond it.
FSU will meet ULM next week, followed by home games against conference foes Miami and North Carolina State.
As frustrating as this loss might have
been – the Seminoles were most bothered by the fact that they didn’t give themselves their best chance to win – there’s little time to let it linger.
And even less if there’s a new face under
center next week.
“We’ve got to show up Monday ready to practice,” James said. “It’s not just a one-game season. There are still more games to be played.”
| |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Total |
| Alabama |
3 |
7 |
11 |
3 |
24 |
| Florida State |
0 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
1st 0- 0 Opp, 42, field goal failed, 10:57
0- 3 Opp, 35, field goal, 4:30
2nd 7- 3 Auden Tate, 3, pass from Deondre Francois (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 13:41
7-10 Opp, 53, pass (kick), 11:28
7-10 Ricky Aguayo, 37, field goal blocked by Opp, 0:00
3rd 7-13 Opp, 25, field goal, 1:54
7-21 Opp, 11, run (pass), 1:41
4th 7-21 Opp, 41, field goal failed, 12:28
7-24 Opp, 33, field goal, 6:25
TEAM STATISTICS
FSU OPP
First downs 15 13
Rushes-yards 27-40 42-173
Passing 210 96
Att-Comp-Int 33-19-2 18-10-0
Total Yards 60-250 60-269
Punt Returns 0-0 1-19
Kickoff Returns 2-20 1-15
Interception Ret. 0-0 2-0
Fumble Returns 0-0 1-0
Punts 7-27.0 6-35.2
Sacks By-Yds 2-8 3-20
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 1-0
Penalties-Yds 4-30 5-30
3rd Down Conversions 4-13 3-16
4th Down Conversions 0-1 2-2
Time of Posession 27:13 32:47
Attendance 76,330
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Cam Akers 10 30 0 9
Jacques Patrick 6 17 0 9
Keith Gavin 1 6 0 6
George Campbell 1 -4 0 -4
Deondre Francois 9 -9 0 4
---------------------------------------------
FSU 27 40 0 9
Opp 42 173 1 34
Receiving No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Keith Gavin 8 61 0 15
Auden Tate 2 41 1 38
Ryan Izzo 2 35 0 24
Nyqwan Murray 3 29 0 15
George Campbell 1 21 0 21
Jacques Patrick 2 12 0 7
Cam Akers 1 11 0 11
---------------------------------------------
FSU 19 210 1 38
Opp 10 96 1 53t
Passing C- A- I Yds TD Lng
-----------------------------------------------
Deondre Francois 19 33 2 210 1 38
-----------------------------------------------
FSU 19 33 2 210 1 38
Opp 10 18 0 96 1 53t
Punt Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------
FSU 0 0 0
Opp 1 19 0 19
Kickoff Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Keith Gavin 2 20 0 10
---------------------------------------------
FSU 2 20 0 10
Opp 1 15 0 15
Punting No Yds Lng
----------------------------------------
Logan Tyler 6 189 40
Team 1 0 0
----------------------------------------
FSU 7 189 40
Opp 6 211 53
|---------Tackles---------| |---Sacks---| |---Pass Def---| |-Fumbles-| Blkd
DEFENSIVE STATISTICS UT AT Total ForLoss No - Yards Int-Yds BrUp QBH Rcv-Yds FF Kick Saf
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Matthew Thomas 4 6 10 . . . . . . . . .
Ro'Derrick Hoskins 1 8 9 . . . . . . . . .
Derwin James 3 3 6 0.5- 0.0 0.5- 0.0 . . . . . . .
Ermon Lane 3 3 6 . . . . . . . . .
Derrick Nnadi . 6 6 . . . . . . . . .
Tarvarus McFadden 2 3 5 . . . . . . . . .
Josh Sweat 2 3 5 1.0- 7.0 1.0- 7.0 . . . . . . .
Fredrick Jones 1 4 5 1.0- 3.0 0.5- 1.0 . . . . . . .
Jacob Pugh 1 3 4 . . . . . . . . .
Hamsah Nasirildeen 2 1 3 . . . . . . . . .
Trey Marshall 2 1 3 1.0- 11.0 . . . . . . . .
A.J. Westbrook 1 2 3 . . . 1 . . . . .
Brian Burns 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . .
Demarcus Christmas . 2 2 . . . . . . . . .
Rick Leonard 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Emmett Rice 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Auden Tate 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Levonta Taylor . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Jalen Wilkerson . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Joshua Kaindoh . 1 1 0.5- 1.0 . . . . . . . .
Walvenski Aime . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FSU 26 50 76 4.0- 22.0 2.0- 8.0 . 1 . . . . .
Opp 30 32 62 9.0- 32.0 3.0- 20.0 2- 0 6 . 1- 0 1 2 .
STARTERS
Pos ## OFFENSE
----------------------------------
WR 8 Nyqwan Murray
TB 9 Jacques Patrick
QB 12 Deondre Francois
WR 18 Auden Tate
C 54 Alec Eberle
LG 69 Landon Dickerson
RG 70 Cole Minshew
LT 74 Derrick Kelly
RT 76 Rick Leonard
TE 81 Ryan Izzo
WR 89 Keith Gavin
|
Pos ## DEFENSE
----------------------------------
CB 1 Levonta Taylor
FS 3 Derwin James
CB 4 Tarvarus McFadden
WLB 6 Matthew Thomas
BUCK 9 Josh Sweat
SAM 16 Jacob Pugh
MIKE 18 Ro'Derrick Hoskins
SS 19 A.J. Westbrook
DT 90 Demarcus Christmas
NG 91 Derrick Nnadi
DE 99 Brian Burns
|
PARTICIPANTS
## NAME
-----------------------------
1 James Blackman
3 Cam Akers
7 Ermon Lane
8 Stanford Samuels
10 Calvin Brewton
11 Janarius Robinson
11 George Campbell
12 Arthur Williams
13 Joshua Kaindoh
14 Kyle Meyers
20 Trey Marshall
21 Logan Tyler
23 Hamsah Nasirildeen
23 Ricky Aguayo
26 Johnathan Vickers
|
## NAME
-----------------------------
30 Jalen Wilkerson
35 Leonard Warner
35 Gabe Nabers
47 Stephen Gabbard
51 Josh Brown
55 Fredrick Jones
56 Emmett Rice
62 Ethan Frith
71 Brock Ruble
79 Josh Ball
82 Naseir Upshur
87 Jared Jackson
88 Mavin Saunders
94 Walvenski Aime
|
North Carolina State 27, Florida State 21
09/23/2017, Tallahassee
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com. Opportunistic Pack Sack Noles In Home Opener.
by Tim Linafelt
TALLAHASSEE, FL – A tough start to Florida State’s football season became that much
tougher on Saturday afternoon.
Despite a promising effort from freshman quarterback James Blackman, the No. 12 Seminoles were undone by a combination of penalty flags, missed chances and an
opportunistic North Carolina State offense in a 27-21 defeat at Doak Campbell Stadium.
After starting the season in unusual fashion – FSU was playing for the first time in 21 days due to Hurricane
Irma – the Seminoles now find themselves in unusual territory: 0-2 for the first time since 1989.
That 1989 team then reeled off 10 straight wins and finished ranked No. 3. This year’s Seminoles
will begin their quest to replicate that feat next week at Wake Forest.
“(We) still have a chance to have a nice football team,” FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said. “It’s been done around here before,
this kind of start. And we’ve just got to line up and go play and don’t hang your heads now. Get ready to go to work and get ready to go play Wake Forest and win a game on the road, hopefully.”
Blackman, the first true freshman to start at quarterback for FSU since Chip Ferguson in 1985, started slowly before heating up in the second quarter.
After starting 1 of 4, Blackman connected on
nine of his next 11 passes and finished 22 of 38 with 278 yards and no interceptions.
He also became the first true freshman quarterback to throw a touchdown for the Seminoles since Adrian
McPherson in 2001. Blackman connected with junior receiver Auden Tate for an 11-yard score that cut an early NC State lead to 10-7 in the second quarter.
“For the most part, I thought the guy did a
heck of a job,” Fisher said. “Got the ball down the field, made big plays at times. We’ll evaluate the film and look at all the little details, but game management, his presence, his poise – the
moment didn’t seem to overwhelm him.”
That touchdown, however, was the only one the Seminoles would score. Sophomore Ricky Aguayo made four of five field-goal attempts, including a 34-yarder that
provided the final margin with 3:01 to go.
For a few moments late in the game, it appeared that momentum might be turning and that, perhaps, FSU could escape with a dramatic victory.
An NC State
safety followed by a blocked punt from Brian Burns gave the Seminoles the ball at the Wolfpack’s 23-yard line with a nine-point deficit and 3:31 on the clock.
But FSU advanced just six yards on the
ensuing drive and, after kicking deep following Aguayo’s field goal, surrendered a 15-yard run on third-and-7 to seal the game.
“We were going to get it back with a minute and a half (to play),”
Fisher said. “… The odds of getting an onside kick aren’t that great, and still with three minutes to go, I think it was the smart thing to do with who we had on defense. We had third and 7 … and they
popped a run.”
FSU outgained NC State 382-365 but was severely hindered by 11 penalties that cost 93 yards. Among the penalties were a pass-interference flag that erased an FSU interception, a
targeting foul that caused starting linebacker Jacob Pugh to be ejected and several pre-snap penalties that hurt field position.
The Wolfpack was flagged just six times for a total of 41 yards.
“Penalties were tough,” sophomore defensive end Brian Burns said. “But there was a lot that we caused ourselves. Putting ourselves in bad situations that we shouldn’t have been in.”
A struggling
red-zone offense didn’t help, either.
The box score shows FSU converted 5 of 6 red-zone attempts, but four of those were field goals. And the Seminoles missed another opportunity to score when
Blackman scrambled for a first down, kept running and then fumbled away a ball that NC State recovered at its 2-yard line.
It was somewhat reminiscent of the Seminoles’ opener against Alabama, when
they saw three trips deep into Alabama territory end without points.
“Our guys played well at times, in sections,” Jimbo Fisher said. “(But) when the defense would get going, the offense couldn’t
finish off a drive. When the offense would get going, the defense couldn’t get the next stop. Just mixed up some things.”
Ryan Finley threw for 232 yards and two touchdowns for NC State, which has
won three straight after starting the season with a loss to South Carolina.
And Jaylen Samuels, the Wolfpack’s do-everything H-back, finished with 100 total yards (64 receiving, 25 passing, 11
rushing) and two touchdowns after posting just 60 yards against the Seminoles a year ago.
“Our players came here with a dream three and four years ago … and that was to help me and our staff
elevate our program and be competitive and be a contender in this conference,” NC State Dave Doeren said. “Today was a great step in the right direction.”
The Seminoles, meanwhile, can take a first
step in the right direction next week.
“There is no panic,” Fisher said. “But there’s an urgency. You’ve got to correct some things and get better. I mean, we’re going to line up and play next
week. Whether we’re 1-1 or 0-2, we’ve got to play one week at a time, one game at a time. That’s all we can control.”
| |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Total |
| North Carolina State |
10 |
7 |
3 |
7 |
27 |
| Florida State |
0 |
10 |
3 |
8 |
21 |
1st 0- 3 Opp, 24, field goal, 4:34
0-10 Opp, 2, run (kick), 4:28
2nd 7-10 Auden Tate, 4, pass from James Blackman (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 5:56
7-10 Ricky Aguayo, 30, field goal failed, 3:07
7-17 Opp, 71, pass (kick), 1:34
10-17 Ricky Aguayo, 37, field goal, 0:05
3rd 13-17 Ricky Aguayo, 36, field goal, 11:33
13-20 Opp, 30, field goal, 6:06
4th 16-20 Ricky Aguayo, 37, field goal, 14:08
16-27 Opp, 14, pass (kick), 9:16
18-27 Team, safety, 6:26
Note: Quarterback mishandled the snap and batted the ball
out of the end zone.
21-27 Ricky Aguayo, 34, field goal, 3:01
TEAM STATISTICS
FSU OPP
First downs 15 21
Rushes-yards 26-104 37-110
Passing 278 255
Att-Comp-Int 39-22-0 33-23-0
Total Yards 65-382 70-365
Punt Returns 4-38 0-0
Kickoff Returns 3-100 1-21
Interception Ret. 0-0 0-0
Fumble Returns 0-0 1-0
Punts 4-47.3 5-33.2
Sacks By-Yds 1-9 4-21
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 0-0
Penalties-Yds 11-93 6-41
3rd Down Conversions 4-14 5-12
4th Down Conversions 1-2 1-1
Time of Posession 26:38 33:22
Attendance 73,541
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Cam Akers 12 56 0 16
Jacques Patrick 8 38 0 14
James Blackman 6 10 0 11
---------------------------------------------
FSU 26 104 0 16
Opp 37 110 1 30
Receiving No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Auden Tate 9 138 1 51
George Campbell 3 85 0 60
Nyqwan Murray 5 29 0 15
Keith Gavin 3 17 0 9
Cam Akers 1 6 0 6
Amir Rasul 1 3 0 3
---------------------------------------------
FSU 22 278 1 60
Opp 23 255 2 71t
Passing C- A- I Yds TD Lng
-----------------------------------------------
James Blackman 22 38 0 278 1 60
Team 0 1 0 0 0 0
-----------------------------------------------
FSU 22 39 0 278 1 60
Opp 23 33 0 255 2 71t
Punt Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Tarvarus McFadden 3 25 0 15
Brian Burns 1 13 0 13
---------------------------------------------
FSU 4 38 0 15
Kickoff Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Derwin James 1 49 0 49
Keith Gavin 1 27 0 27
George Campbell 1 24 0 24
---------------------------------------------
FSU 3 100 0 49
Opp 1 21 0 21
Punting No Yds Lng
----------------------------------------
Logan Tyler 4 189 54
----------------------------------------
FSU 4 189 54
Opp 5 166 47
|---------Tackles---------| |---Sacks---| |---Pass Def---| |-Fumbles-| Blkd
DEFENSIVE STATISTICS UT AT Total ForLoss No - Yards Int-Yds BrUp QBH Rcv-Yds FF Kick Saf
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ro'Derrick Hoskins 5 4 9 . . . . . . . . .
Derwin James 5 3 8 . . . 1 . . . . .
Trey Marshall 4 2 6 . . . . . . . . .
Brian Burns 2 4 6 2.5- 9.0 . . . . . . 1 .
Derrick Nnadi 2 4 6 2.5- 3.0 . . . . . . . .
Josh Sweat 1 4 5 1.0- 6.0 . . . 1 . . . .
Demarcus Christmas 3 1 4 1.0- 9.0 1.0- 9.0 . . . . . . .
Walvenski Aime 1 2 3 . . . . . . . . .
Emmett Rice . 3 3 0.5- 1.0 . . . . . . . .
A.J. Westbrook 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
Jacob Pugh 2 . 2 1.0- 1.0 . . . . . . . .
Nate Andrews 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
Kyle Meyers 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . .
Adonis Thomas . 2 2 0.5- 1.0 . . . . . . . .
Hamsah Nasirildeen 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Levonta Taylor 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Ermon Lane 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Jalen Wilkerson 1 . 1 1.0- 2.0 . . . . . . . .
Marvin Wilson . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Fredrick Jones . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Tarvarus McFadden . . . . . . 1 . . . . .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FSU 34 32 66 10.0- 32.0 1.0- 9.0 . 2 1 . . 1 .
Opp 35 28 63 6.0- 24.0 4.0- 21.0 . . 3 1- 0 1 . .
STARTERS
Pos ## OFFENSE
----------------------------------
QB 1 James Blackman
WR 8 Nyqwan Murray
TB 9 Jacques Patrick
WR 11 George Campbell
WR 18 Auden Tate
C 54 Alec Eberle
LG 69 Landon Dickerson
RG 70 Cole Minshew
LT 74 Derrick Kelly
RT 76 Rick Leonard
TE 81 Ryan Izzo
|
Pos ## DEFENSE
----------------------------------
CB 1 Levonta Taylor
FS 3 Derwin James
CB 4 Tarvarus McFadden
WLB 6 Matthew Thomas
BUCK 9 Josh Sweat
SAM 16 Jacob Pugh
MIKE 18 Ro'Derrick Hoskins
SS 20 Trey Marshall
DT 90 Demarcus Christmas
NG 91 Derrick Nnadi
DE 99 Brian Burns
|
PARTICIPANTS
## NAME
-----------------------------
3 Cam Akers
6 Tre' McKitty
7 Ermon Lane
8 Stanford Samuels
10 Calvin Brewton
11 Janarius Robinson
12 Arthur Williams
13 Joshua Kaindoh
14 Kyle Meyers
16 J.J. Cosentino
19 A.J. Westbrook
21 Marvin Wilson
21 Logan Tyler
22 Adonis Thomas
22 Amir Rasul
23 Hamsah Nasirildeen
23 Ricky Aguayo
|
## NAME
-----------------------------
26 Johnathan Vickers
29 Nate Andrews
30 Jalen Wilkerson
35 Leonard Warner
35 Gabe Nabers
47 Stephen Gabbard
51 Josh Brown
55 Fredrick Jones
56 Emmett Rice
71 Brock Ruble
79 Josh Ball
82 Naseir Upshur
87 Jared Jackson
88 Mavin Saunders
89 Keith Gavin
94 Walvenski Aime
|
Florida State 26, Wake Forest 19
09/30/2017, Winston-Salem, N.C.
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com. RECAP: Tate, Blackman Deliver Dramatic Victory Over Wake.
