Trick-or-treating, ghost stories, haunted houses, and overly energetic children can only mean one thing: It’s Halloween. While the holiday might lose some of its luster when one grows up, it’s still a time-honored tradition in many homes, and perfectly encapsulates the fall season.
It’s hard to dislike holidays, and Halloween is no different. In fact, Florida State fans might also lend deeper appreciation to Halloween once they realize how good the Seminoles have been on the holiday.
It’s true: Using cfbtrivia.com, we looked up how Florida State has fared on Halloween games throughout its history. Surprisingly, the Seminoles have played eight total games on Halloween from 1959 to 2015, and they seem to even excel on the holiday. Before you go out to supervise some trick-or-treaters (or if you go trick-or-treating yourself, no judgement here) check out some interesting tidbits from the games that FSU has played on Halloween:
- The Seminoles are 7-1 overall (.875) in games played on Oct. 31. That is a higher win percentage than either Bobby Bowden (.755) or Jimbo Fisher (.811) have at FSU.
- Florida State’s one loss came at the hands of the Georgia Bulldogs in 1959, when it lost by a demoralizing score of 42-0. This was in fact during the one season that Perry Moss coached Florida State. The Seminoles would finish 4-6 overall.
- Since then, the Seminoles have dominated on Halloween. Their average margin of victory in their seven wins is over 25 points.
- The biggest margin of victory came against Tulane in 1987, when FSU won 73-14 at home. The smallest margin of victory was versus N.C. State in 2009, when it won by three in a 45-42 shootout.
- Florida State has never lost a home game on Halloween (6-0).
- The seven wins are against Southern Mississippi (1964), Western Carolina (1981), Tulane (1987), Virginia (1992), North Carolina (1998), N.C. State (2009), and Syracuse (2015).
- Best FSU running back on Halloween: Greg Allen against Western Carolina. He had 32 rushes, 322 yards, and two total touchdowns, including a 95-yard kickoff return. This is, in fact, the most yards an FSU running back has ever amassed in a single game.
- Best FSU receiver on Halloween: Travis Rudolph against Syracuse. Having five receptions for 191 yards and three touchdowns speaks for itself. Honorable mention goes to Fred Biletnikoff, who had a 10-reception, 170-yard, one touchdown outing in a 34-0 rout of Southern Mississippi.
- Best FSU quarterback on Halloween: Sean Maguire against Syracuse. Not too long ago, he went 23-for-35 passing and racked up 348 yards and three touchdowns. He barely edges out Chris Weinke against North Carolina, whose final stat-line was 15-for-27 for 338 yards and two touchdowns.
- Best FSU defender on Halloween: Derrick Brooks against Virginia. Brooks barely gets the nod for his 9-tackle performance that included 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. The options here are almost identical. Derwin James against Syracuse had 12 total tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and a forced fumble. Paul McGowan against Tulane had 11 tackles, including a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery. Honorable mentions to Dick Hermann (11 tackles against Southern Miss) and Tommy Polley (10 tackles, 2 tackles for loss against North Carolina).
- It seems that the Halloween spirit infects the FSU running backs whenever they play. In five of the seven wins, an FSU running back totaled over 100 yards on the ground. Jacques Patrick had 162 yards and three touchdowns against Syracuse last season; even Jermaine Thomas got in on the action against N.C. State, with 186 yards and two touchdowns in 2009.
- Average stats for starting FSU running backs in Halloween wins: 148.8 rushing yards and 1.8 touchdowns.
- Bonus: FSU is just 2-2 overall when wearing black uniforms.
Tip:Â If you really want to scare FSU fans tonight, dress up as former offensive coordinator Jeff Bowden and watch the doors slam shut. ACC official or member of College Football Playoff selection committee are other terrifying options.
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