FSU Football: 2017 season shows value of Deondre Francois

FSU football watched their season deteriorate after losing their starting quarterback in the opener – and proving just how valuable he truly is.

With just under six minutes left to play in their opening game for the 2017 season, FSU football watched the worst possible thing take place on the field when starting quarterback Deondre Francois – an outside name in the early Heisman talk and someone expected to get the Noles into the playoff – get sacked by an Alabama defender and not get up.

In one play, Francois saw his season come to an end with a serious knee injury. At the time, there were legit fears that the Seminoles saw their playoff chances end as well, but the hope was still there that things – including a potential ACC title – could be salvaged by whoever stepped into that spot.

With four scheduled games left, FSU football is staring at their first losing season in over four decades and their first non-bowl season in three and a half decades. All of that can be traced back to that injury to the player who (and we may not have truly recognized at the time) was the most valuable player on the Seminoles roster this season.

Now, in no way is this taking a shot at true freshman quarterback James Blackman. The three star recruit has done a decent amount considering what he has had to deal with (horrible offensive line, injuries to skill players and his head coach not fully trusting him with a full playback) and improved every game before the debacle in Boston last weekend.

But there is no way to hide from the fact that Francois’s injury in that opener is the major reason we are in this spot. Am I saying that the Seminoles would be a 6-1 team and leading the ACC at this point? Of course not – but they sure as hell would not be a 2-5 team trying to reschedule a cancelled game just to get bowl eligible.

During his first season as starting quarterback, Francois went from the highest of highs in the opener against Ole Miss to the lowest of lows against Louisville weeks later. Through it all, he finished with over 3,300 yards and a nearly three to one touchdown / interception ratio while against sweeping rivals Miami and Florida and winning the Orange Bowl.

More importantly, he was the bonafide leader of the offense after the departure of Dalvin Cook following the 2016 season. No matter what questions were out there, one of them wasn’t who the leader of that group was. He earned the team’s respect – and that of opponents – with his skill and, maybe more importantly, his toughness.

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When the 2018 season kicks off at home on September 3rd against Virginia Tech, betting odds are that No. 12 will be back under center for the Seminoles. After what has taken place this year, that may be the best words FSU football fans have seen in a long while.