By Tim Linafelt
WINSTON-SALEM, NC – With Florida State locked in a tight affair with Wake
Forest and the Seminoles’ offense struggling to find much of a rhythm, Jimbo Fisher had a message for his freshman quarterback.
“I said, ‘Listen, whoa, whoa, whoa,’” Fisher said. “’Why do you want
to get frustrated and give them something? It’s a one-possession game. If you get one play, we’re right back in it.’”
One play, indeed.
After 58 minutes and 59 seconds of frustration in the
passing game, James Blackman connected with Auden Tate for the play of his young career. And, maybe, the play of FSU’s 2017 season.
With just 1:01 left on the clock, Blackman took a snap, rolled to
his right and hit Tate in stride for a 40-yard touchdown pass that lifted the Seminoles to a 26-19 victory over the Demon Deacons.
Tate, who spent the week recovering from a shoulder injury, made a
diving grab despite having a Wake Forest defender draped on that ailing shoulder. Officials flagged the play for pass interference, but it didn’t matter.
A few moments later, Derwin James batted
down Wake Forest’s desperation heave into the end zone and the Seminoles could celebrate a victory for the first time in exactly nine months.
They made the most of the opportunity.
“It had been
so long since you felt it (a win),” Fisher said. “Since last year. … You can never take anything for granted, and how special winning is. How hard it is.”
The Seminoles aren’t likely to take this
one for granted. Not after being out-gained by nearly 100 yards (367-270), and not after trailing, 19-16, in the fourth quarter.
But with their resolve being pushed to its breaking point – no FSU
team had started 0-3 since 1976 – the Seminoles responded with an inspired stretch that included a game-tying field goal, two three-and-outs forced by the FSU defense and a perfect punt from Logan
Tyler that landed at the Wake Forest 10-yard line, flipped the field and set the stage for a dramatic escape.
“Logan really does a good job of that,” Fisher said. “We’ve worked on that a lot. He
does a good job with the rugby kicks.”
Tyler was part of a second straight strong effort for Florida State’s special teams. He averaged nearly 40 yards per punt with a career-long of 57, kicker
Ricky Aguayo made all four field goal tries – pushing his streak of successful attempts to eight – and Keith Gavin broke loose for an 81-yard kick return that led to a touchdown.
That score
belonged to Jacques Patrick, who did more than his part to keep FSU’s offense afloat during a trying first half.
The junior running back had one of the finer outings of his career, finishing with
146 total yards (120 rushing, 26 receiving) and ripping a 69-yard run in the first quarter that put the Seminoles in position for an early field goal.
Like any good running back, Patrick credited
his lead blocker for sparking his big run.
“(Fullback Johnathan) Vickers opened it up, the offensive line was good,” Patrick said. “I just followed through the hole and just ran.”
Patrick’s
touchdown cut a second-quarter deficit to 12-10, and FSU actually claimed its first halftime lead with an Aguayo field goal a few moments later.
Neither team, however, could gain much breathing
room in the second half.
“Just two teams that fought very hard,” Fisher said. “We played well at times, we didn’t play well at times.”
They played well when they had to.
Like when Matthew
Thomas brought down Wake Forest’s John Wolford for a 13-yard sack to halt the Demon Deacons when they were looking to extend their 19-16 lead.
Or when Blackman connected with Gavin for a 43-yard
gain on third-and-20 on the drive that ended in Aguayo’s game-tying field goal.
And then, of course, when Fisher eschewed conventional logic and, instead of playing it safe with a minute to go,
trusted a freshman quarterback making his first road start to throw the ball down the field.
“We’re not a field-goal-kicking team,” Thomas said. “We have to score. I knew we were going to try to
score.”
Wake Forest maybe didn’t, which is why the Demon Deacons had just a single defensive back on Tate as he made his way to the end zone.
Once he felt his defender tug on his shoulder – and
he really, really felt it – Tate figured he had at least drawn a pass-interference penalty and a 15-yard gain.
But, with the ball still within reach, Tate had no desire to leave things to
chance.
“I was just trying to get my arm off him so I could try to make the catch,” Tate said. “And I got it out, last second.”
So, too, did FSU.
With their first win in the books, the
Seminoles can turn things around in a hurry when they host No. 14 Miami next week (3:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN2). A win could get FSU back in the thick of the ACC race, as well as reassert the Seminoles’
dominance over the Hurricanes. FSU is aiming for an eighth-straight win over Miami that would be a record for either side in the series.
Fisher acknowledged that Florida State still has plenty of
issues to work through, as well as several banged-up players who will be on the mend this week.
But facing those concerns is much more enjoyable after a win.
“It was a real big win for us to
kind of build on that momentum,” Tate said. “Now, after that battle, (we feel it) just gave us a clean slate to build on, and now we’ve got Miami next week.”
| |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Total |
| Florida State |
3 |
10 |
3 |
10 |
26 |
| Wake Forest |
3 |
9 |
0 |
7 |
19 |
1st 3- 0 Ricky Aguayo, 51, field goal, 7:06
3- 3 Opp, 24, field goal, 2:48
2nd 3- 6 Opp, 39, field goal, 13:17
3-12 Opp, 3, run (kick failed), 6:59
10-12 Jacques Patrick, 1, run (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 5:41
13-12 Ricky Aguayo, 27, field goal, 2:55
3rd 16-12 Ricky Aguayo, 37, field goal, 4:18
4th 16-19 Opp, 7, run (kick), 13:57
19-19 Ricky Aguayo, 35, field goal, 6:20
26-19 Auden Tate, 40, pass from James Blackman (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 0:53
TEAM STATISTICS
FSU OPP
First downs 15 17
Rushes-yards 43-149 34-96
Passing 121 271
Att-Comp-Int 21-11-0 35-24-1
Total Yards 64-270 69-367
Punt Returns 2-7 4-48
Kickoff Returns 3-133 3-54
Interception Ret. 1-0 0-0
Fumble Returns 1-7 1-0
Punts 6-39.3 7-39.0
Sacks By-Yds 2-26 5-39
Fumbles-Lost 4-1 2-1
Penalties-Yds 8-70 7-59
3rd Down Conversions 4-15 4-14
4th Down Conversions 0-0 1-1
Time of Posession 34:41 25:19
Attendance 31,588
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Jacques Patrick 19 120 1 69
Cam Akers 14 58 0 27
Amir Rasul 4 6 0 9
Team 1 -2 0 -2
James Blackman 5 -33 0
---------------------------------------------
FSU 43 149 1 69
Opp 34 96 2 33
Receiving No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Auden Tate 2 47 1 40t
Keith Gavin 1 43 0 43
Jacques Patrick 3 26 0 15
Nyqwan Murray 2 2 0 4
Cam Akers 2 2 0 3
George Campbell 1 1 0 1
---------------------------------------------
FSU 11 121 1 43
Opp 24 271 0 33
Passing C- A- I Yds TD Lng
-----------------------------------------------
James Blackman 11 21 0 121 1 43
-----------------------------------------------
FSU 11 21 0 121 1 43
Opp 24 35 1 271 0 33
Punt Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Tarvarus McFadden 2 7 0 4
---------------------------------------------
FSU 2 7 0 4
Opp 4 48 0 29
Kickoff Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Keith Gavin 1 81 0 81
Derwin James 1 36 0 36
George Campbell 1 16 0 16
---------------------------------------------
FSU 3 133 0 81
Opp 3 54 0 23
Punting No Yds Lng
----------------------------------------
Logan Tyler 6 236 57
----------------------------------------
FSU 6 236 57
Opp 7 273 44
|---------Tackles---------| |---Sacks---| |---Pass Def---| |-Fumbles-| Blkd
DEFENSIVE STATISTICS UT AT Total ForLoss No - Yards Int-Yds BrUp QBH Rcv-Yds FF Kick Saf
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Matthew Thomas 7 3 10 2.0- 26.0 2.0- 26.0 . . . . . . .
Derrick Nnadi 6 1 7 2.0- 6.0 . . . . . 1 . .
Tarvarus McFadden 5 . 5 . . . 2 . . . . .
Kyle Meyers 5 . 5 1.0- 7.0 . 1- 0 . . . 1 . .
A.J. Westbrook 2 3 5 . . . . . . . . .
Demarcus Christmas 2 3 5 1.0- 2.0 . . . . . . . .
Derwin James 4 . 4 1.0- 1.0 . . 1 . . . . .
Levonta Taylor 3 . 3 . . . . . . . . .
Dontavious Jackson 2 1 3 . . . . . . . . .
Jalen Wilkerson 2 1 3 1.0- 3.0 . . . . 1- 7 . . .
Ermon Lane 1 2 3 . . . . . . . . .
Trey Marshall 1 2 3 . . . . . . . . .
Brian Burns 1 2 3 1.0- 2.0 . . . . . . . .
Stanford Samuels 2 . 2 1.0- 1.0 . . . . . . . .
Josh Brown . 2 2 . . . . . . . . .
Johnathan Vickers 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Hamsah Nasirildeen 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Jared Jackson 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Logan Tyler 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Arthur Williams 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Joshua Kaindoh 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
George Campbell 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Josh Sweat 1 . 1 . . . . 1 . . . .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FSU 51 20 71 10.0- 48.0 2.0- 26.0 1- 0 3 1 1- 7 2 . .
Opp 38 36 74 17.0- 80.0 5.0- 39.0 . 5 5 1- 0 3 . .
STARTERS
Pos ## OFFENSE
----------------------------------
QB 1 James Blackman
RB 9 Jacques Patrick
WR 11 George Campbell
C 54 Alec Eberle
LG 69 Landon Dickerson
RG 70 Cole Minshew
LT 74 Derrick Kelly
RT 76 Rick Leonard
TE 81 Ryan Izzo
TE 88 Mavin Saunders
WR 89 Keith Gavin
|
Pos ## DEFENSE
----------------------------------
CB 1 Levonta Taylor
FS 3 Derwin James
CB 4 Tarvarus McFadden
MIKE 5 Dontavious Jackson
WLB 6 Matthew Thomas
BUCK 9 Josh Sweat
SS 20 Trey Marshall
SAM 51 Josh Brown
DT 90 Demarcus Christmas
NG 91 Derrick Nnadi
DE 99 Brian Burns
|
PARTICIPANTS
## NAME
-----------------------------
3 Cam Akers
6 Tre' McKitty
7 Ermon Lane
8 Stanford Samuels
8 Nyqwan Murray
10 Calvin Brewton
11 Janarius Robinson
12 Arthur Williams
13 Joshua Kaindoh
14 Kyle Meyers
16 Jacob Pugh
18 Auden Tate
19 A.J. Westbrook
21 Marvin Wilson
21 Logan Tyler
22 Amir Rasul
|
## NAME
-----------------------------
23 Hamsah Nasirildeen
23 Ricky Aguayo
26 Johnathan Vickers
29 D.J. Matthews
29 Nate Andrews
30 Jalen Wilkerson
35 Leonard Warner
35 Gabe Nabers
47 Stephen Gabbard
55 Fredrick Jones
56 Emmett Rice
62 Ethan Frith
71 Brock Ruble
79 Josh Ball
82 Naseir Upshur
87 Jared Jackson
|
Miami 24, Florida State 20
10/07/2017, Tallahassee
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com. RECAP: Canes Top Noles In Heart-Breaking Streak-Stopper.
by Tim Linafelt
TALLAHASSEE, FL – After seven years of Florida State dominance in its
rivalry with Miami, the pendulum finally shifted back toward the Hurricanes.
And, as is to be expected in this series, it did so in dramatic and heartbreaking fashion.
UM quarterback Malik
Rosier connected with Darrell Langham for a 23-yard touchdown pass with six seconds to play that erased a late FSU lead and lifted No. 13 Miami to a 24-20 win over the Seminoles in front of 78,169
fans at Doak Campbell Stadium.
James Blackman’s 21-yard TD pass to Auden Tate gave FSU a 20-17 advantage with 1:24 on the clock, but the Hurricanes marched 75 yards in 1:18 to claim their first win
over the Seminoles since 2009 – Bobby Bowden’s last year at Florida State.
The Seminoles, 1-3 for the first time since 1976, Bowden’s first year at FSU, are on the road at Duke next week. Miami
will host Georgia Tech.
“It was a heck of a football game,” FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said. “And when it came down to the end, (Miami) made one more play and got the one inch that they needed to get
the touchdown.”
An inch may have decided the game. Officials had to consult a lengthy review to determine whether Langham’s knee was down short of the goal line on the winning play.
Replays
looked close, but the touchdown was upheld, sending a sizable Miami contingent into a roar and spreading stunned silence across the rest of the stadium.
“It’s kind of disappointing,” senior
linebacker Matthew Thomas said. “We came out and should have won the game.”
It was all part of a wild fourth quarter that turned what had been a low-scoring, defensive affair on its head. The two
teams combined for 31 points and four lead changes during the final 15 minutes, a startling turn from a first half that saw Florida State take a 3-0 lead into the break despite nearly tripling UM’s
offensive production in the first two quarters.
The Seminoles, as it turned out, would regret their missed opportunities.
FSU went to halftime with heavy advantages in total offense (163-57),
yards per play (4.3-1.9) and time of possession (19:07-10:53), and it had four first-half drives end inside Miami territory.
Those drives, however, resulted in only three points.
“We didn’t
execute a couple times, and they made a couple plays,” Fisher said. “They knocked the ball away and stopped us. That’s what it was.”
That allowed the Hurricanes to wait out a slow start from Rosier
and find themselves within striking distance once their offense heated up in the second half.
Rosier had completed only 4 of 16 pass attempts at halftime but by the end was 19 of 44 for 254 yards,
three touchdowns and an interception.
Miami, similarly, finished with 337 yards of offense after having just 57 at halftime.
“In the first half, things were working, things were rolling,” senior
defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi said. “They’d punch, we’d punch back. In the second half, it was kind of the same thing – they threw a punch, we threw a punch back. Going back and forth, back and
forth.
“In the end, they made a big play.”
The Seminoles, meanwhile, enjoyed their best running effort of the season: 203 yards and 4.7 yards per carry, a mark that included a 100-yard day for
freshman Cam Akers (20-121) and another 91 from junior Jacques Patrick.
And quarterback James Blackman mirrored his counterpart – a slow start followed by an electric finish. The freshman in the
fourth quarter completed 9 of 10 passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns, which brought his total to 17-of-28, 203 yards and two interceptions to go along with those two TDs.
As a result, the final
15 minutes were as frantic and thrilling as any in the series’ recent history, with Blackman (making his third career start) and Rosier (his fifth) engaged in a duel that belied their inexperience.
When Blackman and Ryan Izzo tied the game with a 15-yard score early in the fourth quarter, it looked like the Seminoles might have exorcised some of their early-season demons: The play came both on a
third-and-long and in the red zone.
But after a Ricky Aguayo field goal put the Seminoles on top, Rosier had an answer – a beautiful, 6-yard pass over the head of a defender and into the arms of
Braxton Berrios, the senior receiver who tormented FSU to the tune of eight catches, 90 yards and two scores.
And when Blackman threw his last touchdown, it appeared that both he and Tate had
carved their names into FSU-Miami lore. Blackman for his fourth-quarter heroics, and Tate for grinding out catches and yardage despite the throbbing pain lingering in his injured left shoulder.
The
thing about rivalries, though, is that they require balance. Each side must regularly get the best of the other for it to truly mean something.
For the last seven years – back when Florida State’s
seniors were in the ninth grade – Miami hadn’t held up its end of the bargain.
On Saturday afternoon, the Hurricanes finally did. Rosier was just 3 for 7 on the game’s final drive, but those three
were crucial – a 17-yarder to Berrios on third-and-10, an 11-yard strike to Berrios on a later third-and-10 and, finally, the touchdown pass to Langham.
After seven years of having their hearts
broken by Florida State, the Hurricanes finally returned the favor.
“We didn’t make all the plays,” Fisher said. “They made one more. But at the same time, there’s no reason to hang your head after
that football game. We’re sad, we’re disappointed. There’s no doubt. But we will play.”
| |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Total |
| Miami |
0 |
0 |
10 |
14 |
24 |
| Florida State |
3 |
0 |
0 |
17 |
20 |
1st 3- 0 Ricky Aguayo, 27, field goal, 4:16
3rd 3- 3 Opp, 31, field goal, 11:08
3-10 Opp, 21, pass (kick), 6:57
4th 10-10 Ryan Izzo, 15, pass from James Blackman (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 12:17
13-10 Ricky Aguayo, 38, field goal, 6:55
13-17 Opp, 6, pass (kick), 5:09
20-17 Auden Tate, 20, pass from James Blackman (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 1:24
20-24 Opp, 23, pass (kick), 0:06
TEAM STATISTICS
FSU OPP
First downs 22 20
Rushes-yards 43-203 29-83
Passing 203 254
Att-Comp-Int 28-17-2 44-19-1
Total Yards 71-406 73-337
Punt Returns 1--4 2-38
Kickoff Returns 3-70 1-18
Interception Ret. 1-0 2-4
Fumble Returns 0-0 0-0
Punts 7-44.9 9-43.2
Sacks By-Yds 3-12 4-23
Fumbles-Lost 1-0 0-0
Penalties-Yds 7-65 6-79
3rd Down Conversions 5-15 7-17
4th Down Conversions 0-0 0-0
Time of Posession 34:59 25:01
Attendance 78,169
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Cam Akers 20 121 0 46
Jacques Patrick 11 91 0 34
Nyqwan Murray 1 3 0 3
Team 1 -2 0 -2
Levonta Taylor 1 -4 0 -4
James Blackman 9 -6 0 11
---------------------------------------------
FSU 43 203 0 46
Opp 29 83 0 14
Receiving No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Auden Tate 3 56 1 21
Ryan Izzo 4 54 1 16
Nyqwan Murray 3 39 0 18
Keith Gavin 3 24 0 13
Jacques Patrick 3 15 0 9
George Campbell 1 15 0 15
---------------------------------------------
FSU 17 203 2 21
Opp 19 254 3 37
Passing C- A- I Yds TD Lng
-----------------------------------------------
James Blackman 17 28 2 203 2 21
-----------------------------------------------
FSU 17 28 2 203 2 21
Opp 19 44 1 254 3 37
Punt Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Tarvarus McFadden 1 -4 0 -4
---------------------------------------------
FSU 1 -4 0
Opp 2 38 0 44
Kickoff Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
D.J. Matthews 1 37 0 37
Keith Gavin 2 33 0 20
---------------------------------------------
FSU 3 70 0 37
Opp 1 18 0 18
Punting No Yds Lng
----------------------------------------
Logan Tyler 7 314 57
----------------------------------------
FSU 7 314 57
Opp 9 389 52
|---------Tackles---------| |---Sacks---| |---Pass Def---| |-Fumbles-| Blkd
DEFENSIVE STATISTICS UT AT Total ForLoss No - Yards Int-Yds BrUp QBH Rcv-Yds FF Kick Saf
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kyle Meyers 6 . 6 . . . 1 . . . . .
