History looms large for rival Seminoles, Tigers
TALLAHASSEE — With a primetime showdown against No. 3 Clemson on the horizon, the moment started to sink in a little more for Florida State senior cornerback Marquez White.
White has seen the ups and downs in FSU-Clemson rivalry firsthand, as he recalled earlier this week, “Going up my freshman year and beating Clemson [in 2013], beating them here without Jameis [Winston in 2014], losing a tight one up there in a great environment [last season] and being able to end it here.”
Since 2009, the winner in the buzzing rivalry has earned a berth in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game. During the last two seasons, both schools reached the College Football Playoff semifinals.
No. 12 Florida State’s playoff and conference-title hopes were diminished earlier this month after their second loss of the season. But the Seminoles have pride, lasting memories and professional aspirations to play for in the final stretch, starting with their first home night game of the season in Doak Campbell Stadium today at 8 p.m.
“It’s a legacy that we have a chance to leave,” White said.
“You don’t want to go out and be sad about it because it happens to everybody that comes through here. But knowing these might be the last times we get to play with each other on the field, so we have to make the most of it.”
FSU won arguably the most memorable game in the series in 2013, a 51-14 blowout at Clemson, which gave the Seminoles a boost during their run at the national championship.
The Seminoles won 29 consecutive games, three conference titles and set a modern mark with 29 NFL draft picks from 2013-15 during an impeccable run, which ended in 2014.
The one-sided rivalry tilted back into Clemson’s favor as Heisman runnerup Deshaun Watson and running back Wayne Gallman led the Tigers to a 23-13 win in Death Valley last season.
Watson and Gallman could continue Clemson’s run in the NFL draft. The Tigers had nine players selected in 2015 and have had at least four players drafted in each of the last eight drafts.
Seminoles such as White, senior defensive end DeMarcus Walker and star running back Dalvin Cook hope to put a dent in Clemson’s pursuit of the national championship while boosting their NFL draft stocks.
“I've seen this rivalry evolve before I got here,” said Cook, a junior from Miami. “With guys like Telvin [Smith], Jameis, [Lamarcus] Joyner, Devonta [Freeman], all those guys here before me made this game where it is today.
“The talent level in this game is one of the best in the country. That’s what made this game the level it’s played at right now.”
Florida State enters as an underdog for the third time this season, previously falling to Louisville and beating Miami. FSU’s home loss to UNC on Oct. 8 ended the nation’s longest home-winning streak at 22 games.
Now the Seminoles hope to avoid their second home loss of the season. The Tigers have won 21 straight regular-season games, dating to last season, which ended with a loss in the national-title game to Alabama.
Florida State has not lost two home games in a season since 2011, Jimbo Fisher’s second at the helm of the program. Clemson has won only three games in Tallahassee, the last in 2006.
“They want to finish right, do right, and leave their legacy here,” Fisher said of his players. “But if you play hard, you don’t have to worry about your legacy. If you do things right, play hard, the legacy takes care of itself.”
Added White: “They’re going to have their best shot, and we’re definitely going to give them ours.”