All of 2014 was much, much more stressful. Maguire, who was 4-2 last season as FSU’s starting quarterback, broke a bone in his right foot on the second day of preseason practice on August 10. There were very few blowouts, and many, many close games. “We’ve just got to be prepared”. Though it’s only one game, a significant test has been passed. Swinney, a redshirt freshman, left the game in the second quarter after hurting his left knee on his first carry of the game. The Rebels were firing on all cylinders in the first half, with senior quarterback Chad Kelly tossing three touchdown passes, while Florida State couldn’t get anything going against the Rebels defense. His skills as a runner bring an added dimension to the offense that Florida State hasn’t seen since Charlie Ward was taking the snaps back in the early 90’s.
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Four members of the Florida State football team earned player of the week honors from the Atlantic Coast Conference on Tuesday. And no one knows more about that than former Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston, the leader of the 2013 and ’14 teams.
The No. 11 Ole Miss Rebels were defeated by the No. 4 Florida State Seminoles 34-45 in the Camping World Kickoff Monday Night. On the defensive side of the ball, DeMarcus Walker recorded four sacks while his defensive brothers chipped in with three interceptions and a forced fumble.
Just as the offense looked completely and newly invigorated, Florida State’s defense looked like the unit that it had been described as all season.
The ‘Noles were down 22 points and were getting absolutely man-handled by the No. 13-ranked Rebels as the first half came to a close, but everything changed when the two teams emerged after the half. On the other side, star Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly and an athletic receiving corps carved up the Florida State secondary. He pulled the Rebels within 39-34 early in the third quarter with his fourth TD pass of the game on a pretty 20-yard fade route to receiver Van Jefferson, but Ole Miss would never get closer. Freshman kicker Ricky Aguayo made a school-record six field goals to account for 18 points.
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Freeze said that drive “really shifted the momentum” in the Seminoles’ favor, and that showed in the second half. The interception was one of two third-quarter turnovers that helped Florida State erase a 28-6 deficit.