Josh Sweat 4 1 5 1.5- 4.0 0.5- 3.0 . 2 . . . . .
Derwin James 2 3 5 . . . 1 . . . . .
Brian Burns 3 1 4 . . . . 1 . . 1 .
Demarcus Christmas 3 1 4 1.0- 4.0 . . . . . . . .
A.J. Westbrook 2 . 2 . . . 2 . . . . .
Matthew Thomas 2 . 2 1.0- 2.0 . . 1 . . . . .
Ermon Lane 2 . 2 . . . 1 . . . . .
Jacob Pugh 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
Carlos Becker 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
Trey Marshall 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . .
Nate Andrews 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . .
Arthur Williams 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . .
Derrick Nnadi . 2 2 0.5- 2.0 0.5- 2.0 . . . . . . .
Dontavious Jackson 1 . 1 1.0- 4.0 1.0- 4.0 . . . . . . .
Hamsah Nasirildeen 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Team 1 . 1 1.0- 3.0 1.0- 3.0 . . . . . . .
George Campbell . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Stanford Samuels . 1 1 . . 1- 0 . . . . . .
Joshua Kaindoh . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Tarvarus McFadden . . . . . . 2 . . . . .
Levonta Taylor . . . . . . 1 . . . . .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FSU 34 14 48 6.0- 19.0 3.0- 12.0 1- 0 11 1 . . 1 .
Opp 44 24 68 9.0- 35.0 4.0- 23.0 2- 4 5 1 . . . .
STARTERS
Pos ## OFFENSE
----------------------------------
QB 1 James Blackman
TB 9 Jacques Patrick
WR 18 Auden Tate
FB 26 Johnathan Vickers
C 54 Alec Eberle
LG 69 Landon Dickerson
RG 70 Cole Minshew
LT 74 Derrick Kelly
RT 76 Rick Leonard
TE 81 Ryan Izzo
WR 89 Keith Gavin
|
Pos ## DEFENSE
----------------------------------
CB 1 Levonta Taylor
FS 3 Derwin James
CB 4 Tarvarus McFadden
WLB 6 Matthew Thomas
BUCK 9 Josh Sweat
STAR 14 Kyle Meyers
SAM 16 Jacob Pugh
SS 20 Trey Marshall
DT 90 Demarcus Christmas
NG 91 Derrick Nnadi
DE 99 Brian Burns
|
PARTICIPANTS
## NAME
-----------------------------
3 Cam Akers
5 Dontavious Jackson
6 Tre' McKitty
7 Ermon Lane
8 Nyqwan Murray
8 Stanford Samuels
10 Calvin Brewton
11 George Campbell
12 Arthur Williams
13 Joshua Kaindoh
15 Carlos Becker
19 A.J. Westbrook
21 Marvin Wilson
21 Logan Tyler
22 Amir Rasul
23 Hamsah Nasirildeen
|
## NAME
-----------------------------
23 Ricky Aguayo
29 D.J. Matthews
29 Nate Andrews
30 Jalen Wilkerson
35 Leonard Warner
35 Gabe Nabers
47 Stephen Gabbard
51 Josh Brown
55 Fredrick Jones
56 Emmett Rice
71 Brock Ruble
79 Josh Ball
82 Naseir Upshur
87 Jared Jackson
88 Mavin Saunders
94 Walvenski Aime
|
Florida State 17, Duke 10
10/14/2017, Durham, N.C.
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com. RECAP: Akers, Patrick Help Noles Run Past Blue Devils.
by Tim Linafelt
DURHAM, NC – Jimbo Fisher has preached the same message to freshman running
back Cam Akers over the last few weeks: Keep picking up easy yardage and the big plays will come.
On Saturday afternoon at Duke, the biggest play of Akers’ young career came at the biggest moment
of Florida State’s season.
With the Florida State football team locked in a tight game with the Blue Devils midway through the fourth quarter, Akers took a third-down handoff to his right and broke
through the Duke defense for a 42-yard touchdown that proved the difference in FSU’s 17-10 victory at Wallace Wade Stadium.
That run capped off another sterling effort for the FSU rushing attack,
which, led by Akers (15 carries, 115 yards) and junior Jacques Patrick (18-98), racked up 228 yards and 5.7 yards per carry against a Duke defense that came into the game ranked seventh nationally
with 88.0 rushing yards allowed per game.
“We’ve got to feed off of those guys,” FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said. “You’ve always got to be able to run the football and stop the run. … We’re finding an
identity running the ball.”
Florida State’s defense enjoyed a few cathartic moments, too.
After the Seminoles took the lead, Duke had two chances with the ball in the game’s final four
minutes.
Each time, Charles Kelly’s group held firm: The defense forced a three-and-out on Duke’s first chance, then held off the Blue Devils’ rally on the game’s final drive.
Duke made it to
FSU’s 30-yard line with six seconds to play, but FSU safety Ermon Lane broke up quarterback Daniel Jones’ throw to the end zone to seal the victory.
“It’s a momentum-builder,” safety Derwin James
said. “It was overall a good week of practice, a hard week coming off a tough loss. People didn’t dwell on it. People came to work and it paid off this week, getting the win.”
The Seminoles began
the game in near-perfect fashion, taking their opening drive 83 yards in just 12 plays, capped off by a 20-yard touchdown strike from James Blackman to Auden Tate.
That play, however, might not
have happened were it not for the work of Patrick, who, on an early third-and-1, broke free from a tackler behind the line of scrimmage and bounced outside for a 3-yard gain.
It was a grind-it-out
type of day for Patrick, who averaged 5.4 yards per carry and converted three third-down attempts.
“That’s the ‘attitude down,’” Patrick said of his third-down runs. “Third down and short? I don’t
care what the circumstance is, you’ve got to get that.”
That drive kicked off what turned out to be FSU’s best offensive day of the season (425 total yards). But despite finishing the game with
healthy advantages in yardage (425-315) and time of possession (36:44-23:16), the Seminoles couldn’t gain much separation from Duke throughout the afternoon.
A field goal cut FSU’s lead to 7-3
midway through the second quarter, and the Blue Devils were driving for more when linebacker Emmett Rice picked off a halfback pass that went awry.
Duke’s Daniel Helm appeared to be open down the
field, but running back Shaun Wilson’s pass was badly off target, A.J. Westbrook tipped it and Rice came down with the first interception of his career.
“That was huge,” Fisher said. “That was a
big play because they had a guy coming open on it. But that’s the thing when you gamble. Our guys were back and got the tip and made a big play.”
Ricky Aguayo’s 11th-consecutive made field goal
made it 10-3 late in the third quarter, but the Blue Devils used a 57-yard pass on third-and-17 to set up a tying touchdown on the ensuing drive.
The fourth quarter then belonged to Akers and
Patrick. The two combined for 80 yards on 12 carries in the game’s final period, with Fisher calling Akers’ number on the third-and-2 play that turned out to be the game-winner.
Akers topped the
100-yard mark for the second time in as many games, and Patrick fell just two yards shy of giving the Seminoles’ a pair of 100-yard rushers for the first time in more than a year.
“That’s my little
brother, man, that’s my brother for life,” Patrick said about Akers. “It’s a great thing to see. … Whoever’s name is called, we just go out there and execute.”
Added Fisher: “I can’t talk about one
of them without the other. Those two feed off each other, they play off each other. They’re both playing exceptional football right now.”
Blackman, meanwhile, continued his hot streak from the end
of last week’s Miami game by completing 18 of 21 passes for 197 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.
Blackman spread the ball around as well as he has in his career, too. Nine different
Seminoles caught passes Saturday, led by Nyqwan Murray’s five receptions for 81 yards.
Freshman D.J. Matthews (one catch, 12 yards) and senior Jared Jackson (1-3) each caught the first passes of
their careers while filling in for the injured Keith Gavin.
“He’s been doing real good,” Patrick said. “His poise has been big, he knows what to do and he’s just doing his job.”
Next up for the
Seminoles is a chance at payback against reigning Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson and the Louisville Cardinals.
FSU suffered a humbling defeat at Louisville last year, but the Cardinals (4-3,
1-3) are reeling a bit after back-to-back losses to North Carolina State and Boston College.
“They’re a high-powered team,” safety Derwin James said. “Even though their record is not what they want
to be, they’re still a great team. Just like us.”
| |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Total |
| Florida State |
7 |
0 |
3 |
7 |
17 |
| Duke |
0 |
3 |
7 |
0 |
10 |
1st 7- 0 Auden Tate, 20, pass from James Blackman (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 8:31
2nd 7- 3 Opp, 37, field goal, 8:40
3rd 10- 3 Ricky Aguayo, 23, field goal, 4:54
10-10 Opp, 9, run (kick), 2:12
4th 17-10 Cam Akers, 42, run (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 8:23
TEAM STATISTICS
FSU OPP
First downs 23 17
Rushes-yards 40-228 25-111
Passing 197 204
Att-Comp-Int 21-18-2 37-22-1
Total Yards 61-425 62-315
Punt Returns 1-2 0-0
Kickoff Returns 1-13 1-16
Interception Ret. 1-0 2-19
Fumble Returns 0-0 0-0
Punts 4-52.0 5-46.2
Sacks By-Yds 1-6 2-14
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 0-0
Penalties-Yds 7-51 5-37
3rd Down Conversions 6-13 5-13
4th Down Conversions 0-0 1-2
Time of Posession 36:44 23:16
Attendance 31,073
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Cam Akers 15 115 1 42t
Jacques Patrick 18 98 0 19
Amir Rasul 2 16 0 8
James Blackman 4 0 0 7
Nyqwan Murray 1 -1 0 -1
---------------------------------------------
FSU 40 228 1 42t
Opp 25 111 1 19
Receiving No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Nyqwan Murray 5 81 0 38
Auden Tate 3 30 1 20t
Johnathan Vickers 2 29 0 26
Cam Akers 2 20 0 11
Ryan Izzo 1 13 0 13
D.J. Matthews 1 12 0 12
Amir Rasul 1 9 0 9
Jared Jackson 1 3 0 3
Jacques Patrick 2 0 0 2
---------------------------------------------
FSU 18 197 1 38
Opp 22 204 0 57
Passing C- A- I Yds TD Lng
-----------------------------------------------
James Blackman 18 21 2 197 1 38
-----------------------------------------------
FSU 18 21 2 197 1 38
Opp 22 37 1 204 0 57
Punt Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Tarvarus McFadden 1 2 0 2
---------------------------------------------
FSU 1 2 0 2
Kickoff Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Derwin James 1 13 0 13
---------------------------------------------
FSU 1 13 0 13
Opp 1 16 0 16
Punting No Yds Lng
----------------------------------------
Logan Tyler 4 208 61
----------------------------------------
FSU 4 208 61
Opp 5 231 51
|---------Tackles---------| |---Sacks---| |---Pass Def---| |-Fumbles-| Blkd
DEFENSIVE STATISTICS UT AT Total ForLoss No - Yards Int-Yds BrUp QBH Rcv-Yds FF Kick Saf
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A.J. Westbrook 6 . 6 . . . . . . . . .
Derwin James 5 1 6 . . . . . . . . .
Matthew Thomas 4 1 5 1.0- 5.0 . . . 1 . . . .
Adonis Thomas 2 3 5 0.5- 1.0 . . . . . . . .
Josh Sweat 4 . 4 2.0- 10.0 1.0- 6.0 . . 1 . . . .
Demarcus Christmas 2 1 3 0.5- 1.0 . . 2 . . . . .
Nate Andrews 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
Joshua Kaindoh 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
Kyle Meyers 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
Tarvarus McFadden 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
Brian Burns 1 1 2 . . . 1 1 . . . .
Derrick Nnadi 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . .
Emmett Rice . 2 2 . . 1- 0 . . . . . .
Jacques Patrick 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Fredrick Jones 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Ermon Lane . . . . . . 1 . . . . .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FSU 35 10 45 4.0- 17.0 1.0- 6.0 1- 0 4 3 . . . .
Opp 32 46 78 7.0- 22.0 2.0- 14.0 2- 19 . . . . . .
STARTERS
Pos ## OFFENSE
----------------------------------
QB 1 James Blackman
WR 8 Nyqwan Murray
TB 9 Jacques Patrick
WR 18 Auden Tate
C 54 Alec Eberle
RG 70 Cole Minshew
LG 74 Derrick Kelly
RT 76 Rick Leonard
LT 79 Josh Ball
TE 81 Ryan Izzo
TE 88 Mavin Saunders
|
Pos ## DEFENSE
----------------------------------
CB 1 Levonta Taylor
FS 3 Derwin James
CB 4 Tarvarus McFadden
WLB 6 Matthew Thomas
BUCK 9 Josh Sweat
MIKE 18 Ro'Derrick Hoskins
SS 19 A.J. Westbrook
SAM 22 Adonis Thomas
DT 90 Demarcus Christmas
NG 91 Derrick Nnadi
DE 99 Brian Burns
|
PARTICIPANTS
## NAME
-----------------------------
3 Cam Akers
5 Dontavious Jackson
6 Tre' McKitty
7 Ermon Lane
8 Stanford Samuels
10 Calvin Brewton
12 Arthur Williams
13 Joshua Kaindoh
14 Kyle Meyers
21 Marvin Wilson
21 Logan Tyler
22 Amir Rasul
23 Hamsah Nasirildeen
23 Ricky Aguayo
|
## NAME
-----------------------------
26 Johnathan Vickers
29 D.J. Matthews
29 Nate Andrews
30 Jalen Wilkerson
35 Leonard Warner
35 Gabe Nabers
47 Stephen Gabbard
51 Josh Brown
55 Fredrick Jones
56 Emmett Rice
71 Brock Ruble
75 Abdul Bello
82 Naseir Upshur
87 Jared Jackson
|
Louisville 31, Florida State 28
10/21/2017, Tallahassee
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com. Noles Come Up Short Of Cards, 31-28.
by Tim Linafelt
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Jimbo Fisher said earlier this week that Florida State was inches away from
becoming the team it believed it could be at the start of the season.
In Saturday’s home game against Louisville, the Seminoles were seconds away.
Louisville kicker Blanton Creque kicked a
34-yard field goal with five seconds left that capped a wild, back-and-forth affair and lifted the Cardinals to a 31-28 victory over FSU at Doak Campbell Stadium.
The Seminoles then got the ball at
their 25-yard line for one last play, but quarterback James Blackman was hit as he threw, and his pass fell incomplete.
FSU (2-4, 2-3 ACC) will look to bounce back on Friday at Boston College,
while Louisville (5-3, 2-3) visits Wake Forest on Oct. 28.
“They are hurting again,” FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said. “It was a hurt locker room, because they knew they were that close. But when you
play a team like Louisville … when you’ve got them down, you can’t let them up.”
Louisville’s decisive field goal defied the late-game momentum.
During the fourth quarter, the Seminoles had
erased a 14-point deficit, stuffed Louisville’s high-powered offense on a fourth-and-1 and then driven to the Cardinals’ 21-yard line with two minutes to play.
But a pending sense of elation turned
to dread when freshman James Blackman and Cam Akers fumbled a handoff; FSU’s third turnover over the game.
Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson then led an eight-play, 59-yard drive for the winning
score.
“Anytime you have your defense playing its guts out and the offense is firing on all cylinders, when something like that happens it really hurts,” center Alec Eberle said. “Our backs were
against the wall, trying to make the comeback. We weren’t going to give up. We were going to make the comeback and try and win that game.
“That hurts a lot when something like that happens.”
It
made for a painful end to a game that had the potential to be a season-changing win.
The FSU defense had an admirable effort, holding the Cardinals well below their season averages for points
(38.1) and total yards (567.5, 449 on Saturday) and holding Jackson mostly in check.
The reigning Heisman Trophy winner finished with 334 total yards – he came into the game averaging 430 per game
– and did most of his damage on runs of 22, 23 and 51 yards.
“The defense did a great job,” Fisher said. “(Jackson) got that big scramble on that one play, which sometimes he’s going to have a play
that you go, ‘OK, I’ve got him.’ (And you don’t). He gets one every game.”
