’Noles overcome setback, shift focus to Hurricanes
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Florida State true freshman quarterback James Blackman expectedly had his fair shares of ups and downs in his first road start of his young career.
Blackman’s teammates on the offense also felt the pressure trying to mount a comeback victory at Wake Forest, dejected after stalling out at pivotal times in the fourth quarter.
The Seminoles were looking for their first win since the Orange Bowl to end last season, staring down the potential of starting 0-3 for the first time since Bobby Bowden started his legendary career at Florida State in 1976.
But that all changed with two pivotal plays by Blackman and the offense, most important, his game-winning 40-yard touchdown pass to injured receiver Auden Tate that led FSU to a 26-19 win on Saturday night.
The weight of being winless turned into a glimmer of confidence for the unranked Seminoles (1-2), who now turn their attention to renewing their heated in-state rivalry with No. 13 Miami in Doak Campbell Stadium this Saturday.
“It gets defeating,” Jimbo Fisher said of the pressure mounting for his football team this season. “We hadn’t won. If you won some games and been ahead, that body language is different.
“That’s why I say confidence — anything you do, I don’t care — the word confidence, there’s nothing greater. Nothing more important than confidence. They hadn’t had success, so their confidence, they were doubting. That’s where as a coach, [you’ve] got to remind them what they have to do, what the program is built on.”
The resilient Seminoles escaped with a victory despite a valiant performance by the Demon Deacons.
Florida State’s offense struggled mightily to move the football behind Blackman’s inexperience and a depleted offensive line that saw starting left tackle Derrick Kelly (leg) and left guard Landon Dickerson (right guard) limited by injuries.
After completing just five passes for seven yards in the first half and growing increasingly frustrated while trying to fight back from Wake Forest’s 19-16 lead early in the fourth quarter, Blackman converted two of the biggest plays of his young career.
First, it was his 43-yard complete pass to receiver Keith Gavin that put FSU in the red zone. It helped the Seminoles tie the game at 19 when Ricky Aguayo hit his fourth field goal with 6:20 minutes left. Then Blackman tossed the game-winner. “We came out here and did what we had to do to get the W,” said starting running back Jacques Patrick, who had 120 yards rushing and a touchdown. “We found a way to win, and next week, we’ll try to find another way to win.”
Blackman completed only 11 of 21 passes for 121 yards, with minus-39 yards rushing because of five sacks that went along with a school-record 17 tackles for loss by Wake Forest.
He may have shown some frustration on the sideline, but Fisher was most pleased with how he helped the Seminoles stay in striking distance for the victory.
“Think about that for a freshman, the two plays that he made,” Fisher said of Blackman. “He didn’t have great stats, but that’s winning football. Winning football isn’t always pretty.”
Florida State does not expect its matchup with Miami to be any prettier.
The undefeated Hurricanes enter the contest as the only ranked team in the UMFSU matchup for the first time since 1983, the same season Miami won its first national title. The Hurricanes are pushing to break FSU’s seven-game win streak in the series.
“It definitely gets your attention; there’s no doubt,” Fisher said of Miami, which he believes is a top 10-12 caliber team. “They’ve got a great team, and we got to get a lot better between now and then.”
The Seminoles will counter with a grateful attitude and newfound confidence after their first victory.
“We’re learning how to win, and have to take the next step,” Fisher said. “We’re a work in progress.”