The Daily Nole

Jimbo Fisher to Fans: Keep Cheering

Mitch White/FSU Athletics

TALLAHASSEE, Fl. – Florida State (1-3, 1-1 ACC) fell to rival Miami (4-0, 2-0 ACC) for the first time in seven years on Saturday, 24-20. Despite late-game heroics from quarterback James Blackman and receiver Auden Tate, FSU’s defense collapsed when the Seminoles needed it the most. The Hurricanes scored the go-ahead touchdown with just six seconds remaining.

Head coach Jimbo Fisher was complimentary of both teams, congratulating the teams on a hard-fought game. His most notable quote, however, came when he was asked if he had anything to say to the fans following his team’s less-than-stellar start.

“Keep cheering,” Fisher said. “Listen, those kids are playing their hearts out. We’ll coach them better. Blame it on me. Keep being there for them.

“I understand you’re getting frustrated. I’m frustrated. We all get frustrated when we don’t have success, but we line up and go again.”

Fisher also offered words of praise for running backs Jacques Patrick and Cam Akers. The Seminoles ran for more than 200 yards on the day, and Fisher attributed the performance to FSU’s offensive line play.

“They’re doing a really good job. They’re pounding that ball up in there,” Fisher said. “… They were banged up and bruised up and played a heck of a defensive line, and we ran the ball really good.”

FSU marched inside Miami’s 40-yard line on four drives in the first half, but came away with just one field goal. The Noles led 3-0 at halftime, but could have led by much more.

“We’ve got to execute better,” Fisher said.

With Saturday’s loss, the Seminoles sit in a dangerous position – three more losses will put them at six, which means no bowl game for the first time in more than 30 years. Fisher’s message to the team was to stay positive.

“Keep your head up. I’m very proud of them. We grew a lot more in this game than we did the last game or in two games,” Fisher said. “… We didn’t make all the plays. They made one more. But at the same time, there’s no reason to hang your head after that football game. We’re sad. We’re disappointed. There’s no doubt. But we will play.”

Josh Mixon covers Florida State athletics for The Daily Nole and co-hosts the Giving ‘Em The Business Podcast on Soundcloud. You can find him on Twitter @JoshDMixon.

One Comment

  1. Edwin Collins

    October 8, 2017 at 10:16 am

    I will cheer when we don’t lose games to the likes of NC st and UNC year in and year out.

    I will cheer will you average second most talent per recruiting class in the nation over the last 5/7 years and you actually do something with that talent.

    I will cheer when you give us something to cheer about.

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