I spoke with a friend last night who recently relocated to Florida, which is my personal holy grail. Given what I’m experiencing here in Cali, I was really surprised to learn that she’s been experiencing a surprising amount of rain for this time of year, but she was quick to add “no hurricane!”. She’s learned the concept of relative paradise quickly.
But she’s also not a college football fan, and I suppose based upon what has gone down in Weeks Zero and One some of that precipitation were tears of frustration from the loyal legions who support Florida and Florida State.
Last night, before a national ESPN audience exclusive of DIRECTV subscribers, the ‘Noles–the same team who narrowly missed out on the Final Four last year–opened their home 2024 campaign against what has usually been an ACC afterthought, Boston College. Hometown scribe Liam Rooney of the TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT was obligated to report just how far removed from 2023 this year’s FSU group is:
Amid a chorus of boos and groans, Florida State football walked away from its home opener against Boston College with a loss, dropping to 0-2 for the first time since 2021.
Boston College won 28-13 as quarterback Thomas Castellanos and the Boston College offense dominated against another lackluster performance from the Florida State defense. The loss snapped a nine-game home winning streak for the Seminoles.
And adding insult to injury, one of the more prolific performers for BC last night just happened to be a former Seminole, as Rooney further chronicled:
The Eagles rushed for 263 yards, scoring two times on the ground with former FSU player Treshaun Ward a thorn in the side of the defense. Ward recorded 77 yards rushing on 12 carries while also adding 61 receiving yards on three receptions for one touchdown. There was a stretch in the first half where Ward ran the same route on three separate third down plays, he was wide open each time. A dropped pass on the first route and a no-throw from Castellanos on the second were the warning signs a big play could happen.
Meanwhile, FSU quarterback DJ Uiagalelei did little to ingratiate himself any more than he had with his previous two stops on his NCAA barnstorming tour, first with Clemson as Trevor Lawrence’s unsuccessful heir apparent and last year as a disappointing supposed savior for Oregon State. Per CLUTCH POINTS’ Christopher Smith:
Many viewers directed their criticisms at starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei. Uiagalelei threw for 193 yards in Florida State’s loss to Georgia Tech. He amassed 124 yards against Boston College midway through the third quarter of Monday’s game and turned the football over with a costly interception.
Added Rooney: Uiagalelei…had fans calling for his benching with “We want Brock” chants filling the air at Doak Campbell Stadium on more than one occasion Monday night.
And one fan in particular with a particularly powerful pulpit was even more negative about the ‘Noles as HBCU GAMEDAY’s Steven J. Gaither giddily shared:
Florida State football dropped its second consecutive game on Monday night, and the loss isn’t sitting well with Chad Johnson, who thinks FAMU might be better right now. The former NFL star turned podcaster aired his frustrations with FSU on Monday night after it lost 28-13 in primetime on Labor Day. “As a resident of the state of Florida, I’m embarrassed. I’m embarrassed,” Johnson said with a hint of disgust on Nightcap, which he hosts with Shannon Sharpe. “The best team in Tallahassee is FAMU.”
Well, that may be a bit dramatic, given Florida A&M’s FCS status. But neither Tallahassee school got much competition from the one in Gainesville. As SPORTS ILLUSTRATED’s Cam Parker reported yesterday:
The Florida Gators’ 33-home-opener win streak has come to an end.
In what was the worst season-opening loss in 118 years of Florida football, the Gators dropped (a) 41-17 doozy to the No. 19 Miami Hurricanes, which has now won six of its last eight matchups in the series dating back to 2000.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s embarrassing, to be quite honest with you,” said UF head coach Billy Napier. “That’s how I feel. That’s how our kids feel. We’ve got a decision to make. I think we have — that’s what I just told them. There’s no excuses. Keep our mouths shut, show up and work. We have to do better. Keep it simple. That’s how I feel. I do think that our players will show up and they will respond.”
Few believe that’s likely for the Gators, who must deal with a supercharged SEC schedule that begins against a chippy Texas A&M squad the week after next and will include road tests at Mississippi State, Tennessee and new conference rival Texas.
There are still a few diehards who somehow believe there may still be a path to redemption for FSU, most notably THE ATHLETIC’s Chris Branch in that publication’s morning newsletter:
Many thought this year would end with the Seminoles as ACC champions and a top-four seed in the first 12-team College Football Playoff. Last night’s humiliating home loss to Boston College made that future seem impossible.
And yet, it’s technically not. Emphasizing technically. Stick with me here:
- At warp speed, the Seminoles reached 0-2 in conference games, yet the ACC title game could have a spot up for grabs. Miami looked great, but Clemson got stomped, while other preseason favorites have also struggled. The Noles will essentially have to run the table in ACC games and get some help, but if they win the conference, they’re in. Wild, right?
- The new Playoff format gives automatic bids to the five highest-ranked conference champions. An ACC title would surely be good enough for at least the fifth spot on that list, even if, say, a Mountain West or American team finishes the season ranked higher … which would mean a Group of 5 team would earn a first-round bye in the first Playoff. A hilarious and plausible future lies ahead for us.
And the ‘Noles do get their own crack at the ‘Canes on such a road. October 26th at Hard Rock Stadium. It’ll cost you a minimum of $199 to see it live, and that’s off this kind of a start.
Bookmark it. And let’s hope it won’t be raining by then.
Courage…