It was supposed to be an opportunity to show how far the Florida State football team has come.
Instead, it was a clear indication of how far the Seminoles still have to go.
The No. 2 Clemson Tigers needed less than three minutes to score their first touchdown on Saturday -- on a shovel pass from Trevor Lawrence to Travis Etienne -- and the rout was on shortly after that.
Florida State fell in a 28-point hole early in the second quarter and never recovered, eventually falling to the defending national champions, 45-14. This comes one year after Clemson thrashed FSU in Tallahassee, 59-10.
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Florida State came into Saturday's game with a good bit of momentum after posting double-digit victories against N.C. State and Louisville. Those marked the Seminoles' first back-to-back ACC wins since the 2016 season.
But with both teams coming off of a bye week, the Tigers (6-0, 4-0 in the ACC) were clearly at another level. They scored touchdowns on four of their first five possessions and eventually led 42-0 in the second half before Florida State (3-3, 2-2) first cracked the scoreboard.
That first touchdown for FSU came on a 64-yard catch-and-run by star wide receiver Tamorrion Terry late in the third quarter. Before that play, the Seminoles had not crossed the 50-yard line.
FSU head coach Willie Taggart went into the game planning to use both of his top two quarterbacks -- James Blackman and Alex Hornibrook -- and the Seminoles did just that. But neither played well, and the FSU offensive line struggled as expected against a talented Clemson defense.
Hornibrook completed 8 of 12 passes for 84 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Blackman was 9 of 23 for 66 yards with no scores and two interceptions.
Starting tailback Cam Akers was limited to 34 yards on 9 carries, while backup Khalan Laborn came through with the Seminoles' second touchdown late in the fourth quarter. With that 40-yard run, Laborn finished with 69 yards on 8 attempts.
Florida State has now dropped five straight games to Clemson, and none of the last three have been close. The Tigers have won those games by a combined margin of 135-38.
Perhaps the worst news of the day came in the injury department, where the Seminoles lost sophomore wide receiver Keyshawn Helton to what appeared to be a serious lower-leg injury. Helton's leg was placed in an air cast, and he was taken from the field on a medical cart.
Starting safety Cyrus Fagan also was injured early in the game and returned to the sideline with his foot in a walking boot.
Stay connected with Warchant.com for complete post-game coverage, including video interviews and analysis.
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