Streaks on line for Seminoles
Florida State has dominated series with UF
TALLAHASSEE — Florida State running back Jacques Patrick says he grew up idolizing former Florida Gators football stars Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin.
FSU standout safety Derwin James echoed the same sentiment, impressed by players like Harvin and former UF running backs Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps shining for the Gators from 2006-2011.
FSU offensive lineman Alec Eberle may not have had the same affection for the former Gators, but he loves playing in the Swamp with his teammates during his favorite game of the year.
As the embattled Seminoles (4-6) strive to reach a bowl game for the 36th consecutive year during a season that started with a No. 3 preseason ranking and national-title aspirations, FSU has a chance to achieve a big goal when it visits UF (4-6) today at noon in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Florida State hopes to win its fifth consecutive game over UF in the series — including the fourth straight against the Gators in Gainesville — and extend the Seminoles’ stranglehold on the heated in-state rivalry.
“We know going into this game, our bowl hopes ride on this, and the 35-year bowl streak is riding on that, too,” Eberle said. “I think this week is really important for our season, and important for our team to do what we can do, do our best, and hope we come out on top.”
Patrick, the junior from Orlando, says Tebow, the former Gators’ Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, is one of his favorite football players of all time. As a youth football player playing quarterback, Patrick even imitated Tebow on certain plays like Tebow’s memorable jump-pass touchdowns.
But when it was time for Patrick to decide where he wanted to play college football, the choice was relatively easy.
Florida was amid a coaching change between Will Muschamp to Jim McElwain while FSU completed a 29-game win streak, including the 2013 national championship, under Jimbo Fisher, offering more stability.
“When it came down to it, it wasn’t really a tough decision,” Patrick recalled. “They were going through some things, coaching change and all that. I didn’t want to be a part of that at the time. It wasn’t a hard decision for me to come here with Jimbo and everything they have going on here.”
This year’s recruits will likely ponder the same issues when the time comes to pick a college football program.
FSU, under its worst start in Fisher’s tenure and since legendary coach Bobby Bowden’s first season with the program in 1976, will likely hire new assistant coaches with hopes of quickly righting the ship.
UF, however, is in the midst of a coaching search after McElwain was relieved of his duties and Randy Shannon took over as interim coach. The Gators will not play in a bowl game for just the third time since 1990.
Both teams will also face challenges on the recruiting trail from resurgent Miami, UCF, USF, FAU and even FIU in some cases this offseason.
But in the meantime, a win for FSU or UF could do wonders for program morale.
“It’s one of the reasons you come to this university, playing games like this,” James said. “This is a major game, and you always want to win this game no matter what the records are, no matter how the season is going.”