The Daily Nole

FSU Football: Top 5 RB Performances Under Jimbo Fisher

wlpearce.com/FSU athletics

With six years under his belt as head football coach at Florida State, there’s no questioning Jimbo Fisher’s success. Since Fisher took over in 2010, the Seminoles have managed to go 68-14 with six ranked finishes, four major bowl appearances, three ACC championship and the 2013 national title.

While FSU has played great as a whole under Fisher, there are a number of individual performances that stick out as well. In a new series, we’ll be looking at the best individual games for Seminoles to play under Fisher. Though the FSU head coach has been known for his ability to develop quarterbacks, there’s been plenty of rushers to have outstanding efforts during his tenure. Here’s the five best performances by Seminole running backs since 2010:

5. Jacques Patrick vs. Syracuse (Oct. 31, 2015)
Stats:
24 rushes, 162 yards, 3 touchdowns, 6 catches, 62 yards
In place of an injured Dalvin Cook, freshman Jacques Patrick spent his first Halloween in Tallahassee giving the Syracuse defense nightmares. In his first career start, Patrick accounted for 224 yards of total offense and three touchdowns. Patrick also averaged more than seven yards per touch in the 45-21 FSU victory.

4. Lonnie Pryor vs. Northern Illinois (Jan. 1, 2013 — Orange Bowl)
Stats:
5 carries, 134 yards, 2 touchdowns, 3 catches, 17 yards
Florida State’s first major bowl victory in 13 years came over an upstart Northern Illinois team to close the 2012 season, but there was no stopping fullback Lonnie Pryor. On just eight touches, Pryor amassed more than 150 yards of total offense and broke touchdown runs of 60 and 37 yards in the 31-10 FSU victory.

3. Chris Thompson vs. Wake Forest (Sept. 15, 2012)
Stats:
9 carries, 197 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 catches, 23 yards
Coming off a horrific injury in 2011, it didn’t take long into 2012 before Chris Thompson let opposing ACC defenses know he was still a force. In the conference opener against Wake Forest, Thompson accounted for 220 yards of offense and averaged nearly 22 yards per carry. Thompson broke touchdown runs of 80 and 74 yards as the Seminoles blanked the Demon Deacons, 52-0.

2. Dalvin Cook vs. South Florida (Sept. 12, 2015)
Stats:
30 carries, 266 yards, 3 touchdowns
After becoming the first Florida State freshman to rush for 1,000 yards in a season in 2014, it took Dalvin Cook only two games into his sophomore year to have a career day. Against South Florida, Cook finished with the second-best rushing day ever for an FSU player, accumulating 266 yards on the ground, which included touchdown runs of 74, 24 and 37 yards. The Seminoles beat the Bulls, 34-14.

1. Dalvin Cook vs. Miami (Oct. 10, 2015)
Stats:
22 carries, 222 yards, 2 touchdowns, 3 catches, 47 yards, touchdown
A Miami native, Dalvin Cook has been a Hurricane killer in his first two years at Florida State. In last season’s match-up, Cook accounted for a career-high 271 total yards and three touchdowns. Cook’s 23-yard touchdown with under seven minutes to go turned out to be the game-winner as FSU defeated Miami for a sixth straight time, 29-24. A long touchdown run from Cook with under four minutes to go put the Seminoles ahead for good the previous year in a 30-26 win in South Florida.

Honorable Mention

Chris Thompson — 2010 at Miami
Devonta Freeman — 2012 at Maryland, 2013 vs. Miami
Karlos Williams — 2014 at N.C. State
Dalvin Cook — 2014 vs. Georgia Tech (ACC Championship), 2015 vs. Louisville, 2015 at Clemson, 2015 at Florida

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