Hey everyone, really excited to bring you this one. I wrote about the most memorable season openers in FSU history. Thanks to Aslan and Corey for bringing me on for the video feature, really had fun doing that. Here's the story:
Don't forget to vote on your favorite FSU season opening game in the poll above! And here are some other memorable season-opening wins/losses that almost make the list:
Sept. 10, 1977: Florida State 35, Southern Miss 6. FSU ended a four-game losing streak in openers and already the addition of true freshman Ron Simmons was starting to show. The defensive lineman had 10 tackles and blocked a punt for a touchdown in his first-ever college game. FSU finished 10-2, their first double-digit win season in program history.
Sept. 6, 1980: Florida State 16, LSU 0. Four years later, FSU was still enjoying a defense led by the dominant noseguard Simmons. Coming off an undefeated 11-0 regular season the year before, the Seminoles methodically picked apart LSU and set the stage for what would be one of the greatest defenses in FSU history. Senior running back Sam Platt scored the game-clinching touchdown late in the third and FSU won for a second straight year in Baton Rouge. Brashly scheduling LSU on the road for five straight seasons from 1979-1983, FSU wound up 4-1 in that stretch against the Tigers.
Aug. 29, 1991: Florida State 44, BYU 28. Top-ranked preseason favorite FSU faced returning Cougars’ star quarterback Ty Detmer. Detmer won the Heisman the year prior and finished third in 1991, but couldn’t handle Terrell Buckley and a loaded Seminole defense. FSU started the season 10-0 and spent a majority of the year as the No. 1 team in the nation.
Sept. 3, 1988: Miami 31, Florida State 0. Unlike ’04, ’05, and ’09 where FSU entered their “lost decade” and Miami had also begun sputtering away from their championship level of play, this FSU-Miami matchup came as both programs were exploding. You’d have a quicker time finding the seasons FSU or Miami weren’t playing for the title over the next 15 years than counting up all the times that they did. Of course, this is the only game on the list that includes its own soundtrack, the Seminole Rap.
The lesson the 1988 and 1989 teams teach is one that recent FSU squads over the past decade should’ve taken to heart. While a whole offseason can be spent poring over a high-profile season opener, you can’t win or lose the national title in the season’s first game. A strong rebound from even a despicable loss like 1988 Miami is still very possible. If FSU had received a couple more breaks and losses from top teams around them, or if those seasons were played during a four-team playoff era, they could have easily recovered from the opening loss in ’88 or ‘89 to win the national championship. Without the perseverance from players on those two teams, the FSU Dynasty would have some catchy nickname referencing only the 1990’s and wouldn’t have the 14-year cachet it currently does.
Sept. 10, 2004: Miami 16, Florida State 10 OT. A Friday night tangle between FSU and the Hurricanes with the two matched up as ACC opponents for the first time. After an opening field goal, FSU immediately halted a Miami drive in the second quarter when safety Kyler Hall stripped the ball out from Roscoe Parrish. Antonio Cromartie scooped it up and showed off his incredible athleticism, taking it back 60 yards right down the Miami sideline. ’Noles led the top-five matchup 10-0.
Still holding the Hurricanes scoreless entering the fourth, FSU allowed to Miami get on the board to cut it to 10-3. Miami blocked a Xavier Beitia field goal attempt (hadn’t the poor guy been through enough?) with four minutes to go to keep hope alive and stay within one score. With a minute left, Miami marched nearly the length of the field and tied Sinorice Moss tied the game on a screen pass. In overtime, Chris Rix bobbled a low snap to give Miami the ball and squander FSU’s offensive possession. With all the momentum, Frank Gore scored to seal the heartbreaking loss for the Seminoles.
Sept. 7, 2009: Miami 38, Florida State 34. FSU took on the ‘Canes on Labor Day in what turned out to be Bowden’s final season. It was a pure shootout, but after leading for most of the second half, FSU gave up 21 in the fourth quarter to Jacory Harris-led Miami offense.
