Column: LSU has shaped FSU fortunes

When you think Louisiana State University, your first thought is the nine games Florida State has played against the Tigers, and we'll get to those, but we'd be remiss if we didn't begin with Bernie Sliger, FSU's long-serving (15 years) and 'most-beloved president, who came to us after serving 19 years in Baton Rouge as an economics professor and administrator.

"Surely, he was a college president like no other," legendary Tallahassee Democrat columnist Bill McGrotha wrote. "More one of us, you know, than one of them."

Of course, we also have LSU to thank for Larry Jones, a former LSU defensive coordinator who served as FSU's head coach after the successful Bill Peterson era. Jones was at the helm during the Seminoles infamous 0-11 season that followed the off-season "Chicken-wire" scandal that chased off dozens of scholarship players.

But then we also have LSU to thank for Peterson, who came to FSU in 1960 after serving as an LSU assistant from 1955 to 1958 during which the Tigers won the 1958 national championship with Billy Cannon and the "Chinese Bandits." Speaking of national championships, FSU and LSU intersected again when FSU hired Jimbo Fisher — the Tigers' offensive coordinator — after the 2006 season. Fisher had been on Nick Saban's LSU staff when the Tigers won the national championship in this very stadium, the 2004 Sugar Bowl.

Back to Sliger, who arrived in Tallahassee in August of 1976, shortly after Bobby Bowden was hired. Sliger's impact on FSU's athletics programs were immediate and have been long lasting.

Sliger was instrumental in Florida State becoming only the fifth university to house a supercomputer. He brought the engineering school back to FSU (in conjunction with Florida A&M) and the National Science Foundation moved the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory from MIT to FSU.

But it was also Sliger and Bowden who were instrumental in Florida State's decision to join the ACC, a controversial decision at the time and an unpopular one today.

Good, bad and indifferent, LSU and FSU have history, that will be shaped some more in only the tenth meeting between the schools.

As you look back at the previous nine games between Florida State and Louisiana State, a series FSU leads 7-2 with four straight wins, you will find an unusual number of times where an LSU game shaped FSU history and the national perception of the Seminoles program. Sunday’s much-anticipated clash between Florida State and Louisiana State – the first in 31 years – will set the tone for the 2022 season and go a long way to shaping the national perception of each.

And if history be true, turnovers will play a major role in the outcome of this game.

The first game came in the first-ever Peach Bowl in Atlanta. While the Seminoles lost 31-27, one of only two losses in the nine-game history, the game extended the Seminoles’ streak of bowl appearances to four, which was a big deal in building the program at that time as bowls were few and far between.

It was a weird game on a freezing cold day on historic Grant Field; weird in that the team with the most turnovers, LSU with five, still won the game. That would only happen twice in the next eight games of this series.

The Seminoles jumped to a quick 13-0 lead thanks to a fumble on the opening kickoff that set up a Tom Bailey 36-yard sweep on the first play from scrimmage. LSU scored the next 24 points, but the Seminoles came back to take a 27-24 lead with six minutes remaining. LSU drove the field to win it 31-27.

One of the more important games in the Bobby Bowden era was the undefeated 1979 season, Bowden’s fourth season at the helm.

The Seminoles earned a bowl bid in 1977 but were inexplicably shunned by the bowls following an 8-3 season in 1978. The Seminoles were seeking national respect when they went into Tiger Stadium on a crisp October afternoon. The program, including its head coach, had something to prove.

ABC chose to broadcast the game nationally and moved it from a night game to a rare day game in Death Valley. The LSU athletic department used to guarantee all games would be played at night, or patrons could get a refund and thousands of fans took them up on their offer.

The national television audience turned into a showcase for the Seminoles to make a case for a top 5 ranking against a still partisan Death Valley audience.

As the team charged onto the field for the start of the game, the Bengal tiger handler prodded Mike the Tiger to roar and he complied, shocking unsuspecting Seminole players.

