FSU QB uncertain for ACC title game
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Florida State wasn’t dominant against its archrival, but the No. 4 Seminoles were effective enough to remain unbeaten — and to pop back into the College Football Playoff ’s top four.
The No. 4 Seminoles are tabling those playoff talks for now with No. 15 Louisville on the clock Saturday night in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game. Louisville, led by first-year coach and native son Jeff Brohm, is eager to prove its impressive transition is no illusion against an old conference foe.
“We didn’t make it all this way just to get to the game,” Cardinals center Bryan Hudson said. “We want to go win. So, that’s what we’re going to do.”
Florida State (12-0, 8-0 ACC, No. 4 CFP) is playing in its first conference championship game in almost a decade. Louisville (10-2, 7-1, No. 14 CFP) is in the game for the first time. Both schools have kept the ACC in playoff discussions at points this season, but a Florida State win would provide the league its best chance of getting into the four-team field that will be announced Sunday.
But Florida State might have to turn to third-string quarterback Brock Glenn to start.
Tate Rodemaker, who made his second career start in the team’s regular-season finale at Florida, has been limited in practice this week while recovering from a concussion.
It’s another potential setback at the QB position for the Seminoles, who appear to be one victory away from making the College Football Playoff.
Rodemaker left the game briefly in the fourth quarter after getting hit in the head while sliding, a targeting call that resulted in an ejection. He returned a few plays later and handed off to Trey Benson for a game-sealing touchdown run in FSU’S 24-15 victory.
Seminoles coach Mike Norvell said Friday at a news conference for the two ACC coaches that Rodemaker initial passed on-field concussion tests Saturday night but had symptoms a day later. Rodemaker has been able to participate in some parts of practice, but Glenn has gotten the bulk of the work leading into the game.
Rodemaker completed 12 of 25 passes for 134 yards against the Gators. Rodemaker replaced Heisman Trophy candidate and ACC player of the year Jordan Travis a week early after Travis suffered a season-ending injury to his left leg against North Alabama.
Now the Seminoles could be switching QBS again.
Glenn, a freshman, has played in just three games this season and only completed two passes for 35 yards in mop-up duty against North Alabama. The Seminoles surely would prefer to get Rodemaker back, but he has hurdles to cross before being cleared.
“We know the process we have to go through and there’s certain benchmarks that we’ll go through and see as we lead up to the game day or to game time, and we’ll see where he’s at,” Norvell said.
“We’ll talk more about that after the game. We’re in a great position. But I also know we have to take care of business,” third-year Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “There is no College Football Playoff talk if we don’t play really good Saturday and try to find a way to win that game.”
The last time the Longhorns won the Big 12 was 2009 to make the
BCS national championship game, and their only other title was as the league’s last national champion during the 2005 season.
Oklahoma State won seven of its last eight games during sophomore running back Ollie Gordon’s breakout as the nation’s leading rusher and is in the Big 12 title game for the second time in three seasons.
“He’s a guy that’s a leader,” Cowboys senior guard Preston Wilson said. “He’s very selfless even though he might be in the spotlight all the time. … Behind closed scenes he always comes up and lets us know how much he cares about his teammates.”
Gordon has averaged 163 yards rushing per game since conference play began, after 109 yards combined the three games before that. Texas is the Big 12’s top rushing defense, giving up only 85 yards a game on the ground.
“Tough on guys rushing the football against them,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said. “More of a traditional defense, they can play gaps and play coverage. …. Most people have struggled in a big way blocking their down guys and their backers, so they don’t have to overload the box for the rush.”
After Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson were NFL draft picks last spring, running back was a big question for Texas going into the season, and became one again when 1,000yard rusher Jonathon Brooks went down with a knee injury three weeks ago. But true freshman C.J. Baxter then ran for 117 against Iowa State, and Jaydon Blue had 121 against Texas Tech last week, when Savion Red averaged 8.0 yards on nine carries.