Tate day-to-day with separated shoulder
TALLAHASSEE — Florida State junior receiver Auden Tate, the only player to score a touchdown for the Seminoles this season, remains day-to-day with a separated left shoulder, coach Jimbo Fisher said Wednesday.
Fisher was not clear whether Tate has been practicing with the unranked Seminoles (0-2), who hope to win their first game of the season at Wake Forest (4-0) on Saturday.
But Fisher seems encouraged by Tate’s progress.
“Auden will be day-today in what he's doing,” Fisher said. “He’s been out and participating, and loosened up and feels much better, and we'll take him day by day as we go through the week just how much he'll do.”
Fisher revealed the extent of Tate’s injury during his weekly television show and confirmed Tate’s status during Wednesday’s ACC coaches’ teleconference.
While Tate’s availability for the Wake Forest game and the rest of the season is in question, the injury is another blow to the Florida State offense this season. Incumbent starting quarterback Deondre Francois needed season-ending surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon in his left knee after FSU’s loss to Alabama in Atlanta on Sept. 2.
“He's a great player for us,” Fisher said of Tate. “He's a difference maker. From a leadership point, experience point, there [are] so many different things [he can do].”
Tate, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound receiver, was the top target in the passing game for Francois and new starting quarterback James Blackman in the first two games of the season.
During Florida State’s eight red zone trips, FSU has scored four field goals with only two touchdowns — both caught by Tate.
He leads the Seminoles with 11 catches for 179 yards, including nine receptions for 138 yards in FSU’s 27-21 loss to NC State last Saturday in Doak Campbell Stadium. He suffered the injury after a 51-yard reception, the longest of his career, from Blackman, a true freshman who made his first career start.
“This was a big moment. It was critical we lost Auden right here. He was having the game of his life,” Fisher said during his weekly television show recapping the NC State game.
“… I think he’s going to be all right. He’s got a slightly sprained shoulder. As they would say, an AC separation. He’ll be good.”
An AC separation occurs when the collar bone is separated from the highest point of the shoulder blade. It is not a dislocated shoulder, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
During his Monday press conference, Fisher said Tate’s injury was not “season-ending.”
Tate’s potential to return to form is encouraging for the Seminoles, and especially for Blackman, the first true freshman to start at quarterback for FSU since 1985.
Before Tate suffered the injury, Blackman completed 16 of 22 passes for 190 yards.
When Tate left the game, Blackman’s production took a considerable dip, finishing just 6 of 16 for 88 yards.
During Tate’s absence from the lineup, the Seminoles’ thin receiving group will rely on sophomore Keith Gavin, junior Nyqwan Murray and emerging redshirt sophomore George Campbell.
Gavin has the secondmost receptions with 10 catches for 67 yards while Murray has eight catches for 58 yards.
Campbell caught three passes for 85 yards against NC State, becoming FSU’s second-leading receiver with 106 yards this season. Campbell’s 26.5 yards per reception ranks second in the ACC and eighth nationally.