As the child of two FSU alumni, I spent a lot of my Saturdays watching college football with my family. My parents would reminisce about Bobby Bowden’s legacy while I was obsessed with Jameis Winston and the 2013 national championship team. I memorized all of the players’ names, most of them going into the NFL draft where I followed their professional careers. Unfortunately, I had a tough time realizing that Florida State couldn’t realistically keep a perfect 14-0 record every season. I was hoping that by now FSU would be on its comeback into the Top 25 since it’s my freshman year here. However, during these past two seasons, I think the majority of fans are happy if we score any points against a team. After looking back on the many games I’ve watched, I’ve gathered a list of my personal highs and lows of FSU football over the years.
High: Beating Clemson 51-14 in Death Valley.
This game changed the entire national championship discussion in 2013. FSU went into Death Valley as the underdog and demolished the No. three Clemson Tigers in a 51-14 victory. Ever since then, FSU and Clemson’s rivalry game has gained national attention from college football fans everywhere. I’m not sure if Jordan Travis could lead us to another unexpected upset. As of right now, Clemson is ranked No. one in the Top 25 and we are unfortunately nowhere to be found on the rankings… (A girl can dream though, right?)
Low: Blowing a 20 point lead against Miami in 2018.
In classic FSU football fashion, the Seminoles managed to forget how to play football when the second half started against Miami. We set an unfortunate record that game, blowing a 20 point lead for the first time in the history of the program. Unfortunately, FSU hasn’t been much of a second-half team this season either, so the trend continues.
High: Cam Akers. (Do I have to explain this one?)
I think Cam was the main reason I watched the last three seasons. He broke the record for single-season rushing yards by a freshman, running 1,025 yards in 2017. In 2019, he declared for the 2020 NFL draft and was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the second round. Even though his position on the roster was as a running back, the offensive coordinator had him playing at quarterback for a few plays. No offense to James Blackman, but I think we were all hoping Cam could somehow be the new starting QB.
Low: Losing to Louisville
I don’t know what we were expecting after the upset win against UNC, but losing against a 1-4 Louisville team was not it. We scored on the first drive of the game, but it pretty much went downhill from there. Not much else to say about this one because I turned the game off during the third quarter. It was too painful to watch.
High: The Upset Nobody Expected: See You Later UNC
I personally went to this game with my fellow Her Campus writer and friend, Ruth Artze. I can’t tell you how many times we jumped out of both pure shock and excitement. Beating Sam Howell, UNC’s quarterback, was bittersweet since he was originally committed to FSU and then switched last minute. Of course, it wouldn’t be an FSU game without blowing a lead, with UNC managing to score 21 unanswered points in the second half. I think FSU football just loves stressing us out, so they decide to stop playing during the entire third and fourth quarters. If it wasn’t for that one referee who threw all the flags, it probably wouldn’t have been such a close game. Despite the penalties and Sam Howell’s almost historic comeback, we managed to walk out of Doak Campbell Stadium with a win.
Although this season has been a tough one already, I think we all need to welcome Mike Norvell as our new coach and support FSU no matter how many painful losses we endure. In the Notre Dame game and the UNC upset, the team definitely showed more heart and passion while playing. The only way is up from here, even if we have a long way back to a national championship team.
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