Seminoles refuse to be ‘scrub team’
TALLAHASSEE — The Florida State football team, which was bounced from the Associated Press Top 25 poll for the first time in six years after an 0-2 start this season, wants to make a statement during its next game.
A statement against Wake Forest, a team it has beaten five consecutive times and seven out of the past eight matchups.
“We’re trying to win,” third-year offensive lineman Cole Minshew said Monday. “We’re trying to win by a lot if we can because we need to make that statement in order to show everyone we’re not just some scrub team.”
The Seminoles find themselves out of nationaltitle contention and looking up at teams like No. 2 Clemson, No. 17 Louisville, Wake Forest and NC State in the Atlantic Division standings after the first 0-2 start since 1989.
Florida State, which hopes to get back on track on the road at Wake Forest Saturday, is far removed from the days where Jimbo Fisher’s teams dominated the competition on a weekly basis.
After winning the first of three consecutive ACC titles on Dec. 1, 2012, the Seminoles won 29 straight games with Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jameis Winston leading the team to 27 of those victories during his career.
Winston’s only loss came against Oregon in the 2015 Rose Bowl, a defeat that spoiled Fisher’s best chance at his second national championship and fourth in FSU history.
After getting to 6-0 in the 2015 season, the Seminoles are 14-8 during their past 22 games.
As sobering as FSU’s recent record is, Fisher delivered a somber response when the 14-8 clip was brought to his attention during Monday’s press conference.
“Keep coaching,” Fisher said when asked how to turn his team’s recent woes around.
“Keep coaching. Do the things we do. Attention to detail, fundamentals. Coach them better, get them to play better.”
FSU began as the preseason No. 3 team, with hopes of returning to the College Football Playoff semifinals behind quarterback Deondre Francois and its stout returning defense.
But the Seminoles lost to No. 1 Alabama in the season opener and lost Francois to a season-ending knee injury in the process. After a twoweek layoff because of Hurricane Irma, FSU was flat during its return to action, losing to NC State in a lackluster game that saw the Seminoles trail wire-towire.
FSU was woeful in the red zone, scoring just one touchdown in six red-zone trips, and two in eight trips for the season.
The Seminoles’ defense also took a step back after looking like a unit that could contend with Alabama to start the season.
“We’re accountable for everything that happens,” Fisher said of his coaching staff. “… We’ve just got to make our players sort of to understand what we want them to do, how we want them to do it.
“There’s no magic dust or magic thing that makes you meet more, play more. We meet and do as much as we can, but we’ve got to evaluate what we’re doing, what works, what doesn’t work, and how to get each player to be more successful.”