FSU football head coach Jimbo Fisher held his weekly press conference after an opening week loss to Alabama with one topic ahead of the rest.
Despite losing the game and his starting quarterback Saturday night, FSU football head coach Jimbo Fisher was highly optimistic about his team throughout the press conference. Early in the press conference, he informed the group of reporters that Deondre Francois will miss the remainder of the season with a torn patella.
He said Francois will have surgery Tuesday morning and expects him to be back for in time for spring practice. He also officially announced that James Blackman will be the starting quarterback.
The three star recruit out of Belle Glade took three snaps under center after Francois left the game with an injury and will be the first true freshman to start at quarterback for the Seminoles in over 30 years.
JF says James Blackman is “not arrogant, but confident” and that he “has a presence about him."
— Tim Linafelt (@Tim_Linafelt) September 4, 2017
Another big topic Fisher was asked about was the breakdown on special teams, including both a blocked punt and a fumble on the next kickoff by Keith Gavin, both which resulted in Alabama scoring 10 points.
JF said there was a player lined up too wide on punt that Alabama blocked. Said team had done it right for 29 days of camp.
— Tim Linafelt (@Tim_Linafelt) September 4, 2017
“The blocked punt was as simple as this, split too wide. We were just too wide. It’s that simple. The guys made a mistake.” Fisher said. He added that it’s his job to coach it better.
He answered critics who said they didn’t run the ball enough. Fisher said the game plan was to throw the ball around early and get favorable down and distance in the first half.
Next: Breaking Down FSU Quarterback Position Without Francois
The defense was a bright spot for FSU football. If not for the miscues on special teams the defense may have been stout enough to make it a game. He praised the defensive unit, saying “we leveraged the ball very well. After those first three drives, those guys were excellent.