7 things to know about FSU's plan to play two QBs at Clemson
It has been five years since a Florida State quarterback delivered a strong performance against Atlantic Coast Conference rival Clemson.
This Saturday, the Seminoles will try to see if two quarterbacks are better than one.
Florida State head coach Willie Taggart announced on Monday that redshirt sophomore James Blackman will be the starting signal-caller against the No. 2-ranked Tigers, and then he added that senior Alex Hornibrook will also be a part of the game plan.
"They both will play," Taggart said.
Blackman started FSU's first four games this season before sustaining a knee injury two weeks ago against Louisville. He then stood on the sideline as Hornibrook led the Seminoles to a 31-13 victory against N.C. State.
Here is a look at seven things to know about FSU's plan to use two quarterbacks against the defending national champions.
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1 -- FSU QBs have struggled mightily vs. Clemson in recent years
Whether it was Sean Maguire, Deondre Francois or James Blackman, the results have been the same for Florida State's quarterbacks during the Seminoles' four-game losing streak to Clemson.
In these four games, the Seminoles' QBs have combined to complete 66 of 136 passes for 924 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions. That's a combined completion percentage of 48.5, and they're averaging 231 yards per game through the air.
The Seminoles' QBs have been sacked 18 times in those four games -- 16 in the last three. Here's a detailed look at how FSU's QBs have fared during that stretch:
| Year | Quarterback(s) | Com-Att, Yds | TDs, INTs | Sacks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2018 |
Deondre Francois ----- James Blackman |
17-36, 180 ----- 3-4, 88 |
0, 1 ----- 1, 0 |
4 ----- 1 |
|
2017 |
James Blackman |
13-32, 208 |
1, 1 |
5 |
|
2016 |
Deondre Francois |
17-35, 286 |
1, 1 |
6 |
|
2015 |
Sean Maguire |
16-29, 164 |
0, 1 |
2 |
2 -- Before 2019, FSU hadn't planned to use two QBs in decade-plus
If Florida State plays two quarterbacks as expected on Saturday, it will be the second time the Seminoles have done it by design this season. Blackman and Hornibrook both played two weeks ago in the Seminoles' victory against Louisville -- even before Blackman went down with a knee injury.
Before this season, however, it had been many years since the last time FSU went into games planning to rotate signal-callers, without regard to injury or game performance.
The last time Warchant can identify that FSU went into games intending to use two quarterbacks was during the 2006 season, when Drew Weatherford and Xavier Lee each played in several of the same games. There have been other occasions during the past 14 years that a starting quarterback was replaced due to performance or injury, but that '06 season was the last time FSU clearly intended to play two QBs regardless of circumstances.
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