Fourteen Florida State seniors took the field at Doak Campbell Stadium for the final time on Saturday as the No. 14 Seminoles handled FCS power Chattanooga, 52-13. The win gave the FSU senior class 48 victories for their careers, which tied a school-record for wins in a 4-year period set by last year’s class. This class could top that either by winning at Florida on Saturday or a bowl game.
“The thing about Senior Day is as much as I love ‘em, they scare me because you get so many mixed emotions about this is the last time I’m here and this is the last home game and all those things,” said FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher at Wednesday’s ACC teleconference. “It’s a culmination of your whole career and what you’ve achieved and where you been and things you accomplished. It’s a happy-sad day.”
Unlike last year’s class which had seven players get selected in the 2015 NFL Draft, this senior class has featured a number of individuals who have overcome significant obstacles from playing time to injuries to position changes.
Linebackers Terrance Smith and Reggie Northrup combined for 12 total tackles in Saturday’s victory. Smith has been a mainstay in the FSU lineup since the Seminoles’ national championship season of 2013. Smith has been a proven playmaker since becoming the leader of the linebacking corps last season, but injuries have kept him from seeing as much of the field as he had hoped.
Northrup spent the majority of his first two seasons at FSU playing special teams, but as a junior in 2014, Northrup became the first Seminole since Buster Davis in 2006 to record more than 100 tackles in a season. Northrup tore his ACL in last season’s Rose Bowl loss to Oregon, leaving many to wonder how much he’d be able to contribute this season. The senior from Jacksonville is on pace to lead the Seminoles in total tackles for a second straight season.
Like Northrup, redshirt senior safety Lamarcus Brutus spent the early parts of his career as a special teamer. On Saturday against the Mocs, Brutus recorded his team-high third interception of the year, which he returned 37 yards to set up a touchdown. Brutus came on late last season with picks against both Florida and Georgia Tech to propel the Seminoles to a spot in the first ever College Football Playoff.
Perhaps the best story of the year for FSU has been the play of cornerback and former walk-on Javien Elliott. Elliott, a Panama City native, wasn’t given a scholarship after a solid high school career and was forced to walk on at FSU. Elliott was given a scholarship prior to the season and thanks to a few injuries in the secondary, Elliott has become a mainstay in the lineup. Though he recorded just one tackle on Saturday, Elliott has been stellar in helping stop the run. Against Louisville on October 17th, Elliott snagged his first career interception.
The Doak Campbell Stadium faithful said goodbye to three defensive tackles on Saturday as Nile Lawrence-Stample, Giorgio Newberry and Derrick Mitchell all took the field for the last time.
Lawrence-Stample as a sophomore was a significant part of the defensive line during Florida State’s run to the national title. Lawrence-Stample was off to a good start in 2014 before a torn pectoral muscle forced him to miss the majority of the year. As a senior this season, Lawrence-Stample has enjoyed a career-year.
For Newberry, it’s been a case of musical positions. Newberry came to Florida State as a defensive end in 2011, but due to a lack of depth, he was forced to move to tight end in 2013. Last season, Newberry moved inside to defensive tackle, but played sparingly. As a senior this season, Newberry has enjoyed a career-year, spending time up front both as an end and primarily as a defensive tackle.
Mitchell hasn’t had the impact this season as he did last, but after injuries plagued the early parts of his career, Mitchell worked his way into the starting lineup for the 2014 season-opener against Oklahoma State. Mitchell has provided a nice veteran presence to a very deep FSU defensive front.
Safety Tyler Hunter had just one tackle on Saturday, but did recover a fumble, which set up a FSU touchdown. Hunter started his FSU career at cornerback before switching to safety in 2013. Unfortunately, a neck injury that season kept Hunter from contributing to FSU’s title run down the stretch. Since then, Hunter has found himself splitting time, but has had his share of big moments including a game-sealing interception against Wake Forest early last month.
The lone senior of note on the offensive side of the ball is quarterback and Notre Dame transfer Everett Golson. Golson helped lead the Fighting Irish to an appearance in the BCS National Championship in 2012, but missed the following season to academic issues. Golson was reinstated in 2014, but was benched late in the season as a result of turnovers.
Golson proceeded to transfer to Florida State this summer and started his first seven games as Seminole. Golson helped FSU get off to a 6-0 start and engineered a fourth quarter comeback against Miami on October 10th. The latter half of the year hasn’t turned out the way Golson had hoped as the Seminoles have turned to Sean Maguire at quarterback, but for the most part, Golson has drastically improved when it comes to taking care of the football. Golson completed all three of his pass attempts for 67 yards on Saturday and will be available if FSU needs him down the stretch.
Once one of the more maligned Seminoles, punter Cason Beatty has quietly put together a solid senior season. Beatty’s lone punt on Saturday was a booming 52-yard boot that pinned Chattanooga inside its own 10-yard-line. Beatty never averaged more than 41.1 yards-per-punt through his first three seasons. As a senior in 2015, Beatty has averaged better than 44 yards per kick.
This year’s group of seniors for Florida State won’t be able to extend the streak of three straight ACC championships, but the Seminoles have finished 6-2 in conference play and have a chance to win 10 games and participate in a New Year’s Six bowl. FSU also has the chance to beat both Miami and Florida in the same season for a third straight year — not bad for what was branded in the preseason as a rebuilding year.
When Florida State’s current group of seniors first signed their letters of intent to play in Tallahassee, the outgoing senior class had never lost fewer than four games in a season. This group of FSU seniors has seen nothing but success and they have the national championship rings to prove it. They’re currently 48-5 — good for a winning rate of almost 91 percent.
“This senior group has been outstanding,” Fisher said Wednesday. “It’s been quite an achievement in what they’ve meant to this program and how they’ve restored it and hopefully, they can continue that throughout the rest of the season.”
Featured image courtesy of Florida State athletics
