Taggart praises Blackman
Sophomore quarterback gets high marks despite the loss to Wake Forest
While FSU fans flooded social media to vent their frustration and criticism, Seminoles coach Willie Taggart stood by his decision to stick with one quarterback during a 22-20 loss at Wake Forest Saturday night.
Taggart ditched his previous quarterback rotation — no James Blackman for a series and then Wisconsin graduate transfer Alex Hornibrook for the next one.
Blackman started and played the entire contest on a rainy Saturday night.
Taggart said during his postgame news conference he decided before kickoff to play Blackman the entire game, hoping to develop more consistency for the offense. Hornibrook was dressed and on the sideline, staying active in case he was needed.
Blackman finished the game 27-of-43 passing for 280 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He missed some potential scoring opportunities, which might leave the door open for Hornibrook to vie for the starting job moving forward.
“I thought he did some good things,” Taggart said. “Out there at the end, [he had] a couple of fumbled snaps, but I thought throughout the game he played well. … I thought James did a good job. He threw the ball well other than that interception. He had some drops in there.”
The fumbled snaps in the final minute cost the Seminoles a chance to get in position for a game-winning field goal or touchdown.
Kicker Ricky Aguayo missed a 50-yard field goal with 2:13 remaining after Taggart called a timeout with the play clock winding down. The FSU defense got a quick stop, but Blackman couldn’t handle the ball and the Seminoles’ final drive fizzled.
Blackman admitted it was inexcusable for the mishap at the end.
“It was a self-inflicted wound