Hot Take Tuesday: Revisiting Previous Hot Takes

Christmas Eve is upon us and the year 2019 is winding down.

During this year, we at The Daily Nole made some changes. While sticking with the “daily” approach, we steered away from long game recaps and breaking news as it relates to Florida State athletics and have gone with a daily theme.

Over the final seven months or so this year, we’ve been giving a “Hot Take” every Tuesday. Some are opinions that can’t be measures or quantified while the verdict is still out on others.

With just one more Tuesday remaining in 2019, we decided to look at how we did on our takes where a conclusion could be formed. Take a look:

James Blackman Will Have the Best Season for an FSU QB Since 2013 (May 7)
Unfortunately, this one is a swing and a miss. James Blackman’s 2019 campaign started strong, but it didn’t quite rise to anything close to the best of the last six years. At one point, Blackman was in a quarterback battle with Alex Hornibrook. Blackman’s passer rating is in line with Winston’s 2014 season and Everett Golson’s 2015, but neither the yards or touchdowns are stellar in comparison.

At Least 3 FSU True Freshmen Will Win Starting Jobs (May 21)
Chalk this one up as correct. Although there were few true freshmen who solidified a starting spot for FSU this season, several true freshmen made starts in 2019. Guard Dontae Lucas and defensive back Akeem Dent made multiple starts. Up front, Darius Washington and Maurice Smith also made starts along the offensive line.

Former FSU QB Winston Will Lead Bucs to Playoffs, Make Pro Bowl in 2019 (June 4)
Here is another miss. In his fifth year in the NFL, Jameis Winston is currently leading the league in passing yards and is 92 yards away from becoming the eighth player in league history to throw for 5,000 yards. Winston also ranks second in the NFL with 31 touchdown passes, but cutting out the interceptions has still been an issue. Winston leads the NFL with 28 of those. Winston threw four interceptions on Saturday as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fell to 7-8 and will miss the playoffs for the 12th straight season.

Willie Taggart Will Notch Biggest Win of Career to Date in 2019 (July 9)
This unfortunately did not happen for Willie Taggart. Taggart had three wins over ranked teams coming into 2019, including one over No. 22 Boston College late in the 2018 season. This year, Taggart went just 4-5 before being fired in early November. His FSU teams were blasted by Clemson and rival Miami. Of his four wins this season, only Louisville finished with a winning record.

FSU Football Will Double Rushing Yardage Total from 2018 (July 16)
Florida State was significantly better running the football in 2019 than it was in 2018, but it doesn’t look like the Seminoles will double their rushing total. Last season, FSU finished with 1,093 yards on the ground. Through 12 games this season, it is at 1,605 yards. For FSU to double its total, it would need to finish with 481 yards rushing against Arizona State in the Sun Bowl.

FSU Soccer Will Repeat as National Champions (Aug. 6)
Whiff. FSU soccer enjoyed another outstanding season, earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately for the Seminoles, they were no match for UCLA in the Elite Eight. The Bruins blasted FSU 4-0, ending its season one win shy of the College Cup. There hasn’t been a repeat national champion since North Carolina in 2008 and 2009.

Pump the Brakes on Alex Hornibrook (Sept. 24)
This one was tough to qualify, but the notion that FSU had found its quarterback in Alex Hornibrook was certainly premature. Hornibrook performed admirably in relief against Louisville and in his first start against NC State, but struggled mightily against Miami. Although quarterback play wasn’t outstanding, it became obvious as the season went on that James Blackman was the better option. We’re putting a check mark by this take.

Saturday’s Contest with Miami is Biggest of Taggart’s FSU Tenure (Oct. 29)
This one also gets a ding, ding, ding. In a match-up of 4-4 teams to open the month of November, Florida State lost its third straight game to rival Miami and was embarrassed at home, 27-10. Miami would finish just 6-6 in its first year under head coach Manny Diaz, which included losses to Georgia Tech, Florida International and Duke. Following the loss to the Hurricanes, Taggart was relieved of his duties as FSU head coach.

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.