Florida State is 2-4 on the season, and 0-3 at home for the first time since 1974. Losing is something that nobody at Florida State is used to — not head coach Jimbo Fisher, not the players, or the fans that fill Doak Campbell Stadium every Saturday.
When things are going bad, everything becomes magnified. Fans and coaches become frustrated, especially when there is no end to the downward spiral in sight.
The fun ride that was the 2013 season is long gone, and it has been a frustrating ride for Seminole fans the past few seasons. According to Fisher, he is dealing with the 2-4 season in a positive way saying, “That’s part of life. I’ve been through ups and downs in life.”
But Fisher’s actions after the game show differently. Fisher let his emotions get the best of him when he lashed out at a fan who was heckling the head coach.
“There’s no reason to be nasty,” Fisher said when asked about the incident. “But at the same time defending players and people you’re with, I’m in charge of them. I love them like a father. When they say something to your family, you take up for them.”
To put it as simple as possible, this is a terrible look for Florida State and Jimbo Fisher. You can write it off as frustration boiling over, but it is something that should not and can not happen.
The new and improved “tough-guy” Fisher was well aware the fan was never going to come down to field level, but he doubled down on his message to the fans after the game asking if they were going to be loyal or not.
“If you’re a fan — are you going to be a loyal fan or not, just keep fighting with us,” the head coach said. “We ain’t quitting on you. Please don’t quit on us.”
This is the second home loss in a row where Fisher has had a message for the fans; after the 24-20 loss to Miami two weeks earlier, Fisher asked for the fans to just keep cheering.
“Listen, those kids are playing their hearts out. We’ll coach them better. Blame it on me,” Fisher said. “Keep being there for them. They’re playing their tails off.”
You can point your finger at a lot of different things as to why this season is going in the wrong direction. Fisher is leaning heavily on true freshmen quarterback Justin Blackman and running back Cam Akers while the defense has played at both an elite level, and a high school level this season. But none of this has anything to do with the fans.
Florida State fans are spoiled. They have not seen a losing season in over 40 years, and every season has ended with a bowl game for the past 35 years. During what fans refer to as the “Lost Decade” from 2001-09, FSU still won the ACC three times and finished ranked in six of those seasons.
FSU fans like to win and expect it, but I don’t think they are going to go jump on the UCF or South Florida bandwagon after six games. Questioning the fan base, and asking a fan to fight you in the span of an hour after your third home loss of the season is ill-advised.
It is time for Fisher to worry about getting his football team back on track; the fans will be there regardless of the head coach and his assistants. You just may not see them because they are inside the Champions Club.
Fisher and the Seminoles will play away from Doak Campbell Stadium in the coming week when they take on a sneaky-good Boston College team on Friday night in a shortened week. This is a chance for Fisher to improve to 3-0 on the road this season and reassure fans and himself before they come back to Tallahassee and play Syracuse in what will likely be another early kickoff.
From a failure to finish drives to the inability to get timely stops late in games to injuries, Fisher has plenty to worry about. The fans shouldn’t be on that list. If Fisher wants to get back into the fan base’s good graces, finding a way to win will do more for that than anything he has to say in the post-game press conference or on his way to the locker room.
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