FSU vs. Clemson Preview
The FSU vs. Clemson Preview highlights major story lines going into tonight’s top-25 showdown.
Clemson (ESPN College Gameday Matchup) – September 19th
2013 Record: 11-2 (7-1 ACC)
Returning Starters: 4 on offense, 7 on defense
Under the Lights
Tonight the top-ranked Florida State Seminoles square off against the No. 22 Clemson Tigers under the lights at Doak Campbell in a game that will be aired on ABC as ESPN College Gameday descends upon Tallahassee. Both teams are seemingly still finding themselves five weeks into the season. While Clemson has played nearly mistake-free football, only committing four penalties on the season, they masqueraded as a team worthy of a shot at the playoffs for a half against UGA until they ultimately fell 21-45 to the Bulldogs. On the other hand, The ‘Noles have somewhat coasted for a team loaded with NFL talent that many already had penciled in to make the College Football Playoff before the season even kicked off.
Suspension
Earlier this week, starting quarterback Jameis Winston received a half-game suspension for exclaiming a vulgar and obscene phrase at the Florida State Student Union. Mixed feelings about the severity of his punishment ensued. It wasn’t until late last night that Florida State issued an additional statement on the suspension, reading:
"“STATEMENT FROM FSU INTERIM PRESIDENT DR. GARNETT S. STOKES AND DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS STAN WILCOX Based upon the results of our continuing investigation of Tuesday’s incident involving Jameis Winston, we have decided to not play him for the entire game against Clemson on Saturday night. Interim President Garnett S. StokesAthletic Director Stan Wilcox”"
Enter Sean Maguire
In light of this full game suspension, the Tigers are now set to face a Sean Maguire led Florida State team. With Maguire at the helm of the offense, fans can expect to see a quarterback with superior pocket awareness and a knack for avoiding sacks and extending plays. There’s been an emphasis on him becoming more accurate. Through practice leading up to the game, it would seem that he’s done just that. Maguire may not have “big-play ability” written all over his arm. But there’s no doubting his ability to chuck the pigskin deep.
In limited action behind Winston, Maguire has a 61.9% completion rating, completing 16 or 26 attempts for 144 yards. Two of his passes have gone for touchdowns, while two of his incompletions have been interceptions. What many Seminole fans may not realize (and what Jimbo Fisher pointed out) is how similar Sean Maguire and Jameis Winston are in size and stature. Maguire is 6-3, which is just an inch shy of Winston at 6-4. Maguire weighs in at 220 pounds. This is just 10 pounds lighter than Winston, who weighs 230 pounds.
FSU’s offense most recently saw Maguire behind center in the second half against The Citadel after the game was well under control. Going into tonight’s game, there’s some stock in the thought that we may see Maguire’s roommate, tight-end Nick O’Leary, have his number called early and often against a Clemson defense that O’Leary gashed just a season ago.
Divisional Rivalry
Perception about the significance of the Florida State/Clemson rivalry seems to be trending in a direction that would suggest that Clemson may have dethroned Miami as a major FSU rival, as the teams have split the series the past 12 years. FSU has more than twice as many victories in the series, as the Seminoles are 19-8 against the Tigers. The ‘Noles also boast an impressive home record at 11-3 overall. Both teams have been nothing less than impressive the past five years as the winner of this game has gone on to represent the Atlantic Division in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship game during that span.
Both teams are coming off of a season in which they enjoyed BCS bowl victories. For the ‘Noles, it was raising up the crystal ball in Pasadena and ending the SEC’s national championship streak. For Clemson, it was a date with Ohio State in Miami, where the Tigers earned an Orange Bowl victory over the Buckeyes.