After a disheartening 24-3 loss to Virginia Tech and falling from the rankings, Florida State will have a chance to get in the win column on Saturday night as it hosts FCS Samford. Head coach Willie Taggart is looking for his first win with the program.
Samford is 1-0 after defeating Shorter College last week by a 66-9 score. The Bulldogs are the favorite to win the Southern Conference and possess the preseason Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year in the conference in quarterback Devlin Hogdes and defensive end Ahmad Gooden — both redshirt seniors — respectively.
The Match-Up
Who: Samford Bulldogs (1-0) at Florida State Seminoles (0-1)
Where: Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida
When: 7:20 p.m. EST
Network: ACC Network (Check local listings)
Spread: Florida State -33*
Last Week: Samford defeated Shorter, 66-9; FSU was defeated by Virginia Tech, 24-3.
Key Players
For Samford
Devlin Hodges, QB (R-Sr.): 25-for-36 passing, 330 yards passing, 5 pass TD
Kelvin McKnight, WR (Sr.): 6 catches, 119 yards receiving, 2 TD catches
Ahmad Gooden, DE (R-Sr.): 101 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss in 2017
For Florida State
Deondre Francois, QB (R-Jr.): 22-for-35 passing, 233 yards passing, 3 INT
Cam Akers, RB (So.): 14 carries, 82 yards rushing, 5.9 YPC
Brian Burns, DE (Jr.): 6 tackles, 2 TFL, 1.5 sacks
Series History
All-Time Series: Florida State leads 2-0
Last Meeting: Florida State won, 59-6 (Sept. 4, 2010)
Last Meeting in Tallahassee: Florida State won, 59-6 (Sept. 4, 2010)
First Meeting: Florida State won at home, 20-6 (Oct. 14, 1950)
Notable Contests
Florida State’s 20-6 win in 1950 was the first game that FSU trailed the entire season as by the largest margin as it fell behind 6-0. The Seminoles would finish 8-0 in 1950 to complete their first perfect season.
Florida State’s 59-6 win over Samford in 2010 marked the first win under head coach Jimbo Fisher. Fisher would finish his FSU tenure with an 83-23 record, four ACC Championship appearances, three conference titles and one national championship.
What’s at Stake
For Samford: A win over Florida State would be arguably the biggest in program history. The Bulldogs have just five FCS playoff appearances and just two wins.
For Florida State: The Seminoles will look to avoid losing to an FCS team for the first time. With last week’s loss, FSU has lost consecutive openers for the first time since 1988 and 1989. FSU hasn’t started 0-2 in consecutive years since 1973 and 1974.
Fun Fact
Samford is the alma mater of each of Willie Taggart’s two predecessors — Jimbo Fisher and Bobby Bowden. Bowden actually played for the Bulldogs against FSU in the 1950 contest.
*According to OddsShark
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
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