Blackman’s rallies encourage Seminoles
TALLAHASSEE — Florida State quarterback James Blackman was on the verge of throwing his third interception in his third career start.
Blackman dropped back and fired a pass to his favorite target, junior receiver Auden Tate, before it was nearly intercepted in a basic Cover-4 scheme by Miami safety Jaquan Johnson during last Saturday’s matchup in Doak Campbell Stadium.
As the Seminoles scrambled to get in position for their next play, a third-and-10 from their 16-yard line early in the fourth quarter, FSU coach Jimbo Fisher called a timeout to coach up Blackman, the 18-year-old quarterback tasked with replacing injured starter Deondre Francois this season.
After a demonstrative talk on the sidelines with Fisher, Blackman went on to complete his next nine passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns.
He would have led the Seminoles to their second fourth-quarter comeback in as many weeks, but Miami snapped FSU’s seven-game winning streak in the series in the final minute.
“I think it was a big moment,” Fisher said Wednesday of Blackman, who hopes to help FSU beat Duke for the 20th consecutive time on Saturday.
“He played a great fourth quarter. The last three times we touched the ball, we scored a touchdown, a field goal and touchdown. He had a big part in a lot of it.
“It's a constant growing process for him. I think he's getting better and better. The way he played in the quarter, the magnitude of the game, the opponent and all the things that went on, I think he did take great steps.”
Florida State’s offense has struggled mightily during the first three starts of Blackman’s career after Francois suffered a season-ending knee injury in the season opener against Alabama.
But the Seminoles (1-3, 1-2 ACC) are encouraged with the progress Blackman is making, especially in the fourth quarter.
After tossing a 40-yard touchdown to Tate, leading FSU to its first victory of the season at Wake Forest on Sept. 30, Blackman put the Seminoles in position to win another game in dramatic fashion with his 20-yard touchdown to Tate with 1:24 remaining against Miami.
Blackman’s strong finish against the Hurricanes came after starting the game completing just 8 of 19 passes for 76 yards with two interceptions.
“It’s very encouraging to the offense, even the O-linemen, seeing [Blackman] step up in those big moments and take charge of the offense to take us down the field and win the game,” FSU receiver Nyqwan Murray said. “It’s very encouraging.”
As Blackman continues to grow more comfortable in practice, the Seminoles are starting to also see him acclimate better with each ensuing start under his belt.
Senior safety Ermon Lane said when Blackman was first named FSU’s starter early last month, the Seminoles defense had five interceptions on the young quarterback, trying to navigate Fisher’s elaborate prostyle offense.
Now Blackman is starting to read defensive coverages better, evident by his work in the fourth quarters of the last two games.
“We know we’ve got somebody that can step up and lead the way,” Lane said of Blackman. “We just have to come together.”
Third-year safety Derwin James and fourth-year tight end Ryan Izzo both praised Blackman for playing under immense pressure as an 18-year-old trying to lead a team that started with a preseason No. 3-ranking and championship aspirations.
“I couldn’t imagine having that much pressure on me at 18 years old,” James said. “I feel like he has a lot of pressure, and to me, he’s doing great.”
Added Izzo: “James is a really special guy. To do what he did [against Miami] is really special and I'm just really proud of him."
Moving forward, Florida State hopes to get its offense clicking on all cylinders earlier in games with hopes of winning 5 of the next 7 to become bowl eligible for the 36th consecutive year.
“It's just a matter of going ahead and trusting yourself,” Fisher said of Blackman.
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