Harris tossed a strike just two yards short of the left corner of the north end zone and Miami cashed in to go up 38-34 with just under two minutes to play. Then Miami head coach and current FSU senior analyst Randy Shannon waved his team off the field knowing they had one more stop to make. As is an interception in his first college game wasn’t enough, Greg Reid made the first of many clutch returns when he took a pooch kick down to midfield.
Suddenly, FSU was in business when Christian Ponder ran all the way to the 11-yard line still with over a minute remaining. A pass interference call gave FSU first-and-goal with 14 seconds left. In an agonizing sequence for both sides, FSU called a quick fade pattern Jarmon Fortson that was barely broken up, then a Ponder toss out of the back of the end zone left one more play. Ponder rolled out and delivered a low pass to Fortson which he dropped, but the clock was barely ticking down from two seconds to one to zero as the play unfolded. After a review it was determined the clock ran out, and Miami survived.
Sept. 2, 2017: Alabama 24, Florida State 7. It’s easy to lose track of how much this game meant during the 2017 preseason, before the disappointing season that unfolded and the shake-up on the staff later that December. FSU waited all day for their shot at the top program in the sport on a primetime Saturday night with the nation watching. With Jimbo Fisher and Nick Saban’s coaching connections, the storylines for this game wrote themselves.
Both teams were aggressive early and went for it on fourth down on their opening drives. Bama worked a field goal but FSU answered with their longest possession of the game. Auden Tate set up the ’Noles in plus territory with a diving grab then caught a fade pass in the corner of the endzone to go up 7-3. Alabama and Calvin Ridley quickly went right back up 10-7. During a two-minute drill, FSU worked downfield for a crucial chance to retake the lead.
FSU fans surely remember the possible missed pass interference call with 10 seconds before halftime that could have set up the offense with a first-and-goal try. Instead, the Tide blocked FSU’s field goal try. In the second half, the Seminoles struggled to control the line of scrimmage and found it tough goings coming from behind on the eventual national champion. FSU gift-wrapped Alabama 11 easy points with a couple of special teams turnovers. Even though this opener may lose some it’s luster in retrospect, at the time it was one of the highest-billed games in FSU history, much less season openers.
Sept. 3, 2018: Virginia Tech 24, Florida State 3. Despite the outcome, this game nearly makes the list off of pre-game buildup alone. What was billed as a battle of two top 20-ranked preseason teams turned out to be a slugfest between forgettable 6-7 and 5-7 teams. After FSU struggled mightily offensively for three quarters, Cam Akers broke 85 yards down the sideline to get in the red zone still down just two scores at 17-3. A wildcat try on third down was stuffed and the Hokies spoiled the Labor Day opener for the home FSU crowd.
Just for good measure, here are a few more notable openers:
(1968) 24-14 win at Maryland: Bill Cappleman 4th and goal QB sneak to seal the win.
(1970): 9-7 Win over Louisville. J.T. Thomas blocked 2 field goals, Lee Corso was head coach of the Cards.
(1974) 9-6 loss vs Pittsburgh: FSU almost spoils the collegiate debut of NFL HOF RB Tony Dorsett.
(1979) 17-14 win vs Southern Miss: FSU uses blocked punt for TD to complete 4th quarter comeback and kickstart first-ever undefeated regular season.
(1982) 38-31 win vs Cincinnati: fun back-and-forth shootout
(1983) 47-46 win vs East Carolina: another wild shootout, Greg Allen 154 rushing yards and 3 TD.
(1989) 30-26 loss vs Southern Miss: future NFL legend QB Brett Favre game-winning TD pass.
(1992) 48-21 win vs Duke: first-ever ACC conference game for FSU.
(1994) 41-17 win vs Virginia: FSU begins defense of the program’s first-ever national title with easy win over a solid UVA team.
(1998) 23-14 win vs Texas A&M: Weinke wins first start and connects with Peter Warrick for a touchdown for the first time. FSU shut out A&M in the second half.
(1999) 41-7 win vs Louisiana Tech: Warrick weaves his way through entire LTU team in classic 1st half highlight.
(2006) 13-10 win at Miami: Couldn’t have every UM game on the list. Another top 25 matchup. Come-from-behind win for FSU.
(2019) 36-31 loss vs Boise State: Agonizing collapse in the 2nd half but it was fun getting a home opener rescheduled to Doak on the fly the week of the game.
