Over the last two seasons, Florida State has just two road wins.
The first of 2019 came last week as the Seminoles slipped past Boston College late for a thrilling 38-31 victory. Last season, FSU rallied past Louisville for its only road win of the year, 28-24.
Those two contests had some similarities:
An ACC Atlantic contest against an experienced head coach? Check.
Double-digit early deficit? Check.
Long game-winning touchdown pass with the majority of the yards coming after the catch? Check.
Another common denominator in the two victories was cornerback Stanford Samuels III coming up with a late interception to help seal the victory. Currently a junior, Samuels has seven career interceptions, but the two in the last two road wins were vital to preserving those victories.
In last season’s win over Louisville, FSU got a late gift when the Cardinals elected to throw on first down with a 24-21 lead and less than two minutes to go as safety A.J. Westbrook came away with a big interception. After a 58-yard touchdown pass from Deondre Francois to Nyqwan Murray gave FSU its first lead, Samuels came away with a diving interception in the final minute to seal the win.
On Saturday, Boston College had scored 10 straight points to open the fourth quarter to knot the game at 24-24 before James Blackman found D.J. Matthews for a 60-yard touchdown pass to put the Seminoles ahead for good. On Boston College’s next possession, Samuels came away with an interception on an overthrow by Eagles’ quarterback Dennis Grosel with 1:23 remaining in the contest.
Unlike last season’s win over Louisville, it was conceivable that Boston College could get the ball back. That was until backup quarterback Jordan Travis scored on a 66-yard touchdown run — the longest ever by an FSU quarterback — to put the game away with 1:03 to play.
A highly-touted recruit from South Florida and the son of a former FSU cornerback, Stanford Samuels, the younger Samuels has had an up-and-down career. For the season, he is one of six Florida State players with an interception. Samuels ranks second on the team with 52 total tackles.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson. Like The Daily Nole on Facebook. To pitch an idea, author a post or to learn more about The Daily Nole, email Mike Ferguson at Mike@TheDailyNole.com.
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