“He was definitely there,” cornerback James Harris (1978-81) said with a laugh. “He was sitting in this cage and it’s a big tiger (420-plus pounds). I've never seen a big tiger, you know, other than in the Tarzan movies or something like that. This thing was huge, it was big money, so it was a little intimidating in Death Valley.”

The Seminoles quickly got over Mike and the LSU Tigers too in a complete game victory 24-19, a game that catapulted FSU into the national championship conversation for the first time in school history.

That crowd of 67,197 was silenced in the first half as the Seminole defense forced and recovered three fumbles. Seminoles free safety Monk Bonasorte intercepted two passes in the second half as the defense held LSU to 346 yards. Jimmy Jordan threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns and two-time All-American punter Rohn Stark pinned the Tigers near the LSU five.

"We did it today," exclaimed an overjoyed Bowden. "You have to be GOOD to beat LSU in this stadium. Just ask Southern Cal. I think we're good enough to be in the top five."

The victory over the Tigers elevated the Seminole program and more importantly convinced Bowden to turn down an LSU offer to stay at Florida State.

"I was always very fond of LSU, and I nearly took it," Bowden later recounted. "I thought Florida State would be just a short stop. I didn’t plan on staying. At the last minute, I decided to stay in Tallahassee. "

Talking to the Tallahassee Democrat, Terry Bowden, who was a graduate assistant on that 1979 football team, said “(Florida State) was nothing compared to LSU, but Dad said, 'If I can beat LSU when I got nothing at Florida State, then I can build something here.' "

Florida State coaches have spent the 2022 offseason preparing for first-year head coach Brian Kelly, which reminds us of the challenge FSU faced in 1980 after a very challenging LSU coaching change.

When Bowden turned down the Tigers head job, LSU turned to NC State’s Bo Rein, but Rein was killed on January 10 in a plane crash, just 42 days into his tenure. LSU named Jerry Stovall, a former LSU All-American and NFL coach, 36 hours later.

FSU’s defense had no problems solving the LSU offense in the 16-0 victory. A ball-hawking FSU defensive effort, a complete kicking game and patient offensive game management won the day for the 12th ranked Seminoles.

“They were loud and obnoxious,” former defensive tackle Mark Macek recalled, “but we shut them up and I think that was the start of people taking notice of Florida State. We had the 11-0 run in 1979 but lost to Oklahoma 24-7 in the Orange Bowl, so I think that shutout to open the 1980 season really started the run. It was an exciting place to play; I’ll put it up there with Nebraska, who we beat that year too. We shut out an SEC team, which was impressive.”

Bill Capece kicked three field goals, one from 52 yards. The Seminoles defense shut out the Tigers, forcing four turnovers while allowing just 239 yards. Sam Platt scored the game’s only TD on a 3-yard run with 2:32 to play.

The tone was set early – on the first play. FSU linebacker Reggie Herring hit Hokie Gajan so hard he fumbled at the LSU 24-yard line that led to a field goal. On the next possession, Ron Simmons sacked quarterback Alan Risher, causing a fumble that Simmons recovered at the LSU 36 to set up another field goal.

A Bonasorte interception led to the only touchdown scored in the shutout. The 1980 FSU defense would give up only 85 points in 11 regular season games.

The victory over LSU, again in Baton Rouge, was instrumental in establishing Florida State’s growing national reputation. The victory completed “Octoberfest,” a remarkable series of five back-to-back games that started at Nebraska and then included consecutive away games in October at Ohio State, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh and LSU.

The Seminoles beat Ohio State and Notre Dame but fell to Nebraska and a Dan Marino-led Pittsburgh team, so the LSU game secured a winning record against the road gauntlet and memorialized the Road Warriors in FSU history.

“Yeah, winning that game kind of made the road trip at 3-2,” Harris said. “Yeah, that win was essential to the road trip’s success.”

Freshman Greg Allen broke onto the national scene by rushing for 202 yards on 31 carries but, once again, FSU’s special teams and ball-hawking defense won the day.

