Taggart: Clemson is ACC power to shoot for
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.
Call to fans: Florida State fans were vocal about their disdain for early game times after a heavy dose of them last season and complained again when the Seminoles’ game against Clemson was set to kick off at noon Saturday.
Taggart addressed them with a bit of advice: “Go to bed early at night, fans. Make sure you’re there nice and early.
“Need everybody there. I don’t want to hear we don’t do well at noon games. Those times are over. It’s different. We do very well. So look forward to seeing everyone there at Saturday. Great opportunity for the ’Noles.”
ACC honors: Deondre Francois earned ACC Quarterback of the Week honors after going 29-of-40 passing for 353 yards and two touchdowns during FSU’s 38-17 win over Wake Forest Saturday. He avoided being sacked for the second time this season, highlighting progress for the offense.
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.”
Laborn update: Running back Khalan Laborn posted on Twitter he can now bend his knee 135 degrees one month after undergoing season-ending 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.
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.