FSU Football: Why James Blackman, if healthy, should remain starting QB

FSU football has won their last two games with two different starting signal callers, but it’s the man who has been there longer that should keep his job.

It was one season ago that FSU football had to turn to their backup quarterback after an injury sidelined the starter – a move that allowed that backup named James Blackman to throw for over 400 yards and four touchdowns against NC State. Despite that, the Seminoles turned back to their starter for the final three games of the regular season.

A similar situation took place last week when, after Blackman suffered a knee injury in the win over Louisville one week before, it was backup quarterback Alex Hornibrook who went for over 300 yards passing and three touchdowns as the Seminoles got maybe their best win of the first half of the season over those Wolfpack.

Since that, there have been some in the FSU football fan base and the media that covers the Seminoles who are asking which arm is going to take the first snaps against Clemson in a week and a half. Despite Hornibrook being the signal caller for the 18 point victory, the answer is simple:

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If James Blackman is healthy and can do the job to the best of his ability, he needs to be starting when the Noles take on the Tigers on October 12th.

After he struggled in the second half of the first two games of the season, I wrote that Blackman needed to step up his game or risk getting benched and replaced by Hornibrook as the starter. Since then, offensive coordinator Kendal Briles developed a system for both after the Virginia loss that seemed to work until Blackman got hurt.

Essentially, Hornibrook has made the race a lot closer than it was a few weeks ago and deserves some snaps in the game against the Tigers and throughout the season – but Blackman has not played himself out of the starting spot yet and deserves the chance to get it back when he is healthy.

With reports surfacing after the injury of it being a MCL sprain, the two to four week timetable for recovery would but the Clemson game right in the middle at three weeks – meaning the chances are better Blackman could start for the Seminoles, but nothing is for sure.

What is for sure is that the Seminoles can at least take solace in knowing that if Blackman can’t take the wheel, they have someone who can drive the offense (if the offensive line can go back to blocking for him) in what may be his toughest game.