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FSU Football: How heartbreaking loss to Louisville led to current demise

By Jason Parker

TALLAHASSEE, FL - OCTOBER 21: Quarterback Lamar Jackson #8 of the Louisville Cardinals runs the ball into the endzone for a touchdown during their game against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak Campbell Stadium on October 21, 2017 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - OCTOBER 21: Quarterback Lamar Jackson #8 of the Louisville Cardinals runs the ball into the endzone for a touchdown during their game against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak Campbell Stadium on October 21, 2017 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images) /
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FSU football is in a current state the program hasn’t seen in decades – and it all leads back to a sure win that slipped through their hands.

For the FSU football team, the 2017 season was something that the program had not seen before. After five straight seasons of 10 or more wins that included three ACC titles, a national championship and countless awards for players, the Seminoles limped into the season wondering what the heck had taken place.

After opening the season with a loss to top ranked Alabama and having two games postponed for weather reasons with Hurricane Irma, the Seminoles found themselves coming into the sixth game with a 2-3 record and people wondering if they were going to be able to turn things around.

Never mind the fact that the sixth game for FSU football that season was a showdown with a Louisville team that put 63 points on the Seminoles one year before. But even with that, the Noles had hopes of a comeback win after edging Duke the week before to get that second win that would turn out to be very valuable at the end of things.

After Lamar Jackson, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, led the Cardinals to an early 14-0 lead, the Seminoles tied the game at the half before yet again giving up 14 points to Louisville – and then, just like in the first half, two fourth quarter touchdowns involving Nyqwan Murray tied the game yet again.

With just minutes left in the game, it appeared that the Noles might pull this out – but a fumbled handoff between true freshman quarterback James Blackman and true freshman running back Cam Akers turned the ball over and led to the Cardinals getting the game winning field goal.

The loss would turn out to be the beginning of the end for that era of FSU football – at 2-4, the Seminoles would get thumped in the next game by Boston College in a showdown that symbolized the end of the era of the former “leader” of the Seminoles, who turned things over to interim head coach Odell Haggins to win the season finale and bowl game.

In reality, what we are seeing this season in Tallahassee – with three straight leads that have been given back to the opponents for FSU football and led to a 1-2 record so far – goes back two seasons and a loss to Louisville that could have made things a lot different.

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