Florida State football isn’t close to what it used to be. Still, there is no excuse for what happened Saturday against Jacksonville State in Tallahassee.
The Seminoles, who lost Sunday to Notre Dame in overtime, were up three points against the Gamecocks, who are based in Alabama not the Sunshine State.
The fact Florida State only had a three-point lead over Jacksonville State after 59 minutes and 54 seconds is troubling. The Seminoles came into their home game a 27-point favorite.
What happened next is stunning:
JACKSONVILLE STATE WALK-OFF TOUCHDOWN! #SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/MTxkuRJgp2
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 12, 2021
The final play of the game was good for 59 yards and it went from quarterback Zerrick Cooper to Damond Philyaw-Johnson to give the Gamecocks a 20-17 victory.
The Gamecocks were full of themselves after the upset, planting their flag on the Seminole logo at Doak Campbell Stadium.
Jacksonville State flag plant in Doak 😳 pic.twitter.com/2RFVRvna10
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) September 12, 2021
Jacksonville State just got paid $400,000 to beat Florida State 20-17 pic.twitter.com/dhnfolpxSx
— NCAAF Nation (@NCAAFNation247) September 12, 2021
The Seminoles led 17-7 in the fourth quarter only to see the Gamecocks score the game’s last 13 points.
To give you an idea of how bad a loss this is, Jacksonville State came into the game 0-1, having lost its opener to UAB, 31-0.
UAB was shredded by Georgia 56-7 on Saturday in Athens.
Florida State had beaten Jacksonville State, 41-24, in its season opener in 2020. The Gamecocks led 24-21 in that one before the Seminoles scored the final 20 points.