And the Seminoles’ offense posted 403 total yards on the way to a season-high 28 points.
It started with a nine-play,
78-yard touchdown drive that answered Louisville’s opening score and seemed to be a harbinger of a shootout between two talented offenses.
But, in a bit of a plot twist, the two defenses took over
for a while in a stretch highlighted by five combined punts and a turnover on downs, and punctuated by Matthew Thomas’ 34-yard fumble return for a touchdown that gave the Seminoles a 14-7 lead.
The
fumble, forced by freshman Joshua Kaindoh, was FSU’s first defensive touchdown since a 2015 visit to Boston College.
“The ball popped out, so I just picked it up and ran,” Thomas said.
Louisville’s offense, however, found its footing on its next possession and tied the game with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Jackson to Seth Dawkins.
The Cardinals then reclaimed the lead on their
first drive of the third quarter, and stretched their advantage to 28-14 after intercepting a deep Blackman pass a few moments later.
Louisville converted three FSU turnovers into 10 points.
“We
have to have short-term memory, fix what we messed up and get ready to go again,” Eberle said. “That’s how football works.”
Despite all that, the Seminoles still gave themselves a chance to win the
game, thanks in large part to receiver Nyqwan Murray.
Just one play after a fourth-down, roughing-the-passer penalty extended an FSU drive, Murray recovered a fumble in the Louisville end zone for
a touchdown that cut FSU’s deficit to 28-21.
And, after the defense forced a three-and-out, Murray took things a step further with a 20-yard touchdown catch in tight coverage that tied the game
with 8:58 to go.
The junior receiver finished with four catches for a season-high 95 yards, while Jacques Patrick and Cam Akers combined for 145 yards on the ground.
“It was good to see those
guys make plays and runs. They did a great job,” Fisher said. “It was great to see them keep coming.”
Murray’s touchdown set the stage for the final moments, but, for the second time in as many
home games, were on the hurting side of a dramatic, late outcome.
Two weeks ago, Miami downed FSU by scoring a go-ahead touchdown with six seconds to play. Saturday, it was a Louisville kicker who
had already missed his only other attempt of the day.
In each case, the Seminoles were seconds – and inches – away from wins that could have given this season a much different feel.
Instead,
Fisher vowed that, with five games to play, the Seminoles will keep pushing forward and keep fighting for the inches that have so far eluded their grasp.
And he’s confident that his team is up for
the task.
“Without a doubt,” Fisher said. “The heart and soul and ability to compete and hustle and play hard ….
“There’s no quit in these kids. None. None, in any way, shape or form.”
| |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Total |
| Louisville |
7 |
7 |
14 |
3 |
31 |
| Florida State |
7 |
7 |
0 |
14 |
28 |
1st 0- 7 Opp, 22, run (kick), 11:37
7- 7 Ryan Izzo, 7, pass from James Blackman (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 6:30
2nd 14- 7 Matthew Thomas, 34, fumble recovery/return (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 4:08
Note: Joshua Kaindoh sacked the quarterback, he fumbled,
Matthew Thomas picked up the ball and scored.
14-14 Opp, 26, pass (kick), 1:04
14-14 Opp, 45, field goal failed, 0:00
3rd 14-14 Ricky Aguayo, 44, field goal failed, 9:35
14-21 Opp, 2, run (kick), 7:04
14-28 Opp, 25, run (kick), 5:11
4th 21-28 Nyqwan Murray, 0, run (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 13:21
Note: Jacques Patrick ran for six yards and fumbled at the
goal line. Nyqwan Murray recovered the fumble in the
end zone.
28-28 Nyqwan Murray, 20, pass from James Blackman (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 8:58
28-31 Opp, 34, field goal, 0:05
TEAM STATISTICS
FSU OPP
First downs 23 23
Rushes-yards 38-155 44-293
Passing 248 156
Att-Comp-Int 28-16-2 21-13-0
Total Yards 66-403 65-449
Punt Returns 3-18 1-0
Kickoff Returns 2-45 1-12
Interception Ret. 0-0 2-44
Fumble Returns 1-34 1-0
Punts 3-42.0 3-49.7
Sacks By-Yds 2-6 2-17
Fumbles-Lost 2-1 1-1
Penalties-Yds 4-40 2-13
3rd Down Conversions 6-12 5-10
4th Down Conversions 1-1 0-2
Time of Posession 31:10 28:50
Attendance 72,764
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Cam Akers 16 75 0 10
Jacques Patrick 14 70 0 12
James Blackman 7 6 0 21
Amir Rasul 1 4 0 4
Nyqwan Murray 0 0 1 0t
---------------------------------------------
FSU 38 155 1 21
Opp 44 293 3 51
Receiving No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Nyqwan Murray 4 95 1 37
Auden Tate 5 62 0 17
Ryan Izzo 2 37 1 30
Jacques Patrick 3 35 0 18
Cam Akers 2 19 0 11
---------------------------------------------
FSU 16 248 2 37
Opp 13 156 1 26t
Passing C- A- I Yds TD Lng
-----------------------------------------------
James Blackman 16 28 2 248 2 37
-----------------------------------------------
FSU 16 28 2 248 2 37
Opp 13 21 0 156 1 26t
Punt Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Tarvarus McFadden 3 18 0 9
---------------------------------------------
FSU 3 18 0 9
Opp 1 0 0
Kickoff Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Amir Rasul 1 25 0 25
Derwin James 1 20 0 20
---------------------------------------------
FSU 2 45 0 25
Opp 1 12 0 12
Punting No Yds Lng
----------------------------------------
Logan Tyler 3 126 48
----------------------------------------
FSU 3 126 48
Opp 3 149 56
|---------Tackles---------| |---Sacks---| |---Pass Def---| |-Fumbles-| Blkd
DEFENSIVE STATISTICS UT AT Total ForLoss No - Yards Int-Yds BrUp QBH Rcv-Yds FF Kick Saf
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Matthew Thomas 5 5 10 0.5- 2.0 . . . . 1- 34 . . .
Trey Marshall 4 6 10 0.5- 2.0 . . . . . . . .
Josh Sweat 6 3 9 2.0- 8.0 1.0- 2.0 . . . . . . .
Derwin James 6 2 8 . . . . . . . . .
Dontavious Jackson 3 1 4 . . . . . . . . .
Brian Burns 2 2 4 0.5- 2.0 0.5- 2.0 . . . . . . .
Derrick Nnadi . 4 4 0.5- 2.0 0.5- 2.0 . . 1 . . . .
Stanford Samuels 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
Jared Jackson 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
Walvenski Aime 1 1 2 1.0- 4.0 . . . . . . . .
Demarcus Christmas . 2 2 . . . 1 . . . . .
Tarvarus McFadden 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Adonis Thomas 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
A.J. Westbrook 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Nyqwan Murray 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Joshua Kaindoh 1 . 1 1.0- 1.0 . . . . . 1 . .
Emmett Rice 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Leonard Warner 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Fredrick Jones . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Jalen Wilkerson . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FSU 38 28 66 6.0- 21.0 2.0- 6.0 . 1 1 1- 34 1 . .
Opp 35 36 71 4.0- 19.0 2.0- 17.0 2- 44 1 3 1- 0 1 . .
STARTERS
Pos ## OFFENSE
----------------------------------
QB 1 James Blackman
WR 8 Nyqwan Murray
TB 9 Jacques Patrick
WR 18 Auden Tate
C 54 Alec Eberle
RG 70 Cole Minshew
LG 74 Derrick Kelly
RT 76 Rick Leonard
LT 79 Josh Ball
TE 81 Ryan Izzo
TE 88 Mavin Saunders
|
Pos ## DEFENSE
----------------------------------
CB 1 Levonta Taylor
FS 3 Derwin James
CB 4 Tarvarus McFadden
SAM 5 Dontavious Jackson
WLB 6 Matthew Thomas
BUCK 9 Josh Sweat
SS 19 A.J. Westbrook
MIKE 22 Adonis Thomas
DT 90 Demarcus Christmas
NG 91 Derrick Nnadi
DE 99 Brian Burns
|
PARTICIPANTS
## NAME
-----------------------------
3 Cam Akers
7 Ryan Green
7 Ermon Lane
8 Stanford Samuels
12 Arthur Williams
13 Joshua Kaindoh
14 Kyle Meyers
15 Carlos Becker
18 Ro'Derrick Hoskins
20 Trey Marshall
21 Marvin Wilson
21 Logan Tyler
22 Amir Rasul
23 Hamsah Nasirildeen
23 Ricky Aguayo
24 Cyrus Fagan
|
## NAME
-----------------------------
26 Johnathan Vickers
29 D.J. Matthews
29 Nate Andrews
30 Jalen Wilkerson
35 Leonard Warner
35 Gabe Nabers
47 Stephen Gabbard
51 Josh Brown
55 Fredrick Jones
56 Emmett Rice
71 Brock Ruble
75 Abdul Bello
82 Naseir Upshur
87 Jared Jackson
94 Walvenski Aime
|
Boston College 35, Florida State 3
10/27/2017, Chestnut Hill, Mass.
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com. RECAP: Football Falls At Boston College.
by Tim Linafelt
CHESTNUT HILL, MA – With Halloween looming, the Boston College Eagles dug into their bag
of tricks to beat Florida State.
BC struck first with a reverse-pass from receiver Jeff Smith to Kobay White, and the Eagles never looked back on the way to a 35-3 victory over the Seminoles on
Friday night here at Alumni Stadium.
Nyqwan Murray caught three passes for 102 yards to lead FSU (2-5, 2-4 ACC).
“In every phase, they beat us,” FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said. “They lined up,
kicked our tails and outplayed us, outcoached us, did everything.”
Save for a few big gains by the Florida State passing game, the night belonged to Boston College.
The Eagles amassed 241
rushing yards on the way to their third straight game with at least 35 points, a stretch that started two weeks ago with a win at Louisville and continued last week in a victory at Virginia.
Freshman A.J. Dillon led the charge with 149 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries, and helped make up for a BC passing game that mustered only 88 yards, 34 of which came via that trick play.
The
combination of an early BC lead and an effective running game made things difficult for the FSU offense, which despite having the ball for 13 drives finished with just 24:45 of possession time.
“They just line up. They don’t come with any surprises,” FSU safety Derwin James said of the BC running game. “They come in with big guys, fundamental guys, technique guys and guys that have got the
will and drive that they want to run the ball. They do a great job.”
“They can eat clock as they go,” Fisher added. “You get limited possessions when you play those kinds of teams and you’ve got to
capitalize when you get down there (with chances to score points).”
The Seminoles, meanwhile, hurt themselves with three turnovers that the Eagles turned into 14 points.
The first giveaway came
at a particularly damaging time, with FSU trailing 7-0 and holding the ball inside the Eagles’ 10-yard line after a 47-yard running back pass from Akers to Murray.
But rather than capitalize on a
trick play of their own and score a touchdown that might have changed the complexion of the game, FSU fumbled away a handoff between Akers and fellow freshman James Blackman, and the Eagles
recovered.
Boston College (5-4, 3-3 ACC) would later use an interception to build a 21-3 lead at halftime, with the Seminoles’ points coming via a 36-yard field goal from Ricky Aguayo.
“Those
two critical turnovers were very big,” Fisher said. “…When we get down there, we’ve got to put points on the board.”
Aided by a fumbled punt return and a turnover on downs, the Eagles added a pair
of touchdowns in the third quarter to provide the final margin. FSU finished without a touchdown for the first time since Sept. 20, 2008, a span of 124 games.
Blackman completed 11 of 26 passes for
102 yards and an interception, and finished without a touchdown pass for the first time in six starts.
Akers added 42 yards on 18 carries, and Amir Rasul chipped in another 25 yards in four
attempts.
“We didn’t play up to our potential and pretty much got outplayed,” center Alec Eberle said. “Our team has always had pretty good confidence. We always tend to bounce back from problems.
I think, today, we just didn’t have our game.”
The Seminoles were up against an emotionally charged Eagles team that was playing at home for the first time since turning its season around against
Louisville and Virginia. Not only that, but Friday marked BC’s annual “Red Bandanna” game, which honors the memory of Welles Crowther, the former BC lacrosse player who sacrificed his life to save
others during the attacks on Sept. 11, 2011.
Given the circumstances, Fisher figured the Seminoles would need to be at their best. Instead, FSU fell into the exact type of script that can lead to
difficult losses on the road: an early deficit, followed by missed opportunities and turnovers.
“We knew they were playing well,” he said. “They were going to be excited. They were going to come
play well. We knew (we needed to) match their energy. …
“We didn’t match it. And when that happened, it just kept going.”
| |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Total |
| Florida State |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
| Boston College |
7 |
14 |
14 |
0 |
35 |
1st 0- 0 Opp, 49, field goal failed, 13:24
0- 7 Opp, 34, pass (kick), 7:55
2nd 0-14 Opp, 11, pass (kick), 10:10
0-21 Opp, 4, run (kick), 6:48
3-21 Ricky Aguayo, 36, field goal, 0:44
3rd 3-28 Opp, 2, run (kick), 11:00
3-35 Opp, 1, run (kick), 0:13
TEAM STATISTICS
FSU OPP
First downs 10 19
Rushes-yards 29-64 55-241
Passing 149 88
Att-Comp-Int 27-12-1 21-7-0
Total Yards 56-213 76-329
Punt Returns 4--10 3-30
Kickoff Returns 2-45 2-68
Interception Ret. 0-0 1-1
Fumble Returns 0-0 2-0
Punts 7-42.7 4-44.0
Sacks By-Yds 0-0 2-16
Fumbles-Lost 2-2 0-0
Penalties-Yds 7-71 1-10
3rd Down Conversions 4-14 6-16
4th Down Conversions 1-2 2-4
Time of Posession 24:45 35:15
Attendance 40,629
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Cam Akers 18 42 0 13
Amir Rasul 4 25 0 16
Ryan Green 3 10 0 9
James Blackman 4 -13 0 2
---------------------------------------------
FSU 29 64 0 16
Opp 55 241 3 39
Receiving No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Nyqwan Murray 3 102 0 47
Ryan Izzo 1 14 0 14
Auden Tate 2 12 0 7
Ermon Lane 1 9 0 9
Cam Akers 3 7 0 7
Ryan Green 1 5 0 5
Johnathan Vickers 1 0 0
---------------------------------------------
FSU 12 149 0 47
Opp 7 88 2 34t
Passing C- A- I Yds TD Lng
-----------------------------------------------
James Blackman 11 26 1 102 0 33
Cam Akers 1 1 0 47 0 47
-----------------------------------------------
FSU 12 27 1 149 0 47
Opp 7 21 0 88 2 34t
Punt Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
D.J. Matthews 2 -4 0
Tarvarus McFadden 2 -6 0
---------------------------------------------
FSU 4 -10 0
Opp 3 30 0 13
Kickoff Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Amir Rasul 2 45 0 27
---------------------------------------------
FSU 2 45 0 27
Opp 2 68 0 43
Punting No Yds Lng
----------------------------------------
Logan Tyler 7 299 53
----------------------------------------
FSU 7 299 53
Opp 4 176 52
|---------Tackles---------| |---Sacks---| |---Pass Def---| |-Fumbles-| Blkd
DEFENSIVE STATISTICS UT AT Total ForLoss No - Yards Int-Yds BrUp QBH Rcv-Yds FF Kick Saf
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Matthew Thomas 4 11 15 . . . 1 . . . . .
Derwin James 3 10 13 . . . 1 . . . . .
Josh Sweat 3 5 8 2.0- 3.0 . . . . . . . .
Ro'Derrick Hoskins 3 3 6 1.0- 1.0 . . . 1 . . . .
Jacob Pugh 2 4 6 . . . 2 . . . . .
Trey Marshall 2 4 6 . . . 1 . . . . .
Brian Burns 2 2 4 . . . . . . . . .
Derrick Nnadi 1 3 4 . . . . . . . . .
Demarcus Christmas 1 3 4 . . . . . . . . .
Jalen Wilkerson 2 1 3 . . . . . . . . .
Walvenski Aime . 3 3 . . . . . . . . .
Hamsah Nasirildeen 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . .
Stanford Samuels 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . .
Nate Andrews 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . .
Emmett Rice 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . .
Tarvarus McFadden . 2 2 . . . . . . . . .
Levonta Taylor . 2 2 . . . . . . . . .
Leonard Warner 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Carlos Becker 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Jared Jackson 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Fredrick Jones 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Joshua Kaindoh . 1 1 . . . . 2 . . . .
Dontavious Jackson . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Marvin Wilson . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
A.J. Westbrook . . . . . . 1 . . . . .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FSU 31 60 91 3.0- 4.0 . . 6 3 . . . .
Opp 23 42 65 6.0- 28.0 2.0- 16.0 1- 1 4 1 2- 0 . . .
STARTERS
Pos ## OFFENSE
----------------------------------
QB 1 James Blackman
TB 3 Cam Akers
WR 8 Nyqwan Murray
WR 18 Auden Tate
C 54 Alec Eberle
RG 70 Cole Minshew
LG 74 Derrick Kelly
RT 76 Rick Leonard
LT 79 Josh Ball
TE 81 Ryan Izzo
WR 87 Jared Jackson
|
Pos ## DEFENSE
----------------------------------
CB 1 Levonta Taylor
FS 3 Derwin James
CB 4 Tarvarus McFadden
WLB 6 Matthew Thomas
BUCK 9 Josh Sweat
SAM 16 Jacob Pugh
MIKE 18 Ro'Derrick Hoskins
SS 20 Trey Marshall
DT 90 Demarcus Christmas
NG 91 Derrick Nnadi
DE 99 Brian Burns
|
PARTICIPANTS
## NAME
-----------------------------
5 Dontavious Jackson
5 Ermon Lane
6 Tre' McKitty
7 Ryan Green
8 Stanford Samuels
12 Arthur Williams
13 Joshua Kaindoh
14 Kyle Meyers
15 Carlos Becker
16 J.J. Cosentino
19 A.J. Westbrook
21 Marvin Wilson
21 Logan Tyler
22 Amir Rasul
23 Hamsah Nasirildeen
23 Ricky Aguayo
26 Johnathan Vickers
|
## NAME
-----------------------------
29 D.J. Matthews
29 Nate Andrews
30 Jalen Wilkerson
35 Leonard Warner
35 Gabe Nabers
47 Stephen Gabbard
51 Josh Brown
55 Fredrick Jones
56 Emmett Rice
71 Brock Ruble
75 Abdul Bello
82 Naseir Upshur
83 Bryan LaCivita
86 Justin Motlow
88 Mavin Saunders
94 Walvenski Aime
|
Florida State 27, Syracuse 24
11/04/2017, Tallahassee
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com. RECAP: Akers Rumbles, Offense Hits Big In Win Over Orange.
by Tim Linafelt
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Florida State’s big-play offense led to a big victory
over the Syracuse Orange.
Cam Akers ran for touchdowns of 63 and 54 yards, and Nyqwan Murray caught a 51-yard touchdown pass from James Blackman as the Seminoles held on for a 27-24 victory over
Syracuse at Doak Campbell Stadium.
“If you don’t have chunk plays, you’re not going to be a great offense. You can draw it up any way you want,” FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said. “It’s like hitting ‘3s’
(in basketball). You can shoot ‘2s’ all day, but you’ve got to have some ‘3s.’”
Incidentally, a missed 3-pointer at the buzzer sealed the win for the Seminoles.
Syracuse drove to Florida State’s
25-yard line with six seconds to play, but senior kicker Cole Murphy’s 43-yard kick sailed wide left as time expired. It was Murphy’s second miss in three tries, and it came on a day when FSU’s Ricky
Aguayo made both of his attempts.
“I don’t wish a miss on another kicker,” Aguayo said, “But that was one kick that I really wanted him to miss.”
He did, sending a wave of relief throughout Doak
Campbell Stadium and sparking a cathartic celebration in the home locker room.
Not only did the Seminoles (3-5, 3-4 ACC) win at home for the first time this season, but they also took a big step
toward both bowl eligibility and the potential for a winning season. FSU owns the nation’s longest active streaks in both categories, and will look for another win next week at No. 4 Clemson.
If
the FSU offense that showed up Saturday makes the trip to Clemson, the Seminoles might like their chances.
While their 343 total yards were far from a season high, the way that the Seminoles
accumulated those yards – on the ground, and in big chunks – could be a recipe for success.
Highlighted by the three long touchdowns, FSU roughed up the Syracuse defense for six runs of 10-plus
yards and three passes of 15 or more.
Akers did most of the heavy lifting in that regard. The freshman carried 22 times for a career-high 199 yards, and added another 18 yards through the air.
Along the way, he became the third-leading freshman rusher in school history (695 yards), surpassing Devonta Freeman (579), Larry Key (602) and Travis Minor (623). Dalvin Cook (1,008) holds the
record.
“(He) finished runs, hit the home run,” Fisher said. “He did the home run the right way, not craziness but with good, hard runs. He had an outstanding day. Very proud of him.”
“He
reminds me of Dalvin with some of those runs,” added safety Derwin James.
It was an apt comparison, given that Cook had his first 100-yard game at Syracuse in 2014, and became FSU’s all-time
leading rusher against the Orange last season.
Akers narrowly missed out on becoming the 14th Seminole to run for 200 yards in a game.
“He’s amazing,” James said. “And he comes to work every day
in practice.”
Blackman, meanwhile, finished with 136 yards on 12-of-19 passing, while Murray caught three passes for 60 yards and Keith Gavin added 25 yards on four catches in his return from a leg
injury.
Murray’s long TD opened the scoring, and the Seminoles stretched their lead to 14-0 when Akers took a first-down run up the middle, cut to his left and beat the Orange (4-5, 2-3) down the
left sideline and into the end zone.
FSU then had several chances to take a bigger lead that, had they cashed in, might have spared all the drama that would follow.
But Syracuse kept things
close by holding the Seminoles to just 1 for 11 on third down, and the Orange got a boost when junior quarterback Eric Dungey, who had missed most of the first quarter with an apparent ankle injury,
returned midway through the second quarter.
With Dungey back in the huddle, the Orange’s sputtering offense almost immediately kicked into gear. He completed a 47-yard touchdown pass that made it
14-7, then, after Akers answered with his second touchdown, struck for a 34-yard score to Steve Ishmael that made it 21-14 at halftime.
The Orange could have made it closer, but Syracuse coach Dino
Babers chose not to kick a field goal on fourth-and-3 from the FSU 4-yard line, and James pressured Dungey into an incompletion.
Babers’ decision would have lasting implications.
“We want to
score touchdowns,” Babers said. “If we were tied at halftime, the odds are greatly going into our favor that we are going to win the game in the second half.”
Instead, the Seminoles could keep the
Orange at arm’s length while trading field goals throughout the second half. Murphy made a 42-yard kick to get the Orange within four, but Aguayo answered with a 49- and 38-yarder of his own that made
it 27-17 midway through the fourth quarter.
“Ricky hit the big field goals,” Fisher said. “(Special teams) was good.”
Dungey, however, would have one more say.
Noticeably limping, Dungey
engineered a 14-play, 75-yard drive that he finished with a 3-yard touchdown run that cut FSU’s lead to three.
Babers then opted for an onside kick, despite having 2:54 on the clock and three
timeouts. That’s when the game took a turn befitting of Florida State’s topsy-turvy 2017 season.
James recovered the kick, but FSU’s offense, needing a couple first downs to run out the clock,
couldn’t get anything going.
And things nearly took a disastrous turn when Blackman and center Alec Eberle mishandled the snap on third-and-1. The play was initially ruled a fumble that Syracuse
recovered at its own 44-yard line, but replay officials determined that Blackman had possession of the ball with his knee on the ground.
FSU’s Logan Tyler then punted to the Syracuse 18 with 1:23
remaining.
Given all the heartbreak the Seminoles endured at home this season – both Louisville and Miami beat the Seminoles with last-second scoring drives – it was hard not to feel a little tense
when Dungey took over.
That tension only increased when Dungey started the drive with a 21-yard scramble, then added completions of five, 15, 16 and nine yards to the FSU 25.
The similarities
between this, Louisville and Miami were so stark that a reporter asked Fisher about it after the game.
“It could have been a carbon copy of the Louisville game,” the reporter said.
“But,” Fisher
answered, “it wasn’t.”
Not this time.
Josh Sweat’s pressure forced an incompletion on third down, the Orange could move no closer, and Murphy’s kick wasn’t close.
“How I see it, this is a
great turning point,” FSU defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi said. “There’s no turning back from here. We’ve got to keep moving forward. Got to keep pushing.”
| |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Total |
| Syracuse |
0 |
14 |
3 |
7 |
24 |
| Florida State |
7 |
14 |
3 |
3 |
27 |
1st 7- 0 Nyqwan Murray, 51, pass from James Blackman (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 10:02
7- 0 Opp, 48, field goal blocked by Matthew Thomas, 2:41
2nd 14- 0 Cam Akers, 54, run (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 13:38
14- 7 Opp, 47, pass (kick), 7:55
21- 7 Cam Akers, 63, run (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 7:29
21-14 Opp, 34, pass (kick), 3:16
3rd 21-17 Opp, 42, field goal, 9:35
24-17 Ricky Aguayo, 49, field goal, 3:10
4th 27-17 Ricky Aguayo, 38, field goal, 6:48
27-24 Opp, 3, run (kick), 2:55
27-24 Opp, 43, field goal blocked by Derwin James, 0:00
TEAM STATISTICS
FSU OPP
First downs 13 21
Rushes-yards 37-207 40-149
Passing 136 314
Att-Comp-Int 19-12-0 55-31-1
Total Yards 56-343 95-463
Punt Returns 3-11 3-40
Kickoff Returns 2-38 0-0
Interception Ret. 1-0 0-0
Fumble Returns 0-0 1-0
Punts 9-43.1 7-42.9
Sacks By-Yds 3-13 3-22
Fumbles-Lost 3-1 1-0
Penalties-Yds 4-34 2-20
3rd Down Conversions 1-13 11-25
4th Down Conversions 1-1 1-3
Time of Posession 29:22 30:37
Attendance 71,805
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Cam Akers 22 199 2 63t
Amir Rasul 4 11 0 7
James Blackman 10 -1 0 8
Team 1 -2 0
---------------------------------------------
FSU 37 207 2 63t
Opp 40 149 1 30
Receiving No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Nyqwan Murray 3 60 1 51t
Ermon Lane 1 28 0 28
Keith Gavin 4 25 0 14
Cam Akers 3 18 0 18
Ryan Izzo 1 5 0 5
---------------------------------------------
FSU 12 136 1 51t
Opp 31 314 2 47t
Passing C- A- I Yds TD Lng
-----------------------------------------------
James Blackman 12 19 0 136 1 51t
-----------------------------------------------
FSU 12 19 0 136 1 51t
Opp 31 55 1 314 2 47t
Punt Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
D.J. Matthews 3 11 0 15
---------------------------------------------
FSU 3 11 0 15
Opp 3 40 0 21
Kickoff Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Amir Rasul 2 38 0 21
---------------------------------------------
FSU 2 38 0 21
Punting No Yds Lng
----------------------------------------
Logan Tyler 9 388 55
----------------------------------------
FSU 9 388 55
Opp 7 300 49
|---------Tackles---------| |---Sacks---| |---Pass Def---| |-Fumbles-| Blkd
DEFENSIVE STATISTICS UT AT Total ForLoss No - Yards Int-Yds BrUp QBH Rcv-Yds FF Kick Saf
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Derrick Nnadi 5 2 7 1.0- 9.0 1.0- 9.0 . 1 1 . . . .
Kyle Meyers 5 1 6 . . . . . . . . .
Brian Burns 4 2 6 . . . . . . . . .
Josh Sweat 4 2 6 1.0- 1.0 1.0- 1.0 . 1 1 . . . .
Tarvarus McFadden 4 1 5 . . . . . . . . .
Hamsah Nasirildeen 3 1 4 . . . 1 . . . . .
Trey Marshall 3 1 4 . . . . . . . . .
Matthew Thomas 1 3 4 . . . . . . . 1 .
Stanford Samuels 2 1 3 . . . 1 . . . . .
Demarcus Christmas 2 1 3 . . . . 2 . . . .
Derwin James 1 2 3 1.0- 4.0 . 1- 0 4 1 . . 1 .
Levonta Taylor 2 . 2 1.0- 1.0 . . 1 . . . . .
Jalen Wilkerson 2 . 2 1.0- 1.0 . . . . . . . .
Fredrick Jones 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
Jacob Pugh 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . .
Cyrus Fagan . 2 2 . . . . . . . . .
Joshua Kaindoh 1 . 1 . . . . 1 . . . .
Marvin Wilson 1 . 1 . . . . 1 . . . .
Ryan Izzo 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Walvenski Aime 1 . 1 . . . . 2 . . . .
Team 1 . 1 1.0- 3.0 1.0- 3.0 . . . . . . .
Leonard Warner . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Jared Jackson . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FSU 46 22 68 6.0- 19.0 3.0- 13.0 1- 0 9 9 . . 2 .
Opp 35 18 53 9.0- 38.0 3.0- 22.0 . 1 4 1- 0 1 . .
STARTERS
Pos ## OFFENSE
----------------------------------
QB 1 James Blackman
TB 3 Cam Akers
WR 5 Ermon Lane
WR 8 Nyqwan Murray
C 54 Alec Eberle
RG 70 Cole Minshew
LG 74 Derrick Kelly
RT 76 Rick Leonard
LT 79 Josh Ball
TE 81 Ryan Izzo
TE 88 Mavin Saunders
|
Pos ## DEFENSE
----------------------------------
CB 1 Levonta Taylor
FS 3 Derwin James
CB 4 Tarvarus McFadden
WLB 6 Matthew Thomas
BUCK 9 Josh Sweat
STAR 14 Kyle Meyers
SS 20 Trey Marshall
SS 23 Hamsah Nasirildeen
DT 90 Demarcus Christmas
NG 91 Derrick Nnadi
DE 99 Brian Burns
|
PARTICIPANTS
## NAME
-----------------------------
6 Tre' McKitty
7 Ryan Green
8 Stanford Samuels
11 Janarius Robinson
12 Arthur Williams
13 Joshua Kaindoh
15 Carlos Becker
16 Jacob Pugh
18 Ro'Derrick Hoskins
21 Marvin Wilson
21 Logan Tyler
22 Amir Rasul
23 Ricky Aguayo
24 Cyrus Fagan
26 Johnathan Vickers
|
## NAME
-----------------------------
29 D.J. Matthews
30 Jalen Wilkerson
35 Leonard Warner
35 Gabe Nabers
47 Stephen Gabbard
51 Josh Brown
55 Fredrick Jones
56 Emmett Rice
71 Brock Ruble
75 Abdul Bello
82 Naseir Upshur
87 Jared Jackson
89 Keith Gavin
94 Walvenski Aime
|
Clemson 31, Florida State 14
11/11/2017, Clemson, S.C.
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com. RECAP: Second-Half Rally Falls Short At Clemson.
by Tim Linafelt
CLEMSON, SC – For everything that worked against Florida State on Saturday
afternoon at Clemson, the Seminoles had something of a best-case scenario midway through the fourth quarter:
A three-point deficit, a quiet crowd and the ball at the Tigers’ 40-yard line following
a fumble recovery by Brian Burns.
For a moment, it looked like all the miscues that put the Seminoles into an early three-score deficit would wash away, and that FSU might move ahead for a win that
could redefine what has been a difficult season.
Then, in a moment, it was gone, lost in an off-target throw that Clemson intercepted and returned into FSU territory. A few moments later, the No. 4
Tigers were in the end zone and well on their way to a 31-14 win over the Seminoles here at Memorial Stadium.
“We were right there to have a chance and let it slip away from us,” FSU coach Jimbo
Fisher said. “Whether it’s offense, defense, special teams, we just can’t seem to make that play when we need to make it – whether it’s pick up a fumble, drop a post, overthrow a couple balls. We’ve
got to relax and make those plays.”
The Seminoles (3-6, 3-5 ACC) entered the game believing that last week’s win over Syracuse could be a turning point in its season, and that, if they played to
their potential, they could upset the No. 4 Tigers (9-1, 7-1) here at Memorial Stadium.
And while the fourth-quarter turnover was the most obvious – and most painful – example of a missed
opportunity, it was far from the only one.
The Seminoles twice missed big passing plays by fingertips, with deep balls to Auden Tate and Nyqwan Murray just inches out of reach.
FSU fell victim
to missed blocking assignments, one of which allowed a Clemson defender to level and force a fumble from FSU quarterback James Blackman.
And in the second quarter, FSU defensive end Brian Burns
forced a fumble that linebacker Matthew Thomas misjudged on the bounce. Had Thomas recovered, he had a clear path to the end zone. Instead, Clemson’s Kelly Bryant corralled the ball and the Tigers
salvaged a field goal that made it 17-0 at halftime.
“I took my eyes off the ball,” Thomas said. “As soon as I saw the ball I tried to pick it up and I just ran…I was going to take that ball and
run it back to Tallahassee.”
“It may have been a 90-yard touchdown,” Fisher said. “I don’t know.”
FSU, however, pushed back in the second half thanks to an inspired effort from its defense and
some opportunistic plays from its offense.
Quarterback James Blackman, under siege all day from a talented Clemson defensive line, stunned the Tigers midway through the third quarter with a 39-yard
completion to Murray that gave the Seminoles the ball at Clemson’s 3-yard line.
A play later, Jacques Patrick, making his return from knee surgery, plunged in from three yards out to make it
17-7.
The Seminoles then cut their deficit to 17-14 with a creative trick play – an end-around flea-flicker to Murray – that ended in a 60-yard touchdown pass from Blackman to tight end Ryan
Izzo.
“They bit hard on the run to the boundary,” Izzo said. “Jimbo drew up a great play, we repped it all week and we were successful with it.”
Izzo’s touchdown set the stage for a dramatic
finish.
It started with a mistake from Clemson’s Etienne, the returner who mishandled Logan Tyler’s kickoff and was brought down at his own 10-yard line.
And it continued a few moments later
when FSU’s Ro’Derrick Hoskins stripped the ball from Clemson’s Bryant at the Tigers’ 40. Burns recovered and, for the first time all afternoon, the crowd of 81,436 fell silent.
“We were in good
position,” said Burns, who had his best outing of the season with two sacks, 4.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles.
“I felt like the offense would get it in. I had extreme confidence. It just
didn’t work out.”
Fisher said after the game that Blackman’s next throw, a deep pass down that middle that Clemson’s Van Smith intercepted, was “just a mistake.”
He thought that the Seminoles
might have had Tate one-on-one with a defender down the sideline, but, given the circumstances – a true freshman, playing in a tight affair in one of college football’s most difficult environments –
it was hard to fault Blackman too much.
Otherwise Fisher praised Blackman’s resolve and toughness, especially after he was sacked five times and hit several more.
“I’ve got to get him to play
better in those situations,” Fisher said. “He did a great job tonight … There’s nobody that’s more hurt about it than he is, there’s no doubt about that – and me for him.”
Given a chance to
finally pull away, the Tigers wasted little time. Clemson went 44 yards in six plays to make it 24-14, then added another score after the Seminoles failed to convert a fourth down on their ensuing
drive.
All four of Clemson’s touchdown drives started in FSU territory – three as the result of turnovers, and the other after a long punt return. The Tigers finished with 378 total yards, well
below their season average of 443.
“They (didn’t) have to drive down the field on us,” Thomas said. “When you get a short field, it’s easy.”
It made for a loss that was hard to accept. The
Seminoles were of course disappointed following another close defeat, but this time, they said they were angry, too.
Angry because, for much of the afternoon, they traded punches with the No. 4
team in the country before coming up short. And especially angry because they felt like they didn’t give themselves their best possible chance to win.
“I was mad,” Thomas said. “Everybody is mad.
Because we know we could have beaten them. We just didn’t take advantage of opportunities we had. That’s part of football.”
So, too, Fisher said, is fighting through tough times. Despite everything
they’ve been through this season, the Seminoles still have real goals on the table: They can still win six games and earn bowl eligibility, and, if they do that, they can still finish with a winning
season for the 41st consecutive year.
| |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Total |
| Florida State |
0 |
0 |
7 |
7 |
14 |
| Clemson |
7 |
10 |
0 |
14 |
31 |
1st 0- 7 Opp, 2, run (kick), 2:51
2nd 0-14 Opp, 28, run (kick), 6:34
0-17 Opp, 26, field goal, 1:39
3rd 7-17 Jacques Patrick, 3, run (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 1:13
4th 14-17 Ryan Izzo, 60, pass from James Blackman (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 8:53
14-24 Opp, 1, run (kick), 3:05
14-31 Opp, 10, run (kick), 0:35
TEAM STATISTICS
FSU OPP
First downs 12 24
Rushes-yards 24-21 52-227
Passing 208 151
Att-Comp-Int 32-13-1 30-20-0
Total Yards 56-229 82-378
Punt Returns 2-11 3-47
Kickoff Returns 4-75 3-45
Interception Ret. 0-0 1-38
Fumble Returns 2-0 1-0
Punts 7-45.9 6-35.7
Sacks By-Yds 2-9 5-33
Fumbles-Lost 2-1 3-2
Penalties-Yds 4-55 7-80
3rd Down Conversions 3-13 8-15
4th Down Conversions 0-2 0-0
Time of Posession 23:50 36:10
Attendance 81,436
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Cam Akers 12 40 0 12
Jacques Patrick 5 3 1 3t
James Blackman 7 -22 0 6
---------------------------------------------
FSU 24 21 1 12
Opp 52 227 4 28t
Receiving No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Nyqwan Murray 4 73 0 39
Ryan Izzo 1 60 1 60t
Auden Tate 4 33 0 10
Cam Akers 1 19 0 19
Keith Gavin 2 17 0 10
Jacques Patrick 1 6 0 6
---------------------------------------------
FSU 13 208 1 60t
Opp 20 151 0 32
Passing C- A- I Yds TD Lng
-----------------------------------------------
James Blackman 13 32 1 208 1 60t
-----------------------------------------------
FSU 13 32 1 208 1 60t
Opp 20 30 0 151 0 32
Punt Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
D.J. Matthews 2 11 0 6
---------------------------------------------
FSU 2 11 0 6
Opp 3 47 0 35
Kickoff Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Amir Rasul 3 58 0 24
Keith Gavin 1 17 0 17
---------------------------------------------
FSU 4 75 0 24
Opp 3 45 0 18
Punting No Yds Lng
----------------------------------------
Logan Tyler 7 321 59
----------------------------------------
FSU 7 321 59
Opp 6 214 45
|---------Tackles---------| |---Sacks---| |---Pass Def---| |-Fumbles-| Blkd
DEFENSIVE STATISTICS UT AT Total ForLoss No - Yards Int-Yds BrUp QBH Rcv-Yds FF Kick Saf
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Matthew Thomas 4 7 11 1.5- 5.0 . . . . . . . .
Hamsah Nasirildeen 10 . 10 . . . . . . . . .
Derwin James 7 2 9 1.0- 2.0 . . 1 . . . . .
Ro'Derrick Hoskins 4 4 8 . . . . . . 1 . .
Brian Burns 5 2 7 4.5- 19.0 2.0- 9.0 . . 1 1- 0 2 . .
Tarvarus McFadden 4 2 6 . . . . . . . . .
Josh Sweat 3 3 6 1.0- 5.0 . . . . . . . .
Trey Marshall 3 3 6 . . . . . . . . .
Derrick Nnadi 1 5 6 . . . . . . . . .
Walvenski Aime 3 1 4 . . . . . . . . .
Demarcus Christmas 2 . 2 1.0- 1.0 . . . . 1- 0 . . .
Levonta Taylor 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
Dontavious Jackson 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . .
A.J. Westbrook 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Jalen Wilkerson 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Cyrus Fagan 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Jared Jackson 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Stanford Samuels 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Rick Leonard 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Emmett Rice 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Fredrick Jones . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Joshua Kaindoh . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FSU 56 32 88 9.0- 32.0 2.0- 9.0 . 1 1 2- 0 3 . .
Opp 29 25 54 10.0- 39.0 5.0- 33.0 1- 38 7 4 1- 0 2 . .
STARTERS
Pos ## OFFENSE
----------------------------------
QB 1 James Blackman
TB 3 Cam Akers
WR 8 Nyqwan Murray
C 54 Alec Eberle
RG 70 Cole Minshew
LG 74 Derrick Kelly
RT 76 Rick Leonard
LT 79 Josh Ball
TE 81 Ryan Izzo
TE 88 Mavin Saunders
WR 89 Keith Gavin
|
Pos ## DEFENSE
----------------------------------
CB 1 Levonta Taylor
FS 3 Derwin James
CB 4 Tarvarus McFadden
WLB 6 Matthew Thomas
BDE 9 Josh Sweat
MLB 18 Ro'Derrick Hoskins
SS 20 Trey Marshall
NB 23 Hamsah Nasirildeen
DT 90 Demarcus Christmas
NG 91 Derrick Nnadi
DE 99 Brian Burns
|
PARTICIPANTS
## NAME
-----------------------------
5 Dontavious Jackson
5 Ermon Lane
6 Tre' McKitty
8 Stanford Samuels
9 Jacques Patrick
11 Janarius Robinson
12 Arthur Williams
13 Joshua Kaindoh
14 Kyle Meyers
15 Carlos Becker
16 Jacob Pugh
18 Auden Tate
19 A.J. Westbrook
21 Marvin Wilson
21 Logan Tyler
22 Adonis Thomas
22 Amir Rasul
|
## NAME
-----------------------------
23 Ricky Aguayo
24 Cyrus Fagan
26 Johnathan Vickers
29 D.J. Matthews
30 Jalen Wilkerson
35 Leonard Warner
35 Gabe Nabers
47 Stephen Gabbard
51 Josh Brown
55 Fredrick Jones
56 Emmett Rice
71 Brock Ruble
75 Abdul Bello
82 Naseir Upshur
87 Jared Jackson
94 Walvenski Aime
|
Florida State 77, Delaware State 6
11/18/2017, Tallahassee
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com. RECAP: Noles Old, New Put Homecoming Sting On Hornets, 77-6.
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Florida State’s offense, defense and special teams came together in
dominant fashion against Delaware State on Saturday afternoon.
They came together in the end zone, too.
The Seminoles used all three phases to score their first three touchdowns on the way to a
77-6 win over the Hornets in front of a Homecoming crowd of 70,599 at Doak Campbell Stadium.
“We played a complete game,” FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said. “We dominated the game, but we should have
dominated the game. And we went out and played and did it, and there’s something to that.”
Jacques Patrick ran for a touchdown, Tarvarus McFadden returned a block kick for a score and Derwin James
grabbed the first “pick-six” of his career as the Seminoles (4-6) raced out to a school record-tying 56 points in the first half (1992, Tulane). And FSU fell just three points short of the single-game
scoring mark of 80 set against Idaho in 2013.
Perhaps it’s appropriate then that Florida State celebrated Senior Day on Saturday, too: Four players who were freshmen in 2013 were recognized in an
on-field ceremony prior to kickoff.
All four – Nate Andrews, Matthew Thomas, Ro’Derrick Hoskins and Ryan Green – had a hand in the victory. Thomas and Hoskins as usual starters in FSU’s base
defense, Andrews with his first extended action since a midseason injury, and Green with a pair of second-half touchdown runs.
“You know, it’s been a while since I’ve been in the end zone,” said
Green, who capped the scoring with a 50-yard scamper in the fourth quarter.
“It was just a great feeling to have, especially on Senior Day with my parents here to watch me.”
And just as that
Idaho game allowed those freshmen to get some extended action, so too did Saturday’s game for the next wave of FSU youth.
With the Seminoles holding a 56-6 lead at halftime, coach Jimbo Fisher
emptied his bench in favor of newcomers and reserves.
So while FSU got plenty of contributions from its usual freshmen – James Blackman threw for 179 yards and three touchdowns, and Cam Akers ran
for 44 yards and a TD on nine carries – it also got long look at what’s to come.
Freshmen defenders Hamsah Nasirildeen, Marvin Wilson, Joshua Kaindoh, Stanford Samuels III and Cyrus Fagan all
played for most of the second half, and Kaindoh finished with team highs in tackles (six) and sacks (four).
On offense, redshirt junior quarterback J.J. Cosentino took over for Blackman late in the
second half, engineered two scoring drives and threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to senior walk-on Justin Motlow.
“We played for four quarters,” Fisher said. “Even when the backups and everybody got
in the game, they played hard, executed the offense and did the right things, took the right steps.”
FSU’s starters otherwise made quick work of Delaware State, an opponent from the Football
Championship Subdivision (FCS) that entered the game with a 2-8 record.
The Seminoles scored touchdowns on eight of their first nine drives, with Akers, Blackman and Patrick (28 yards, two TDs)
doing the early heavy lifting, and eight different receivers catching at least one pass.
That includes touchdowns for Nyqwan Murray and Auden Tate, as well as for fullback Gabe Nabers and
Motlow.
The Seminoles were especially pleased for Motlow, a senior walk-on and the first member of the Seminole Tribe of Florida to play football at FSU.
Motlow had long been regarded as one of
the Seminoles’ most respected walk-ons, and, after the game, teammates said that they felt it was only a matter of time before he broke through in a game.
“Everyone knows what Motlow is capable
of,” McFadden said. “It just means a lot to the team. He’s a scout-team guy, a guy who is out there working hard just like us. And for him to be able to come out here and make a play, that was
something special.”
FSU’s defense, meanwhile, held Delaware State to 171 yards of total offense, 125 of which came on their first two possessions.
After those two drives – which ended in a
blocked field goal and a one-yard touchdown – the Hornets combined to gain just 46 yards across their next 11 drives.
FSU’s defensive front had a lot to do with that. Paced by Kaindoh’s second-half
surge, the Seminoles finished with 11 tackles for loss and six sacks. And Kaindoh nearly leapt to the top of FSU’s sack leaderboard in one afternoon. Only junior Josh Sweat (4.5 sacks) has more.
“It was fun watching him,” senior defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi said. “In my mind, for someone of his caliber, I feel like he’ll be doing that constantly.”
By improving to 4-6, the Seminoles took
the first step toward the six wins needed for bowl eligibility. FSU visits Florida next week (noon, ESPN) then returns home to host ULM on Dec. 2.
And if their effort in Gainesville looks anything
like their effort today, the Seminoles like their chances of taking yet another step.
FSU has won four straight and six of its last seven against the Gators.
“With this game right here, it shows
that we can do that,” Nnadi said. “We’ve just got to do it.”
| |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Total |
| Delaware State |
6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
| Florida State |
21 |
35 |
7 |
14 |
77 |
1st 7- 0 Jacques Patrick, 14, run (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 11:24
7- 0 Opp, 42, field goal blocked by Demarcus Christmas, 9:08
14- 0 Tarvarus McFadden, 63, blocked FG return (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 9:08
14- 6 Opp, 1, run (kick failed), 4:04
21- 6 Derwin James, 41, interception return (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 2:38
2nd 28- 6 Cam Akers, 1, run (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 13:03
35- 6 Jacques Patrick, 2, run (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 10:41
42- 6 Nyqwan Murray, 4, pass from James Blackman (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 7:34
49- 6 Gabe Nabers, 2, pass from James Blackman (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 4:47
56- 6 Auden Tate, 3, pass from James Blackman (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 1:25
3rd 63- 6 Ryan Green, 5, run (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 3:50
4th 70- 6 Justin Motlow, 12, pass from J.J. Cosentino (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 8:38
77- 6 Ryan Green, 50, run (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 6:30
TEAM STATISTICS
FSU OPP
First downs 23 6
Rushes-yards 32-246 24-15
Passing 236 177
Att-Comp-Int 24-18-0 33-13-2
Total Yards 56-482 57-192
Punt Returns 5-138 1-15
Kickoff Returns 2-40 5-111
Interception Ret. 2-41 0-0
Fumble Returns 0-0 0-0
Punts 3-42.0 9-46.2
Sacks By-Yds 6-34 0-0
Fumbles-Lost 3-0 0-0
Penalties-Yds 5-45 3-9
3rd Down Conversions 2-5 3-16
4th Down Conversions 0-0 1-3
Time of Posession 32:39 32:21
Attendance 70,599
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Ryan Green 7 96 2 50t
Amir Rasul 9 61 0 23
Cam Akers 9 44 1 12
Jacques Patrick 3 28 2 14t
Nyqwan Murray 1 13 0 13
James Blackman 1 3 0 3
Blaik Middleton 1 1 0 1
J.J. Cosentino 1 0 0 0
---------------------------------------------
FSU 32 246 5 50t
Opp 24 15 1 20
Receiving No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Keith Gavin 4 78 0 43
Nyqwan Murray 4 53 1 34
Ermon Lane 2 48 0 43
Justin Motlow 3 25 1 12t
Amir Rasul 1 11 0 11
Jared Jackson 1 10 0 10
Bryan LaCivita 1 6 0 6
Auden Tate 1 3 1 3t
Gabe Nabers 1 2 1 2t
---------------------------------------------
FSU 18 236 4 43
Opp 13 177 0 45
Passing C- A- I Yds TD Lng
-----------------------------------------------
James Blackman 11 15 0 179 3 43
J.J. Cosentino 6 7 0 51 1 12t
Jake Rizzo 1 2 0 6 0 6
-----------------------------------------------
FSU 18 24 0 236 4 43
Opp 13 33 2 177 0 45
Punt Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
D.J. Matthews 5 138 0 47
---------------------------------------------
FSU 5 138 0 47
Opp 1 15 0 15
Kickoff Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Derwin James 1 28 0 28
Naseir Upshur 1 12 0 12
---------------------------------------------
FSU 2 40 0 28
Opp 5 111 0 43
Punting No Yds Lng
----------------------------------------
Logan Tyler 3 126 49
----------------------------------------
FSU 3 126 49
Opp 9 416 58
|---------Tackles---------| |---Sacks---| |---Pass Def---| |-Fumbles-| Blkd
DEFENSIVE STATISTICS UT AT Total ForLoss No - Yards Int-Yds BrUp QBH Rcv-Yds FF Kick Saf
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joshua Kaindoh 5 1 6 4.0- 25.0 4.0- 25.0 . . 1 . . . .
Stanford Samuels 3 . 3 . . 1- 0 2 . . . . .
A.J. Westbrook 3 . 3 . . . . . . . . .
Arthur Williams 2 1 3 2.5- 10.0 1.0- 8.0 . . . . . . .
Derwin James 2 1 3 0.5- 1.0 0.5- 1.0 1- 41 . . . . . .
Walvenski Aime 2 1 3 1.0- 2.0 . . . 1 . . . .
Dontavious Jackson 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
Logan Tyler 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
Matthew Thomas 2 . 2 1.0- 1.0 . . . . . . . .
Hamsah Nasirildeen 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . .
Derrick Nnadi 1 . 1 1.0- 9.0 . . . . . . . .
Fredrick Jones 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Emmett Rice 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Levonta Taylor 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Cyrus Fagan 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Demarcus Christmas 1 . 1 . . . . . . . 1 .
Array Culmer 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Jacob Pugh 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Marvin Wilson 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Leonard Warner . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Janarius Robinson . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Jalen Wilkerson . 1 1 0.5- 2.0 . . . . . . . .
Brian Burns . 1 1 0.5- 0.0 0.5- 0.0 . . . . . . .
Josh Sweat . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Herbans Paul . . . . . . 1 . . . . .
Ro'Derrick Hoskins . . . . . . . 1 . . . .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FSU 33 10 43 11.0- 50.0 6.0- 34.0 2- 41 3 3 . . 1 .
Opp 31 22 53 2.0- 2.0 . . . 1 . 2 . .
