Seminoles learning to cope with regular-season defeat
FSU moves on after first non-postseason stumble since 2012.
The last time Florida State had to prepare for a game coming off a loss, Jameis Winston had yet to throw a collegiate pass and some were questioning if third-year coach Jimbo Fisher had the chops to lead a big-time program.
On Sunday, 72 scholarship players on the FSU roster had to come to grips with something they had never experienced: a regular-season loss.
“I think everybody is ready to move on and play our next game,” said fifth-year senior tackle Nile Lawrence-Stample.
The Seminoles last dropped a regular-season game three years ago Nov. 24, 2012 (and an ACC game seven weeks before that at N.C. State) when Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel and running back Mike Gilleslee sparked a 24-point fourth quarter to cap an 11-1 regular season under then-rising head coach Will Muschamp. FSU quarterback EJ Manuel had four turnovers, including three interceptions.
Since, FSU had won 35 of 36 games — its only loss in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff last January — before Roberto Aguayo’s 56-yard field goal attempt with six second remaining at Georgia Tech on Saturday was blocked and returned for a touchdown to give the Yellow Jackets a 22-16 victory.
Even Fisher said it was a different feeling walking into his office Sunday and Monday.
“Yeah, it was. You wish you could win them all, but that’s part of it. You’ve got to adjust and go.”
Florida State (6-1, 4-1 in the ACC) dropped to No. 17 in the AP poll. But as a 20-point favorite over Syracuse (3-4, 1-2 ACC), the Seminoles have a good chance to recover from the loss, which would allow them to head into the final month of the season on a winning note.
And the Seminoles still have plenty to play for. They control their destiny when it comes to winning the ACC Atlantic Division and advancing to the conference championship game. That likely will be determined Nov. 7 when FSU plays at No. 3 Clemson (7-0).
Fisher is watching his players this week to make sure there is no hangover from the Georgia Tech loss.
“We lost one game, the sky is not falling,” he said. “You’ve got to put last week behind you. One loss can’t become two.”
One of Fisher’s messages this week was to remind his players not to focus on the score. He said his team started worrying too much about winning each game instead of the preparation that goes into putting yourself in position to win.
Although the loss to Oregon in the playoffs snapped a 29-game winning streak overall, the Seminoles had won 28 consecutive ACC games heading into Saturday, which was one shy of the record set by FSU from 1992-95.
“It gets too much about winning and losing,” Fisher said. “It’s not about winning and losing. It’s about the process of how you prepare and how you play each play at a time. If the process is right, the results come and then you can live with those things.”
Seniors like linebacker Reggie Northrup and Lawrence-Stample said they will be sure the younger players have their minds right at practice this week.
But even the seniors have little experience in dealing with defeat. The Seminoles are 45-4 since the start of the 2012 season. To put that in perspective, FSU’s two in-state rivals, Florida and Miami, have combined to lose 35 games during the same span.
“With our senior leadership, we’re just going to keep the guys up,” Northrup said. “I know what it feels like, three years ago when we played N.C. State when we lost to them guys. It’s tough. It sucks. But, hey, that’s part of the game. It’s college football.”