In the wake of Florida State's stunning 36-31 loss to Boise State on Saturday, it's time for a new Warchant 3-2-1 to bring things into focus. In this edition, managing editor Ira Schoffel shares three observations, two questions and a prediction.
Three things we've learned
1 -- What happened Saturday was last thing Taggart needed
Let's start with the obvious: It's going to be difficult for Willie Taggart and his coaching staff to come back from this.
I'm not going to say they can't. It would be foolish to talk in absolutes at this point. But if you were trying to come up with a scenario that would make this coaching staff's job as challenging as possible, this might have been it.
Willie Taggart needed to win that opening game. He needed to win it not just for the fans who checked out after last season and haven't renewed their season tickets. He needed to win it for the players in his locker room. He needed to win it to convince them that he and his staff know what they're doing, that they're putting them in the best possible positions to succeed, and that the players are going to reap the rewards of their hard work.
What we witnessed on Saturday is not going to help in that regard. If anything, it might have done irreparable harm.
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At Florida State, it's never going to be understandable to lose at home to Boise State. Under any circumstances. But for it to happen like this?
The game got moved from Jacksonville to Doak Campbell Stadium. Boise was starting a true freshman quarterback. The Broncos had to fly into Jacksonville on Thursday as originally planned, practice there, then bus over to Tallahassee on Friday.
You had an 18-point lead not once, but twice. The talent disparity on the two rosters was sizable. The temperature on the field was 100 degrees. The visiting team was from Idaho.
And. You. Still. Lost.
Lest anyone forget, that is now five ugly losses in Florida State's last six games.
These were the Seminoles' last five games of the 2018 season:
* 59-10 loss to Clemson at home -- the worst home defeat in school history
* 47-28 loss at N.C. State -- it was 27-7 early; the game was never competitive
* 42-13 loss at Notre Dame -- it was 32-6 in the first half; again never competitive