STARTERS
Pos ## OFFENSE
----------------------------------
QB 1 James Blackman
TB 3 Cam Akers
WR 5 Ermon Lane
FB 26 Johnathan Vickers
C 54 Alec Eberle
RG 70 Cole Minshew
LG 74 Derrick Kelly
RT 76 Rick Leonard
LT 79 Josh Ball
TE 81 Ryan Izzo
WR 89 Keith Gavin
|
Pos ## DEFENSE
----------------------------------
CB 1 Levonta Taylor
FS 3 Derwin James
CB 4 Tarvarus McFadden
WLB 6 Matthew Thomas
BUCK 9 Josh Sweat
SAM 16 Jacob Pugh
MIKE 18 Ro'Derrick Hoskins
SS 19 A.J. Westbrook
DT 90 Demarcus Christmas
NG 91 Derrick Nnadi
DE 99 Brian Burns
|
PARTICIPANTS
## NAME
-----------------------------
5 Dontavious Jackson
6 Tre' McKitty
7 Ryan Green
8 Stanford Samuels
8 Nyqwan Murray
9 Jacques Patrick
11 Janarius Robinson
12 Arthur Williams
13 Lawrence Dawsey
13 Joshua Kaindoh
14 Jake Rizzo
14 Kyle Meyers
15 Carlos Becker
16 J.J. Cosentino
18 Auden Tate
20 Bobby Lyons
21 Marvin Wilson
21 Logan Tyler
22 Adonis Thomas
22 Amir Rasul
23 Herbans Paul
23 Hamsah Nasirildeen
23 Ricky Aguayo
24 Cyrus Fagan
28 Gilbert Henric
29 D.J. Matthews
29 Nate Andrews
30 Jalen Wilkerson
32 Array Culmer
33 Kameron House
|
## NAME
-----------------------------
33 Colton Plante
35 Michael Barulich
35 Leonard Warner
35 Gabe Nabers
37 Blaik Middleton
38 Izaiah Prouse-Lackey
39 Claudio Williams
40 Ken Burnham
43 Jake Duff
46 John Moschella
47 Stephen Gabbard
49 Cedric Wood
51 Josh Brown
52 Jamario Mathis
53 Joshua Peters
55 Fredrick Jones
56 Emmett Rice
57 Corey Martinez
60 Andrew Boselli
62 Ethan Frith
68 Greg Turnage
71 Brock Ruble
72 Mike Arnold
75 Abdul Bello
82 Naseir Upshur
83 Bryan LaCivita
86 Justin Motlow
87 Jared Jackson
94 Walvenski Aime
|
Florida State 38, Florida 22
11/25/2017, Gainesville
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com. RECAP: Defensive Scores Lead Football To Fifth Straight Win Over Gators.
by Tim Linafelt
GAINESVILLE, FL – Florida State’s defense gave the
Seminoles an early lead at Florida.
FSU’s offense put the game away.
Jacob Pugh and Levonta Taylor each scored first-half defensive touchdowns, and, after the Gators built some late momentum,
Cam Akers and Auden Tate slammed the door shut with a pair of scores that lifted the Seminoles to a 38-22 victory at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
The win runs FSU’s winning streak over Florida to five
games, its longest in series history.
The Seminoles (5-6) have also won seven of eight against UF (4-7), and can clinch a 36th consecutive bowl trip with a win over Louisiana-Monroe next week
(noon, ACC Network Extra).
During a game in which both defenses were expected to be heavily featured, perhaps it only made sense that the defenses did so much heavy lifting on the scoreboard.
Pugh and Brian Burns got it started on Florida’s second drive of the game, when Burns rushed off the edge and forced a strip-sack that Pugh returned into the end zone.
The teams then traded
interceptions – and scores – with Florida answering after picking off James Blackman at the FSU 10-yard line, and the Seminoles reclaiming the lead thanks to a Levonta Taylor interception at the UF
20.
Blackman hit Nyqwan Murray for a touchdown on that ensuing drive. A few moments later, Taylor did all the work himself by intercepting another Franks pass at the 18 and returning it, untouched,
for a touchdown that made it 24-7.
The interceptions were the first and second of Taylor’s career. By the time halftime arrived, 28 of the game’s 37 total points had come after turnovers.
And
the Seminoles nearly tacked on another pick-six in the fourth quarter, when Matthew Thomas stepped in front of a Franks pass and appeared to bring it into the end zone. Never mind that officials later
ruled that Thomas’ knee was down before he crossed the plane: Blackman went on to hit Tate for a three-yard touchdown that tied FSU’s all-time scoring mark in “The Swamp.”
While Blackman’s numbers
weren’t gaudy (10-21, 128 yards, two TDs, one interception), the freshman might have played one of his best games of the season. He connected with Murray for gains of 29 and 21 yards, and made one of
the more important plays of the second half when he found Ermon Lane in stride for a 39-yard gain on a second-and-19 at the end of the third quarter.
Florida State’s defense, meanwhile, made life
miserable for UF’s Franks. The Seminoles sacked the redshirt freshman five times, logged eight hurries and forced four turnovers – three interceptions and a fumble.
A native of nearby
Crawfordville, Fla., Franks finished 18 of 39 for 184 yards and two scores.
| |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Total |
| Florida State |
7 |
17 |
0 |
14 |
38 |
| Florida |
7 |
6 |
3 |
6 |
22 |
1st 7- 0 Jacob Pugh, 16, fumble recovery/return (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 10:52
Note: Brian Burns tackled the quarterback causing him to
fumble. Pugh picked up the ball and scored.
7- 7 Opp, 10, run (kick), 4:03
2nd 14- 7 Nyqwan Murray, 21, pass from James Blackman (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 14:24
17- 7 Ricky Aguayo, 25, field goal, 7:47
24- 7 Levonta Taylor, 18, interception return (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 3:46
24-13 Opp, 4, pass (kick blocked by Walvenski Aime), 0:29
3rd 24-16 Opp, 45, field goal, 5:52
4th 31-16 Cam Akers, 10, run (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 11:21
38-16 Auden Tate, 3, pass from James Blackman (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 7:33
38-22 Opp, 6, pass (run failed), 0:37
TEAM STATISTICS
FSU OPP
First downs 12 17
Rushes-yards 34-88 34-96
Passing 128 184
Att-Comp-Int 21-10-1 39-18-3
Total Yards 55-216 73-280
Punt Returns 2-6 1-17
Kickoff Returns 1-24 5-122
Interception Ret. 3-47 1-4
Fumble Returns 1-16 0-0
Punts 7-47.7 6-43.8
Sacks By-Yds 5-26 2-13
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 1-1
Penalties-Yds 7-55 4-50
3rd Down Conversions 4-13 6-16
4th Down Conversions 0-0 1-2
Time of Posession 28:57 31:03
Attendance 89,066
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Jacques Patrick 15 67 0 16
Cam Akers 14 34 1 10t
Amir Rasul 1 1 0 1
Team 1 -2 0
James Blackman 3 -12 0 1
---------------------------------------------
FSU 34 88 1 16
Opp 34 96 1 14
Receiving No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Ermon Lane 1 39 0 39
Ryan Izzo 1 29 0 29
Nyqwan Murray 2 24 1 21t
Auden Tate 2 19 1 16
Jacques Patrick 3 13 0 13
Keith Gavin 1 4 0 4
---------------------------------------------
FSU 10 128 2 39
Opp 18 184 2 23
Passing C- A- I Yds TD Lng
-----------------------------------------------
James Blackman 10 21 1 128 2 39
-----------------------------------------------
FSU 10 21 1 128 2 39
Opp 18 39 3 184 2 23
Punt Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
D.J. Matthews 2 6 0 3
---------------------------------------------
FSU 2 6 0 3
Opp 1 17 0 17
Kickoff Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Derwin James 1 24 0 24
---------------------------------------------
FSU 1 24 0 24
Opp 5 122 0 37
Punting No Yds Lng
----------------------------------------
Logan Tyler 7 334 60
----------------------------------------
FSU 7 334 60
Opp 6 263 60
|---------Tackles---------| |---Sacks---| |---Pass Def---| |-Fumbles-| Blkd
DEFENSIVE STATISTICS UT AT Total ForLoss No - Yards Int-Yds BrUp QBH Rcv-Yds FF Kick Saf
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Matthew Thomas 5 3 8 1.5- 4.0 . 1- 29 . . . . . .
Derwin James 3 4 7 1.0- 1.0 . . 1 2 . . . .
A.J. Westbrook 5 1 6 . . . 1 . . . . .
Brian Burns 3 2 5 2.5- 12.0 1.5- 9.0 . 2 . . 1 . .
Ro'Derrick Hoskins 2 3 5 . . . . . . . . .
Hamsah Nasirildeen 3 1 4 . . . . . . . . .
Josh Sweat 2 2 4 1.0- 3.0 1.0- 3.0 . . 2 . . . .
Trey Marshall 1 3 4 . . . . . . . . .
Derrick Nnadi 2 1 3 1.5- 7.0 1.5- 7.0 . . . . . . .
Stanford Samuels 2 1 3 1.0- 7.0 1.0- 7.0 . 1 . . . . .
Dontavious Jackson 1 2 3 . . . . . . . . .
Kyle Meyers 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
Nate Andrews 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . .
Demarcus Christmas . 2 2 . . . . . . . . .
Jacob Pugh . 2 2 . . . . . 1- 16 . . .
Joshua Kaindoh 1 . 1 1.0- 7.0 . . . 2 . . . .
Logan Tyler 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Fredrick Jones 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Tarvarus McFadden 1 . 1 . . . 2 . . . . .
Marvin Wilson 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Josh Brown . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Walvenski Aime . 1 1 . . . . . . . 1 .
Jalen Wilkerson . 1 1 0.5- 0.0 . . . 1 . . . .
Levonta Taylor . 1 1 . . 2- 18 . . . . . .
Carlos Becker . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Cyrus Fagan . 1 1 . . . . 1 . . . .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FSU 37 34 71 10.0- 41.0 5.0- 26.0 3- 47 7 8 1- 16 1 1 .
Opp 16 54 70 11.0- 31.0 2.0- 13.0 1- 4 2 2 . . . .
STARTERS
Pos ## OFFENSE
----------------------------------
QB 1 James Blackman
WR 5 Ermon Lane
TB 9 Jacques Patrick
WR 18 Auden Tate
C 54 Alec Eberle
RG 70 Cole Minshew
LG 74 Derrick Kelly
RT 76 Rick Leonard
LT 79 Josh Ball
TE 81 Ryan Izzo
WR 89 Keith Gavin
|
Pos ## DEFENSE
----------------------------------
CB 1 Levonta Taylor
FS 3 Derwin James
CB 4 Tarvarus McFadden
WLB 6 Matthew Thomas
BUCK 9 Josh Sweat
SAM 16 Jacob Pugh
MIKE 18 Ro'Derrick Hoskins
SS 20 Trey Marshall
DT 90 Demarcus Christmas
NG 91 Derrick Nnadi
DE 99 Brian Burns
|
PARTICIPANTS
## NAME
-----------------------------
3 Cam Akers
5 Dontavious Jackson
6 Tre' McKitty
8 Stanford Samuels
8 Nyqwan Murray
12 Arthur Williams
13 Joshua Kaindoh
14 Kyle Meyers
15 Carlos Becker
16 J.J. Cosentino
19 A.J. Westbrook
21 Marvin Wilson
21 Logan Tyler
22 Amir Rasul
23 Hamsah Nasirildeen
23 Ricky Aguayo
24 Cyrus Fagan
26 Johnathan Vickers
|
## NAME
-----------------------------
29 D.J. Matthews
29 Nate Andrews
30 Jalen Wilkerson
35 Gabe Nabers
35 Leonard Warner
47 Stephen Gabbard
51 Josh Brown
55 Fredrick Jones
56 Emmett Rice
57 Corey Martinez
60 Andrew Boselli
62 Ethan Frith
72 Mike Arnold
75 Abdul Bello
86 Justin Motlow
87 Jared Jackson
88 Mavin Saunders
94 Walvenski Aime
|
Florida State 42, Louisiana-Monroe 10
12/02/2017, Tallahassee
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com. 1-0dell: Noles Cruise To 42-10 Win With Haggins At Helm.
by Tim Linafelt, Senior Writer
TALLAHASSEE, FL – As a player and an assistant, Odell
Haggins’ fingerprints have been on the Florida State football program for more than 30 years.
Haggins made his first mark as the Seminoles’ interim head coach before Saturday’s regular-season
finale against Louisiana-Monroe even started.
At the end of FSU’s starting lineup announcements, in a spot normally reserved for former coach Jimbo Fisher, Doak Campbell Stadium public address man
Woody Hayes bellowed: “And the head coach for today’s game, Odell Haggins.”
With the announcement came what might have been the loudest cheer of the game. Jerry Johnson, an FSU support staffer who
played under Haggins in the late 1990s, stood next to his former position coach and applauded with a wide grin on his face.
A handful of Florida State players stood up, raised their helmets over
their heads and walked across the field in a show of support for their new leader.
And Haggins himself lifted his right arm and waved before leading a round of FSU’s tomahawk chop.
It was a
feel-good moment after what has been a difficult week.
It was also, Haggins noticed, getting in the way of FSU’s pre-game warmups.
So, with the pleasantries over, Haggins got to the business of
being head coach and ushered the players back to the sideline so that the team could continue its game prep.
So much for sentimentality.
The game itself, however, didn’t provide much trouble.
Jacques Patrick and Cam Akers each ran for two touchdowns, Ryan Green added another and FSU’s defense limited ULM’s high-powered offense to just 300 yards in a 42-10 victory in front of 58,750 fans at
Doak Campbell Stadium.
The win brings some significant implications: After falling to 3-6 a few weeks ago, the Seminoles have now rallied for three straight victories and are bowl eligible for an
NCAA-record 36th straight season.
FSU will likely learn its bowl destination on Sunday, and a win in that game would give the Seminoles a winning record for the 41st consecutive year.
As
recently as a week ago, those were the biggest talking points surrounding this game.
By kickoff, though, the Seminoles’ focus had shifted to merely keeping the team together after a trying,
tumultuous few days that ended with Fisher’s departure on Friday afternoon.
FSU’s players tried their best to practice and prepare as normal throughout the week, but as the rumors around Fisher
continued to swirl, that became more and more difficult.
Not exactly ideal circumstances for the week leading up to a meaningful contest against an opponent averaging nearly 475 yards of offense
per game.
That’s where Haggins stepped in.
An All-American defensive tackle at FSU in the late 1980s, Haggins played under coach Bobby Bowden, returned to Bowden’s staff in 1994 and remained in
place when Fisher took over in 2010.
Having once worn the same spear on his helmet, Haggins was, undoubtedly, the perfect choice to lead the Seminoles into Saturday’s game. The perfect choice to
remind them that they were still a family, and still Florida State.
His players responded in kind.
Patrick and Akers led a rushing attack that averaged more than seven yards per carry while
becoming the first pair of Seminoles to run for 100 yards in the same game since Sept. 24, 2016. Freshman quarterback James Blackman shook off two interceptions to complete 64 percent of his passes
for 197 yards and a touchdown.
And FSU’s defense, meanwhile, held the Warhawks more than 150 yards below their season average and surrendered a touchdown only after a turnover gave ULM the ball at
the Seminoles’ 31-yard line.
Otherwise, it was all FSU. The Seminoles led 14-0 at halftime and outscored the Warhawks 28-10 in the third and fourth quarters.
In every FSU home game, about two
minutes before halftime, FSU asks fans to vote for a first-half MVP.
Two choices are shown on the Doak Campbell Stadium videoboard – usually a player who scored a touchdown or forced a turnover –
along with a corresponding phone number for fans to text their choice.
This time, though, was different.
This time, the two options were Odell Haggins and … Odell Haggins.
After a tough week
that ended in triumph, the choice was clear.
| |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Total |
| Louisiana-Monroe |
0 |
0 |
10 |
0 |
10 |
| Florida State |
7 |
7 |
14 |
14 |
42 |
1st 7- 0 Jacques Patrick, 2, run (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 8:15
2nd 14- 0 D.J. Matthews, 14, pass from James Blackman (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 9:19
3rd 21- 0 Cam Akers, 4, run (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 12:33
21- 3 Opp, 28, field goal, 8:34
21-10 Opp, 6, pass (kick), 4:51
28-10 Cam Akers, 24, run (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 3:31
4th 35-10 Jacques Patrick, 2, run (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 12:50
42-10 Ryan Green, 1, run (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 6:14
TEAM STATISTICS
FSU OPP
First downs 26 17
Rushes-yards 45-305 22-38
Passing 199 262
Att-Comp-Int 23-15-2 47-28-0
Total Yards 68-504 69-300
Punt Returns 3-38 1--1
Kickoff Returns 1-39 2-58
Interception Ret. 0-0 2-23
Fumble Returns 0-0 0-0
Punts 2-40.5 6-39.5
Sacks By-Yds 2-8 0-0
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 0-0
Penalties-Yds 4-30 5-38
3rd Down Conversions 7-9 5-15
4th Down Conversions 0-0 1-3
Time of Posession 32:28 27:32
Attendance 58,780
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Jacques Patrick 19 155 2 45
Cam Akers 19 117 2 24
Ryan Green 3 20 1 15
James Blackman 2 10 0 6
Amir Rasul 1 3 0 3
Gabe Nabers 1 0 0 0
---------------------------------------------
FSU 45 305 5 45
Opp 22 38 0 14
Receiving No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Ermon Lane 3 45 0 20
Jacques Patrick 2 38 0 35
Auden Tate 2 23 0 14
D.J. Matthews 2 23 1 14t
Tre' McKitty 1 23 0 23
Johnathan Vickers 1 21 0 21
Nyqwan Murray 2 17 0 11
Keith Gavin 1 7 0 7
Justin Motlow 1 2 0 2
---------------------------------------------
FSU 15 199 1 35
Opp 28 262 1 33
Passing C- A- I Yds TD Lng
-----------------------------------------------
James Blackman 14 22 2 197 1 35
J.J. Cosentino 1 1 0 2 0 2
-----------------------------------------------
FSU 15 23 2 199 1 35
Opp 28 47 0 262 1 33
Punt Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
D.J. Matthews 3 38 0 24
---------------------------------------------
FSU 3 38 0 24
Opp 1 -1 0
Kickoff Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Amir Rasul 1 39 0 39
---------------------------------------------
FSU 1 39 0 39
Opp 2 58 0 42
Punting No Yds Lng
----------------------------------------
Logan Tyler 2 81 42
----------------------------------------
FSU 2 81 42
Opp 6 237 48
|---------Tackles---------| |---Sacks---| |---Pass Def---| |-Fumbles-| Blkd
DEFENSIVE STATISTICS UT AT Total ForLoss No - Yards Int-Yds BrUp QBH Rcv-Yds FF Kick Saf
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Derwin James 8 4 12 0.5- 1.0 . . . 1 . . . .