Defensive tackle Garry Futch had nine tackles, six for loss. Cornerback James Harris had three sacks. Cornerback Harvey Clayton had an interception and 48-yard return. Warren Hanna had a blocked punt in the first quarter that was recovered at the LSU 15 and freshman Billy Allen added a 97-yard kickoff return late in the game.

“The coaches wanted to put pressure on the quarterback, so they created a blitz for me from the corner,” Harris said of the sacks. “Eric Riley’s speed at safety allowed us some time to get there. I was coming from a long way and the quarterback never adjusted.”

With an Orange Bowl bid on the line, the No. 7 Seminoles faced No. 12 LSU in 1982 and, once again, turnovers weighted the scale in determining the victor.

After a 14-14 tie with 4:21 remaining in the first half, LSU started the 55-21 route with two fumble-fueled touchdowns in the remaining minutes of the first half to lead 28-14. Then put the game away on the first drive of the third quarter with a time-consuming drive to take a commanding 35-14 lead.

Tiger fans celebrated their Orange Bowl bid by unleashing a hail storm of oranges onto the field, many striking players, coaches and sideline workers. In the safety of the post-game locker room, a disappointed Bowden found humor when asked about being pelted by oranges.

“I just wish we had been playing for the Sugar Bowl,” he quipped.

The Seminoles overcame numerous mistakes and a 14-point deficit to win 40-35 in a game that was not as close as the score may indicate. LSU scored twice in the final 1:46 of the game, converting two of three onsides kick attempts to make the game look closer than it was.

The Tigers were led by quarterback Jeff Wickersham, who threw for 274 yards. The former Merritt Island High School quarterback was a coveted FSU prospect before choosing the Tigers. FSU defenders picked off three passes to extract a modicum of revenge and the victory.

Greg Allen was once again a thorn in the Tigers paw, gaining 201 yards on 22 carries including a 28-yard touchdown.

FSU rushed for more than 300 yards with one interception. LSU had three turnovers.

Six straight times Bobby Bowden brought his Florida State football team to Baton Rouge, and this was the fifth time he went home a winner by virtue of a fourth-quarter rally.

LSU was up 21-17 and all seemed well for the Tigers before the Seminoles closed out the quarter with two touchdowns.

“Coming from behind in that environment shows what kind of team we had, what kind of leadership we had,” said Dexter Carter, who had a key 21-yard reception to set up the final touchdown. “We went into Death Valley and won. It was awesome beating an SEC team in that environment. We expected to win but being we were playing an SEC team, not many people gave us a chance. There was something about the tenacity, the intent, with which we practiced and played that was on a different level.”

Quarterback Peter Tom Willis, who finished the night 25 of 36 for 301 yards scored from the 7-yard line to put the Seminoles up 24-21 but the play that broke the Tiger hearts was a third-down-and-a-mile conversion where Willis, while in hot pursuit, found running back Dexter Carter on that important reception that led to the closing Edgar Bennet touchdown.

The 2022 game this Sunday could very well come down to that type of play for one team or the other.

Carter is impressed with what he’s seen in Mike Norvell’s program and would like to see the Seminoles have a good accounting of themselves in what will be a hostile environment. “It won’t be Death Valley but there will be a lot of Tiger fans at that game,” said Carter, who expects the 2022 team to respond well. “Florida State has a whole different team now. I used to see ‘me guys’ but I don’t see any of that anymore. And I really like the way Coach Norvell uses his running backs and calls plays.”

Bowden would claim his 200th career coaching victory against LSU in 1990, the only time the Tigers have played at Doak Campbell Stadium.

Once again, turnovers determined the winner. LSU had five fumbles and lost three with two interceptions to lose 40-3.

Linebacker Kirk Carruthers was a large part of the reason for those five turnovers as he picked a pass, sacked the quarterback twice and recorded 13 tackles, the last of which commanded center stage as the final second ticked off the clock. The official called Carruthers’ hit late as did the defeated Tiger bench, who went after him, with the Seminole players responding in a mele.

