Taggart on Clemson: If you want to be the man, you’ve got to beat the man

TALLAHASSEE — Florida State is gearing up for arguably its most difficult matchup of the season against the No. 2 Clemson Tigers.

As FSU coach Willie Taggart works to rebuild the Florida State and move on from a rough start, he’s eager to match what Tigers coach Dabo Swinney has done during his 11 years at Clemson: one national title, three playoff semifinal appearances, four conference titles and six division titles.

“Dabo has done a great job of building a culture of how he wanted it and you can see it,” Taggart said. “You go visit the program, you see it by everybody in there. Everybody involved in it. Everything they do is toward winning. It’s paying off for them, helping student-athletes.”

Success for FSU under Taggart, naturally, demands finding a way to beat Clemson and Swinney.

“If you want be the man, you’ve got to beat the man,” Taggart said.

Francois leads the ACC in passing yards (1,859) and ranks second in touchdown passes (13) and yards per game (265.6).

On the other side of the ball, Brian Burns was named ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week after recording four tackles, two tackles for a loss and two sacks against Wake Forest.

Taggart credited Burns’ first-quarter sack on fourth down as the turning point of the Wake Forest game

Burns is second in sacks nationally with nine. He ranks seventh in Florida State history with 23 career sacks.

“It’s great to have one of those guys on your team as a pass rusher and not going against you, first and foremost,” Taggart said of the junior defensive end. “And again, he’s one of the leaders on our defense. He’s a leader on our football team. Brian is one of those guys; he leads by example.”

Running back Khalan Laborn posted on Twitter he can now bend his knee 135 degrees one month after undergoing seasonending surgery.

Taggart said Laborn’s rehab process is going a lot better after weeks of struggling to bend his knee. Taggart credits the improvement to a procedure Laborn underwent last week to remove scar tissue.

“Now he’s bending it, walking around. You see a smile on his face; he’s [got] a totally different attitude,” Taggart said. “He’s in a great place right now and I know for me it’s great to see him out there with his teammates on the sideline and excited about just being around.”

Laborn joined the team’s pregame festivities on Saturday as an observer. He moved around fairly well with a knee brace.

Taggart called Laborn’s injury against Samford devastating after the tailback showed a brief glimpse of his play-making ability. Taggart is pleased to see Laborn remain connected to the team as he recovers.

“The kid loves playing football,” Taggart said of Laborn. “He’s been rehabbing. He’s been around the team more now that he can get around a lot better.”