Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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40 NOV. 12, 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY COREY BODDEN F lorida State currently owns the nation's longest active bowl streak with 36 consecu- tive appearances. After winning 10 games or more for five straight seasons under for- mer head coach Jimbo Fisher and in six of his first seven years at the helm, the Seminoles have been in a state of disarray. Fisher bolted for Texas A&M be- fore the 2017 season ended, and Flor- ida State had to win its final three games to become bowl eligible. Willie Taggart was hired after one year at Oregon to get the Seminoles back on track and change some of the cultural problems that existed toward the end of Fisher's tenure. The 2018 season has been rocky to say the least. Florida State began the year with a 24-3 loss at home to Virginia Tech before escaping with a 36-26 vic- tory over Samford of the Football Championship Subdivision. A 30-7 loss to Syracuse followed, before two straight wins against Northern Illi- nois (37-19) and Louisville (28-24). FSU then blew a 27-7 lead at Miami and lost 28-27. A 38-17 win over Wake Forest seemed to put the Noles a lit- tle closer to turning the corner, but a 59-10 blowout defeat at the hands of Clemson was the worst in program history and led many to question if Taggart was the right man for the job. Year One Headaches The Seminoles have struggled to find their footing in head coach Willie Taggart's first season Despite the presence of talented sophomore running back Cam Akers — who had 465 yards and three scores through eight games — the Seminoles ranked 127th nationally in rushing offense (83.5 yards per game). PHOTO BY BILL PEARCE/FSU SPORTS INFORMATION