“The Michigan State game we won on talent,” Bowden said. “The Syracuse game, we won on talent. Tonight we won on character.”

Florida State was 8-0 and ranked No. 1 but the Tigers took a quick 13-0 lead and a 16-7 lead into the half.

Quarterback Casey Weldon points to one special-teams play by sophomore fullback William Floyd that changed the momentum of the game.

“William Floyd ran that guy down at the 2- or 3-yard line after a blocked kick and it was definitely a huge motivation for us,” Weldon said.

A fired up Seminole team scored 20 unanswered second-half points in what can only be described as a monsoon.

While the Seminoles won the game, they sustained injuries to five starters, including Weldon, center Robbie Baker and left tackle Kevin Mancini.

“Things just kept mounting up, up and up (against FSU),” Bowden said. “I can’t imagine a team facing more adversity.”

Weldon returned to the game to engineer FSU’s final two scoring drives but would miss the Louisville game the next week and limped through remaining games against Miami and Florida.

“It was exciting going into Tiger Stadium, seeing the tiger and all the fraternities in their suit and ties and just an amazing night game,” Weldon said. “It wasn't raining in pregame warm-ups so a lot of fun just warming up and being in such a historic stadium.”

Weldon said the team had no fear. “It was not even a thought that they could beat us but then that rain came in and just kind of changed everything,” he said.

The rain came and it came, and it came. Water cascaded down the stadium steps and inundated the field, whose drainage system was no match for the volume.

Water stood above sideline shoe tops.

“It was tough. It was a crazy amount of rain,” said Weldon who recently sold a large portion of his company, Remedial Drying Systems, which ironically remediates flood and mold damage.

The training room looked like a MASH unit especially after Baker’s knee was severed, probably by a cleat. Trainers had to irrigate the gaping wound to flush out dirt and grass.

“I don’t remember the sequence of when Kevin Mancini got hurt and Robbie Baker got hurt and I don’t even remember when I hurt my knee, but I do look back and see that that game probably did cost us the national championship as we were banged up the rest of the season,” Weldon said.

Had those injuries not occurred at LSU that night, the 1991 FSU team would have been the first in FSU history to win the national championship and Weldon would have been its first Heisman Trophy winner.

While the Seminoles won the battle that night, the hobbled Seminole offense would lose by narrow margins to Miami and Florida and thus the chance to play for the championship.

While forced to sit out the Louisville game while rehabilitating his knee, ABC asked Weldon to do color commentary that weekend.

“I was giving my thoughts on the game with Desmond Howard playing in it and I believe that's the game that he struck the Heisman pose,” said Weldon, who finished second to Howard in the final Heisman voting.

“We had beat him earlier (FSU 51, Michigan 31) so you know I think maybe if I closed out the year undefeated it would have at least been a lot closer,” Weldon said.

The trainer who worked on Weldon at FSU was Jack Marucci, who has been the head trainer at LSU for more than 25 years and is now in charge of Performance Innovation for the Tigers. If you are a baseball person, you may recognize the name Marucci, as in Marucci Sports, manufacturers of baseball bats and eyewear.

And yes, FSU's former trainer, the one that is now LSU's trainer, was the inventor of the Marucci bat.

Florida State leads the all-time series with LSU 7-2 and has won four straight against the Tigers.

Since 1991, the two schools have won a combined six national championships, with FSU claiming titles in 1993, 1999 and 2013 and LSU winning in 2003, 2007 and 2019.

The Seminoles will tee it up against LSU in New Orleans this Sunday and then open the 2023 season with the Tigers in Orlando (Sunday, September 3).

The Seminoles are 8-2 in the Superdome, including the 1999 national championship win over Virginia Tech in the 2000 Sugar Bowl and completed the first wire-to-wire No. 1 season in Associated Press history.

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