Junior WR Tate fights through pain, comes through for FSU in 'winning time'

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Auden Tate didn’t start Florida State’s game Saturday afternoon at Wake Forest. In fact, the junior wide receiver missed large chunks of the contest after getting knocked out of last week’s game against N.C. State with a shoulder injury.

By the time the Seminoles took the field for their final drive against Wake Forest with just over one minute remaining, Tate had caught just one pass for seven yards. He had only been targeted one other time. And his left shoulder was still throbbing with pain.

Yet, with the game on the line, Tate knew he had to ditch his spot on the sideline for a spot in the lineup. And the Seminoles are very fortunate he did.

With Wake Forest defensive back Amari Henderson draped across his back and Henderson’s left arm wrapped around his, Tate finished off a perfect, 40-yard post route by hauling in a pass from freshman quarterback James Blackman for a game-winning touchdown. The completion, which came despite Henderson being called for pass interference on the play, gave the Seminoles a 26-19 advantage with only 53 seconds left.

“That was just winning time,” Tate said. “I felt like I needed to be out there. It’s just win or go home right there. … He was grabbing my left arm, too. I knew I was going to get a P.I. I already knew that. But I was just trying to get my arm off of him so I could try to make a catch. And I got it out at the last second.”

For much of the week leading up to Saturday’s game, Tate wasn’t sure he would be able to play. By Tuesday, he was only doing light individual drills. By Wednesday and Thursday, he was seeing limited action in team sessions.

It wasn’t until Tate was able to catch some passes in pregame warm-ups on Saturday that he really knew he would be available to contribute against Wake Forest.

“I was in a lot of pain,” said Tate, who had his left arm resting in a sling after the game. “At first, I didn’t really know if I was going to be able to go. … I just tried to make every play I was in count. He put the ball exactly where it needed to be, and I just went and got it.”

Tate’s injury was one of several that has plagued Florida State in the opening weeks of the 2017 campaign. The Seminoles (1-2, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) also lost quarterback Deondre Francois to a season-ending knee injury, and they’ve seen a number of other players go down as well.