Clark: Terry's turnaround a great example for entire FSU football team
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When we saw Ron Dugans' reaction to the offsetting personal foul flag Tamorrion Terry drew in the Miami game, and then saw Terry's reaction to that reaction, I genuinely thought we might never see the star receiver again in a Florida State uniform.
Those next couple of days after the 52-10 loss, I kept wondering if an email from FSU's Sports Information department would hit my inbox, announcing Terry had decided to opt out after all and concentrate on preparing for the NFL Draft. Because we all knew a conversation with head coach Mike Norvell was coming.
When one of your best players is seen publicly in a shouting match with his position coach, and is immediately pulled from the game, you know things are going to be discussed more thoroughly in private. In a very stern manner.
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And when that conversation happened, I thought there was a chance Terry would say to himself or maybe even out loud, "You know what? We're 0-2. We just got beat by 1,000 points. I'm not 100 percent. My grandmother just passed away. I'm not in a great place physically or mentally. This new coach is mad at me, telling me how I'm letting him and the team and myself down. And now I've got to practice to get ready for who? Jacksonville State? Nah, I'm good."
Instead, fast-forward a couple weeks, and Terry is coming off probably his best game as a Florida State Seminole. He had nine catches for 146 yards (the most against Notre Dame in five years) in a 42-26 loss to the Fighting Irish. And that came on the heels of a solid seven-catch performance against Jacksonville State.
Terry acknowledged Tuesday that he's still not 100 percent physically and he's still working some things out off the field, but he has made a dramatic change in his practice habits. He's bought in. He's working as hard as he possibly can during every drill. And it's showing up on Saturdays again.
And it all stems back to that meeting with Norvell after the Miami game.
"He said a lot of things, a lot of great things, a lot of things that I needed to hear," Terry said. "The things he told me, I've just got to be that man he wants me to be. Be that leader. I took all that in, took it into practice and it showed up in the game. ...
"I'm just trying to get my mind right, and right now I'm focused on what the team needs."
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