Matthew Thomas 5 3 8 1.5- 2.0 . . . . . . . .
Stanford Samuels 3 2 5 . . . 1 . . . . .
Ro'Derrick Hoskins 3 2 5 0.5- 1.0 . . . . . . . .
Levonta Taylor 2 2 4 . . . 1 . . . . .
Fredrick Jones 3 . 3 1.0- 7.0 . . . . . . . .
Demarcus Christmas 2 1 3 . . . . . . . . .
Emmett Rice 1 2 3 . . . . . . . . .
Derrick Nnadi 1 2 3 . . . . . . . . .
Kyle Meyers 2 . 2 . . . . 1 . . . .
Nate Andrews 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . .
Josh Sweat 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . .
A.J. Westbrook 1 1 2 . . . 1 . . . . .
Janarius Robinson 1 1 2 1.0- 3.0 1.0- 3.0 . . . . . . .
Jalen Wilkerson . 2 2 0.5- 3.0 0.5- 3.0 . . 2 . . . .
Cole Minshew 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Jared Jackson 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Arthur Williams . 1 1 0.5- 2.0 0.5- 2.0 . . . . . . .
Brian Burns . 1 1 0.5- 0.0 . . . 1 . . . .
Leonard Warner . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Hamsah Nasirildeen . 1 1 . . . 1 . . . . .
Marvin Wilson . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Joshua Kaindoh . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Tarvarus McFadden . . . . . . 1 . . . . .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FSU 36 30 66 6.0- 19.0 2.0- 8.0 . 5 5 . . . .
Opp 40 32 72 1.0- 3.0 . 2- 23 1 . . . . .
STARTERS
Pos ## OFFENSE
----------------------------------
QB 1 James Blackman
WR 5 Ermon Lane
WR 8 Nyqwan Murray
TB 9 Jacques Patrick
C 54 Alec Eberle
RG 70 Cole Minshew
LG 74 Derrick Kelly
RT 76 Rick Leonard
LT 79 Josh Ball
TE 81 Ryan Izzo
WR 89 Keith Gavin
|
Pos ## DEFENSE
----------------------------------
CB 1 Levonta Taylor
FS 3 Derwin James
CB 4 Tarvarus McFadden
WILL 6 Matthew Thomas
STAR 8 Stanford Samuels
BUCK 9 Josh Sweat
MIKE 18 Ro'Derrick Hoskins
SS 29 Nate Andrews
DT 90 Demarcus Christmas
NG 91 Derrick Nnadi
DE 99 Brian Burns
|
PARTICIPANTS
## NAME
-----------------------------
3 Cam Akers
6 Tre' McKitty
7 Ryan Green
11 Janarius Robinson
12 Arthur Williams
13 Lawrence Dawsey
13 Joshua Kaindoh
14 Kyle Meyers
15 Carlos Becker
16 J.J. Cosentino
16 Jacob Pugh
18 Auden Tate
19 A.J. Westbrook
21 Marvin Wilson
21 Logan Tyler
22 Amir Rasul
23 Herbans Paul
23 Hamsah Nasirildeen
23 Ricky Aguayo
24 Cyrus Fagan
26 Johnathan Vickers
|
## NAME
-----------------------------
28 Gilbert Henric
29 D.J. Matthews
30 Jalen Wilkerson
35 Leonard Warner
35 Gabe Nabers
43 Jake Duff
47 Stephen Gabbard
52 Jamario Mathis
55 Fredrick Jones
56 Emmett Rice
57 Corey Martinez
60 Andrew Boselli
62 Ethan Frith
68 Greg Turnage
72 Mike Arnold
82 Naseir Upshur
83 Bryan LaCivita
86 Justin Motlow
87 Jared Jackson
94 Walvenski Aime
|
Florida State 42, Southern Mississippi 13
12/27/2017, Shreveport, La.
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com. RECAP: Noles Hand Keys To Taggart With Indy Bowl Rout.
by Tim Linafelt
SHREVEPORT, LA – Amid the postgame celebrations and ice baths for assistant
coaches and on-camera speeches and trophy ceremonies, Willie Taggart hung back a few feet from the throng of reveling Seminoles, taking in a big-picture view of the program he inherited a few weeks
ago.
Soon, the Taggart era at Florida State will begin in earnest. But on Wednesday afternoon at the Independence Bowl, the moment belonged to interim coach Odell Haggins, the remaining assistants
who guided the Seminoles through bowl preparations, and the players who were determined to finish the 2017 season not just in a bowl game but with a win.
And they all seized the moment in emphatic
fashion during a 42-13 rout of Southern Mississippi in front of 33,601 fans here at Independence Stadium.
Freshman quarterback James Blackman set an Indy Bowl record with four touchdowns and fellow
freshman Cam Akers became FSU’s all-time freshman rushing leader as the Seminoles improved their record to 7-6 and finished with a winning record for a 41st consecutive season.
That’s the longest
active streak in the nation.
“It means a lot for the kids at Florida State University,” said Haggins, who improved to 2-0 and will remain on staff with Taggart in 2018.
“This bowl record that we
have, we’re going to keep moving forward. We. Not me. … We’re going to keep moving forward because that’s who we are: Florida State University.”
That was enough to overwhelm Southern Miss (8-5) for
much of the afternoon. Despite falling into an early 6-0 hole, the Seminoles outgained the Golden Eagles 452-260, more than doubled them in total first downs (25-12) and held possession for nearly 37
minutes.
Ito Smith, USM’s talented running back, carried 16 times for 92 yards, but otherwise the Seminoles’ defense, playing under coordinator Charles Kelly for the final time, kept Southern Miss
more than in check.
The Golden Eagles completed just 15 of 27 passes for 129 yards, with two of those passes coming via trick plays.
And after surrendering a touchdown on the game’s opening
possession, the Seminoles held Southern Miss off the board for the next 40-plus minutes of game time – all while playing without key safety Derwin James, linebacker Matthew Thomas and defensive end
Josh Sweat.
Kelly was one of several FSU assistants to receive an ice bath after the game, and fifth-year senior Nate Andrews (six tackles, one pass break-up) earned defensive MVP honors in his
collegiate finale.
“It was a long, hard season,” freshman defensive back Stanford Samuels III said. “But we stuck together. We pretty much fought together this season, through trials and
tribulations.”
But there weren’t many of those on Wednesday.
Instead, the Seminoles cruised to one of their more comfortable victories of the season, thanks in large part to an MVP performance
from Blackman, a dominant effort from receiver Auden Tate, and, as usual, a steady 1-2 punch from Akers and Jacques Patrick.
A freshman thrust into action after a season-ending injury to starter
Deondre Francois, Blackman earned offensive MVP honors after completing 18 of 26 passes for 233 yards and a career-high four scores – three of which went to Tate.
Tate caught five passes for 84
yards. Blackman has thrown 10 touchdowns in his last four games.
“Now that we’ve won this bowl game, I just want to thank everybody that was put around me, from the coaches to the players,”
Blackman said. “Because everybody had great energy and helped me lift up this team to be in this position.”
Not to be outdone, Akers etched his name in FSU’s record books with a 13-carry, 94-yard
performance that eclipsed 1,000 yards for the season and moved him ahead of Dalvin Cook for the most ever by a first-year Seminole.
Akers, a Clinton, Miss., native who grew up about 100 miles from
Southern Miss’ campus in Hattiesburg, entered the game needing 79 yards to top Cook’s 1,008. He did it with a 17-yard scamper early in the third quarter and finished his freshman campaign with 1,023
yards.
That Akers reached the mark in front of a stadium full of family and friends from back home made it that much sweeter.
“It’s just truly a blessing to even be in a position to be able to
do so,” Akers said. “It’s a lot of credit to my O-line, a lot of credit to my coaches and my teammates for pushing me throughout the season and get this accomplishment. It’s a great blessing.”
Speaking of which, Haggins after the game spoke about blessings, and how he’d felt blessed to be able to serve as the interim coach over the last month.
Having spent more than half his life at
Florida State – five years as a player and 23 as an assistant coach – Haggins believes that the roots that run through FSU are deeper than at just any school.
As an example, he pointed to the way
that an old friend from his playing days answered the call when he need a favor.
That would be Deion Sanders, a Pro Football Hall-of-Famer and Haggins’ old teammate at FSU, who arrived in
Shreveport on Wednesday morning and delivered a pre-game message before the Seminoles took the field.
“When in need, one of the greatest players, one of the greatest athletes ever to put on a
helmet in college football or the NFL – Deion Sanders – spent his (day) to come here and talk to these young men,” Haggins said.
“Because he bleeds garnet and gold, too. We have a special bond here
at Florida State. We love each other – not (just) like each other.”
Throughout his tenure as interim coach, Haggins has consistently turned his focus forward, preferring to speak about what lies
ahead, rather than the perceived turmoil surrounding previous coach Jimbo Fisher’s departure.
In a way, the Independence Bowl got in the way of that goal. Haggins and the Seminoles wanted to move
on, but still had a meaningful game to play first.
Now that it’s over, and now that Taggart is set to step up from the periphery and into the spotlight, FSU’s small steps into the future will soon
become big strides.
Still, when Haggins one day looks back at his career – which includes moments on all of college football’s biggest stages – he believes that the 2017 campaign, with all its
trials, tribulations and ultimate triumphs, will have a place alongside his fondest memories.
“This is one of the most special seasons I’ve ever gone through,” Haggins said. “To see these young men
grow, grow and have life lessons.
“That’s what this game should be about.”
| |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Total |
| Southern Mississippi |
6 |
0 |
7 |
0 |
13 |
| Florida State |
7 |
16 |
10 |
9 |
42 |
1st 0- 6 Opp, 5, run (kick failed), 11:05
7- 6 Auden Tate, 20, pass from James Blackman (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 5:20
2nd 13- 6 Cam Akers, 14, pass from James Blackman (Ricky Aguayo, kick failed), 12:38
16- 6 Ricky Aguayo, 29, field goal, 7:48
23- 6 Auden Tate, 10, pass from James Blackman (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 1:33
3rd 26- 6 Ricky Aguayo, 39, field goal, 10:45
33- 6 Jacques Patrick, 2, run (Ricky Aguayo, kick), 3:25
33-13 Opp, 13, pass (kick), 0:44
4th 39-13 Auden Tate, 17, pass from James Blackman (Ricky Aguayo, run failed), 13:34
42-13 Ricky Aguayo, 39, field goal, 7:32
TEAM STATISTICS
FSU OPP
First downs 25 12
Rushes-yards 45-214 28-131
Passing 238 129
Att-Comp-Int 29-19-0 27-15-0
Total Yards 74-452 55-260
Punt Returns 1-0 0-0
Kickoff Returns 1-11 8-137
Interception Ret. 0-0 0-0
Fumble Returns 1-0 0-0
Punts 1-38.0 4-41.3
Sacks By-Yds 0-0 0-0
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 1-1
Penalties-Yds 6-60 7-44
3rd Down Conversions 7-13 4-14
4th Down Conversions 1-1 2-4
Time of Posession 37:08 22:52
Attendance 33,601
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Cam Akers 13 94 0 32
Jacques Patrick 16 61 1 14
James Blackman 6 29 0 13
Amir Rasul 7 25 0 9
Colton Plante 1 6 0 6
J.J. Cosentino 1 2 0 2
Gabe Nabers 1 -3 0
---------------------------------------------
FSU 45 214 1 32
Opp 28 131 1 33
Receiving No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Auden Tate 5 84 3 26
Ryan Izzo 6 59 0 21
D.J. Matthews 3 37 0 27
Jacques Patrick 2 26 0 16
Cam Akers 1 14 1 14t
Keith Gavin 1 13 0 13
Amir Rasul 1 5 0 5
---------------------------------------------
FSU 19 238 4 27
Opp 15 129 1 25
Passing C- A- I Yds TD Lng
-----------------------------------------------
James Blackman 18 26 0 233 4 27
J.J. Cosentino 1 3 0 5 0 5
-----------------------------------------------
FSU 19 29 0 238 4 27
Opp 15 27 0 129 1 25
Punt Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
D.J. Matthews 1 0 0
---------------------------------------------
FSU 1 0 0
Kickoff Return No Yds TD Lng
---------------------------------------------
Carlos Becker 1 11 0 11
---------------------------------------------
FSU 1 11 0 11
Opp 8 137 0 30
Punting No Yds Lng
----------------------------------------
Logan Tyler 1 38 38
----------------------------------------
FSU 1 38 38
Opp 4 165 46
|---------Tackles---------| |---Sacks---| |---Pass Def---| |-Fumbles-| Blkd
DEFENSIVE STATISTICS UT AT Total ForLoss No - Yards Int-Yds BrUp QBH Rcv-Yds FF Kick Saf
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A.J. Westbrook 6 . 6 . . . . . 1- 0 . . .
Nate Andrews . 5 5 1.0- . . 1 . . . . .
Stanford Samuels 4 1 5 1.0- 5.0 . . . . . 1 . .
Adonis Thomas 3 1 4 . . . . . . . . .
Carlos Becker 2 1 3 . . . . . . . . .
Brian Burns 2 1 3 1.5- 4.0 . . 1 1 . . . .
Tarvarus McFadden 2 1 3 . . . 2 . . . . .
Ro'Derrick Hoskins 2 1 3 . . . 1 . . . . .
Jalen Wilkerson 2 1 3 1.5- 3.0 . . . . . . . .
Derrick Nnadi 2 . 2 1.0- 3.0 . . . . . . . .
Jacob Pugh 2 . 2 . . . . 1 . . . .
Gabe Nabers 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
Amir Rasul 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
D.J. Matthews 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Demarcus Christmas 1 . 1 . . . 1 . . . . .
Naseir Upshur 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Kyle Meyers 1 . 1 . . . 2 . . . . .
Cyrus Fagan 1 . 1 1.0- 1.0 . . . . . . . .
Logan Tyler 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Fredrick Jones 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
Cedric Wood . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Marvin Wilson . 1 1 0.5- 0.0 . . . . . . . .
Janarius Robinson . 1 1 0.5- 1.0 . . . . . . . .
Dontavious Jackson . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Arthur Williams . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Levonta Taylor . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
Hamsah Nasirildeen . . . . . . 1 . . . . .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FSU 37 18 55 8.0- 17.0 . . 9 2 1- 0 1 . .
Opp 44 30 74 2.0- 4.0 . . 3 1 . . . .
STARTERS
Pos ## OFFENSE
----------------------------------
QB 1 James Blackman
RB 9 Jacques Patrick
WR 18 Auden Tate
WR 29 D.J. Matthews
C 54 Alec Eberle
RG 70 Cole Minshew
LG 74 Derrick Kelly
RT 76 Rick Leonard
LT 79 Josh Ball
TE 81 Ryan Izzo
WR 89 Keith Gavin
|
Pos ## DEFENSE
----------------------------------
CB 1 Levonta Taylor
CB 4 Tarvarus McFadden
LB 16 Jacob Pugh
LB 18 Ro'Derrick Hoskins
S 19 A.J. Westbrook
S 29 Nate Andrews
DE 30 Jalen Wilkerson
LB 56 Emmett Rice
DT 90 Demarcus Christmas
DT 91 Derrick Nnadi
DE 99 Brian Burns
|
PARTICIPANTS
## NAME
-----------------------------
3 Cam Akers
5 Dontavious Jackson
6 Tre' McKitty
8 Stanford Samuels
11 Janarius Robinson
12 Arthur Williams
13 Joshua Kaindoh
14 Kyle Meyers
15 Carlos Becker
16 J.J. Cosentino
20 Bobby Lyons
21 Marvin Wilson
21 Logan Tyler
22 Adonis Thomas
22 Amir Rasul
23 Hamsah Nasirildeen
23 Ricky Aguayo
24 Cyrus Fagan
28 Gilbert Henric
33 Colton Plante
35 Leonard Warner
|
## NAME
-----------------------------
35 Gabe Nabers
40 Ken Burnham
40 Dwight Lomax
43 Jake Duff
47 Stephen Gabbard
48 Ben Hoyle
49 Cedric Wood
51 Josh Brown
52 Jamario Mathis
55 Fredrick Jones
57 Corey Martinez
62 Ethan Frith
68 Greg Turnage
72 Mike Arnold
75 Abdul Bello
82 Naseir Upshur
83 Bryan LaCivita
86 Justin Motlow
87 Jared Jackson
94 Walvenski Aime
|