A look back: The 5 best season openers in FSU Football history
Don't forget to vote on your favorite FSU season opening game in the poll above! And here are some other memorable season-opening wins/losses that almost make the list:
Sept. 10, 1977: Florida State 35, Southern Miss 6. FSU ended a four-game losing streak in openers and already the addition of true freshman Ron Simmons was starting to show. The defensive lineman had 10 tackles and blocked a punt for a touchdown in his first-ever college game. FSU finished 10-2, their first double-digit win season in program history.
Sept. 6, 1980: Florida State 16, LSU 0. Four years later, FSU was still enjoying a defense led by the dominant noseguard Simmons. Coming off an undefeated 11-0 regular season the year before, the Seminoles methodically picked apart LSU and set the stage for what would be one of the greatest defenses in FSU history. Senior running back Sam Platt scored the game-clinching touchdown late in the third and FSU won for a second straight year in Baton Rouge. Brashly scheduling LSU on the road for five straight seasons from 1979-1983, FSU wound up 4-1 in that stretch against the Tigers.
Aug. 29, 1991: Florida State 44, BYU 28. Top-ranked preseason favorite FSU faced returning Cougars’ star quarterback Ty Detmer. Detmer won the Heisman the year prior and finished third in 1991, but couldn’t handle Terrell Buckley and a loaded Seminole defense. FSU started the season 10-0 and spent a majority of the year as the No. 1 team in the nation.
Sept. 3, 1988: Miami 31, Florida State 0. Unlike ’04, ’05, and ’09 where FSU entered their “lost decade” and Miami had also begun sputtering away from their championship level of play, this FSU-Miami matchup came as both programs were exploding. You’d have a quicker time finding the seasons FSU or Miami weren’t playing for the title over the next 15 years than counting up all the times that they did. Of course, this is the only game on the list that includes its own soundtrack, the Seminole Rap.
The lesson the 1988 and 1989 teams teach is one that recent FSU squads over the past decade should’ve taken to heart. While a whole offseason can be spent poring over a high-profile season opener, you can’t win or lose the national title in the season’s first game. A strong rebound from even a despicable loss like 1988 Miami is still very possible. If FSU had received a couple more breaks and losses from top teams around them, or if those seasons were played during a four-team playoff era, they could have easily recovered from the opening loss in ’88 or ‘89 to win the national championship. Without the perseverance from players on those two teams, the FSU Dynasty would have some catchy nickname referencing only the 1990’s and wouldn’t have the 14-year cachet it currently does.
Sept. 10, 2004: Miami 16, Florida State 10 OT. A Friday night tangle between FSU and the Hurricanes with the two matched up as ACC opponents for the first time. After an opening field goal, FSU immediately halted a Miami drive in the second quarter when safety Kyler Hall stripped the ball out from Roscoe Parrish. Antonio Cromartie scooped it up and showed off his incredible athleticism, taking it back 60 yards right down the Miami sideline. ’Noles led the top-five matchup 10-0.
Still holding the Hurricanes scoreless entering the fourth, FSU allowed to Miami get on the board to cut it to 10-3. Miami blocked a Xavier Beitia field goal attempt (hadn’t the poor guy been through enough?) with four minutes to go to keep hope alive and stay within one score. With a minute left, Miami marched nearly the length of the field and tied Sinorice Moss tied the game on a screen pass. In overtime, Chris Rix bobbled a low snap to give Miami the ball and squander FSU’s offensive possession. With all the momentum, Frank Gore scored to seal the heartbreaking loss for the Seminoles.
Sept. 7, 2009: Miami 38, Florida State 34. FSU took on the ‘Canes on Labor Day in what turned out to be Bowden’s final season. It was a pure shootout, but after leading for most of the second half, FSU gave up 21 in the fourth quarter to Jacory Harris-led Miami offense.
Harris tossed a strike just two yards short of the left corner of the north end zone and Miami cashed in to go up 38-34 with just under two minutes to play. Then Miami head coach and current FSU senior analyst Randy Shannon waved his team off the field knowing they had one more stop to make. As is an interception in his first college game wasn’t enough, Greg Reid made the first of many clutch returns when he took a pooch kick down to midfield.
