Blackman Looks to Buck Road Trend for FSU QBs

On a Saturday where James Blackman became the true freshman in 32 years to start for Florida State at quarterback, the 6-foot-5, slender, rifle-armed youngster performed admirably, passing for 278 yards and a touchdown without an interception in a 27-21 loss to N.C. State.

Moving forward, the thought is that Blackman will only improve although some inconsistencies are to be expected with him being a true freshman and opponents accruing game film. Blackman was only a 3-star prospect out of Glades Central High School, but coaches and teammates have raved about him from the first day he stepped foot on campus back in June.

After playing well in his first start, Blackman won’t have the friendly crowd of Doak Campbell Stadium roaring in support this week. Instead, he’ll be facing Wake Forest and an enemy crowd at BB&T Field, although the environment is not the most hostile.

As Blackman looks to build on his performance against N.C. State and give the Seminoles their first win of the season, there is a trend he’ll need to buck. The last three FSU quarterbacks to make their first road starts have all struggled.

Here’s a look at how all quarterbacks making their first career road start for Florida State have done since head coach Jimbo Fisher first took over as offensive coordinator in 2007:

In each of the last 13 seasons in college football, fewer than 12 quarterbacks nationally finished with a passer rating of at least 160. Three of the first four quarterbacks on this list all surpassed that in their first road start. The exception is Christian Ponder, who made his first career road start against Miami in 2008, but offset his sub-par passing day with 144 yards rushing.

Since Jameis Winston enjoyed one of the greatest debuts in college football history during his Heisman Trophy season of 2013, FSU quarterbacks have struggled to perform for the first time in front of an unfriendly crowd. While looking at the numbers, it’s worth noting that Everett Golson’s rating would have ranked 100th nationally, just behind Treon Harris in 2015. Neither Sean Maguire’s effort that year nor Deondre Francois’ effort last season would have ranked in the top 120 nationally for their respective years.

How quarterbacks have performed in their first road start in the past won’t affect how Blackman plays on Saturday, but Fisher would be well-advised to have him prepared to face a adversarial crowd. With trips to Clemson and Florida on the schedule, it’s not going to get any easier.

As for the task at hand, it’s at least a tall one on paper. Wake Forest is talented in the secondary, especially at safety with Jessie Bates and Cameron Glenn both having outstanding seasons so far.

The Demon Deacons currently rank 11th nationally in lowest passer rating allowed and fourth in opponents’ completion percentage. FSU, by far, has the most talent at the skill positions that Wake Forest has seen this season, but the Deacons will be coming in with a lot of confidence and are fully capable of making things difficult for FSU’s freshman signal-caller if he’s ill-prepared.

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson