ABOVE VIDEO:Hear what head coach Jimbo Fisher had to say following Tuesday’s practice. (Florida State Seminoles Video)
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA (Seminoles.com)– No. 15/17 Florida State (7-1, 5-1 ACC) literally took things to another level on Tuesday spending a good portion of the afternoon practicing with amplified crowd noise blaring in the background at the Albert J. Dunlap Athletic Training Facility in preparation for Saturday’s showdown against No. 3/5 Clemson (8-0, 5-0 ACC).
Death Valley has been known for its rowdy and loud atmosphere in the past and the Seminoles expect nothing less come Saturday with huge national and ACC implications on the line.
The winner of Saturday’s game will be in the driver’s seat to claim the ACC Atlantic Division title and a spot in the Dr. Pepper ACC Championship Game.
Jimbo Fisher
“It helps big time,” said Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher on using crowd noise at practice on Tuesday.
“We probably should practice like that more often because it increases focus. I think it makes you lock in and focus more at practice because of it. It seemed to really help us today.
“You never emulate (Death Valley) because in a game you have pressure and all that stuff. But you get noise and the communication process is what you’re really trying to lock in on.”
Florida State has won three straight and four of the last five games from Clemson including the last meeting inside Memorial Stadium when the Seminoles jumped out to an early 17-0 lead and never looked back en route to a 51-14 victory.
Last year, Sean Maguire led the Noles to a come-from-behind, overtime victory over the Tigers thanks to 304 passing yards including a 74-yard strike to Rashad Greene with 6:04 left in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 17-17.
One of the many bright spots from Tuesday’s practice was the return of redshirt senior linebacker Terrance Smith. Smith, who has been sidelined with an ankle injury since the Wake Forest game, was back out at practice running around for the second day in a row.
“Terrance has actually looked good,” added Fisher.
“He practiced; he was in there practicing some, moving around. He felt really good yesterday. Terrance seems to be cutting well. I’ll have to see after practice when I get the film. I lost track, but he was practicing doing team stuff. If he’s back into playing shape, because he’s in real good condition, it’d be good to have an extra number and that athlete in space and a guy with that experience.”
Smith led the Seminoles on defense in last year’s meeting against the Tigers with 13 tackles. In four starts this year, the Decatur, Ga., native has 16 tackles including 3.5 TFL’s and a forced fumble.
First College Football Playoff Rankings
The first College Football Playoff rankings were released Tuesday night and Florida State checked in at No. 16. The Seminoles’ opponent on Saturday, the Clemson Tigers, earned the top spot in the CFP rankings. The Florida Gators checked in at No. 10
No. 15/17 Florida State (7-1, 5-1 ACC) literally took things to another level on Tuesday spending a good portion of the afternoon practicing with amplified crowd noise blaring in the background at the Albert J. Dunlap Athletic Training Facility in preparation for Saturday’s showdown against No. 3/5 Clemson (8-0, 5-0 ACC). (Image by Jeremy Esbrandt)
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