Suddenly, FSU was in business when Christian Ponder ran all the way to the 11-yard line still with over a minute remaining. A pass interference call gave FSU first-and-goal with 14 seconds left. In an agonizing sequence for both sides, FSU called a quick fade pattern Jarmon Fortson that was barely broken up, then a Ponder toss out of the back of the end zone left one more play. Ponder rolled out and delivered a low pass to Fortson which he dropped, but the clock was barely ticking down from two seconds to one to zero as the play unfolded. After a review it was determined the clock ran out, and Miami survived.
Sept. 2, 2017: Alabama 24, Florida State 7. It’s easy to lose track of how much this game meant during the 2017 preseason, before the disappointing season that unfolded and the shake-up on the staff later that December. FSU waited all day for their shot at the top program in the sport on a primetime Saturday night with the nation watching. With Jimbo Fisher and Nick Saban’s coaching connections, the storylines for this game wrote themselves.
Both teams were aggressive early and went for it on fourth down on their opening drives. Bama worked a field goal but FSU answered with their longest possession of the game. Auden Tate set up the ’Noles in plus territory with a diving grab then caught a fade pass in the corner of the endzone to go up 7-3. Alabama and Calvin Ridley quickly went right back up 10-7. During a two-minute drill, FSU worked downfield for a crucial chance to retake the lead.
FSU fans surely remember the possible missed pass interference call with 10 seconds before halftime that could have set up the offense with a first-and-goal try. Instead, the Tide blocked FSU’s field goal try. In the second half, the Seminoles struggled to control the line of scrimmage and found it tough goings coming from behind on the eventual national champion. FSU gift-wrapped Alabama 11 easy points with a couple of special teams turnovers. Even though this opener may lose some it’s luster in retrospect, at the time it was one of the highest-billed games in FSU history, much less season openers.
Sept. 3, 2018: Virginia Tech 24, Florida State 3. Despite the outcome, this game nearly makes the list off of pre-game buildup alone. What was billed as a battle of two top 20-ranked preseason teams turned out to be a slugfest between forgettable 6-7 and 5-7 teams. After FSU struggled mightily offensively for three quarters, Cam Akers broke 85 yards down the sideline to get in the red zone still down just two scores at 17-3. A wildcat try on third down was stuffed and the Hokies spoiled the Labor Day opener for the home FSU crowd.
Just for good measure, here are a few more notable openers:
(1968) 24-14 win at Maryland: Bill Cappleman 4th and goal QB sneak to seal the win.
(1970): 9-7 Win over Louisville. J.T. Thomas blocked 2 field goals, Lee Corso was head coach of the Cards.
(1974) 9-6 loss vs Pittsburgh: FSU almost spoils the collegiate debut of NFL HOF RB Tony Dorsett.
(1979) 17-14 win vs Southern Miss: FSU uses blocked punt for TD to complete 4th quarter comeback and kickstart first-ever undefeated regular season.
(1982) 38-31 win vs Cincinnati: fun back-and-forth shootout
(1983) 47-46 win vs East Carolina: another wild shootout, Greg Allen 154 rushing yards and 3 TD.
(1989) 30-26 loss vs Southern Miss: future NFL legend QB Brett Favre game-winning TD pass.
(1992) 48-21 win vs Duke: first-ever ACC conference game for FSU.
(1994) 41-17 win vs Virginia: FSU begins defense of the program’s first-ever national title with easy win over a solid UVA team.
(1998) 23-14 win vs Texas A&M: Weinke wins first start and connects with Peter Warrick for a touchdown for the first time. FSU shut out A&M in the second half.
(1999) 41-7 win vs Louisiana Tech: Warrick weaves his way through entire LTU team in classic 1st half highlight.
(2006) 13-10 win at Miami: Couldn’t have every UM game on the list. Another top 25 matchup. Come-from-behind win for FSU.
(2019) 36-31 loss vs Boise State: Agonizing collapse in the 2nd half but it was fun getting a home opener rescheduled to Doak on the fly the week of the game.
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