Florida State football: next man up
Reeling from a crushing defeat at the hands of Alabama, the Florida State football community looks to a true freshman from Belle Glade to save the season.
He’s not a five-star recruit, nor has he thrown a pass at the collegiate level and he certainly doesn’t look like Cam Newton with his helmet on. His name is James Blackman and this Saturday he will become the first true freshman to lineup behind center for the Seminoles in three decades.
FSU quarterback and Heisman hopeful Deondre Francois suffered a torn patellar tendon in the 17-point loss in the first ever game at the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Up until the injury, the red-shirt sophomore had completed 19 of 33 passes for 210 yards to go with a touchdown and a pair of interceptions.
Once Blackman replaced Francois, Florida State went with a ground attack to close out the game, so all FSU fans saw from him is that he can successfully hand off the ball to Cam Akers, another true freshman.
Blackman is just nine months removed from leading Glades Central High School to the Class 4A Regional Semifinals. Now he will be faced with the best defenses the ACC has to offer in Miami and NC State in just a few short weeks. Luckily, the Seminoles travel back to Tallahassee for the…