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After a numbing 35-7 loss in Los Angeles, Boston College football had a much-needed week off to regroup. Saturday, the No. 8-ranked Florida State Seminoles come to the Heights, giving the Eagles another major challenge. I had the chance to interview Perry Kostidakis, the sports editor of Florida State’s student newspaper, FSView. Perry provides some key insights into the Seminole football program, their successes so far and an outlook for the match-up.
(Note: Bold letters represent The Gavel; regular font indicates FSView.)
What are the current season expectations around campus after Florida State’s three dominant wins?
When we went into the season, most people on campus expected a two-loss team; some even held out the hope of a one-losser getting an at-large BCS bid. With how the team has looked, and especially because of all of the hype that's surrounded Jameis, people have started more and more to lean towards a national championship run, should FSU win in Death Valley for the first time since 2001 and avoid an upset against an ACC foe for the first time since Jimbo has been head coach.
Image via Jake Bibler / Flickr
How exactly did the “Famous Jameis” nickname begin, and how has the freshman handled the hype?
“Famous Jameis” started to come about around baseball season, where only those who followed the sport closely knew of his pedigree and potential. He started to get more name recognition around the time spring practice started/when he started to make crazy plays on the baseball field, and then of course culminated after the Pitt game (though I prefer, like defensive tackle Jacobbi McDaniel, to call him Jaboosie). He's handled the hype the same way he has since high school: by not really caring about it. From what I've seen, and from what players have said, he's still the same goofy kid that just happens to be really, really good at football.
In his words: "I'm going to be myself, no matter what, whether I'm on ESPN or if I'm on WorldstarHipHop."
With huge contests against Maryland and Clemson following BC, is there a chance the Eagles get overlooked?
In the eyes of the fans, the only games on this year's schedule were Clemson, Miami and Florida. With Boston College looking a lot better than they did last year, and especially with a huge runner like Andre Williams, things have the chance to get interesting. I think for the team, they remember what it was like to lose to NC State last year and they'll use that to not get complacent.
How has Coach Fisher kept Winston and the team grounded and focused week-to-week (take notes, Kevin Sumlin)?
The theme so far of the season has been that there's always things to work on, and that's something that Fisher has hammered home each time he's addressed the media. This is a young team, and they're quite aware of what needs to happen for them to achieve their goal, which is another ACC Championship and a berth in the national championship.
Even with Coach Pruitt’s Alabama background, is the fan base surprised by the seamless transition of defensive coordinators? [Florida State is currently 3rd in the nation in points allowed per game.]
Funny you mention that, because even though Florida State is once again putting one of the best defenses in the nation on the field, the reaction from the fan base is that the defense is actually underachieving. The scary part is, they might be right. When they learn to stop the run consistently and fix the missed tackling problem that's popped up over the last three games, I don't think there'll be a more equipped defense in the nation.
What does Boston College have to do to pull off an “NC State 2012”-type upset over your highly-ranked Seminoles? Minus the fat shirtless fan:
God, that Gif brings back terrible, terrible memories.
To pull off the upset, Boston College has to play their game. Don't be intimidated by the hype of the Football Messiah, don't get scared of the defensive talent, play Boston College football and you've got yourself a ball game. It so happens that Florida State's biggest defense weakness is the Eagles' strongest offensive element: the run game. Andre Williams is a big ol' guy that has more carries than FSU's top three runners combined, and that's where they can hurt the 'Noles. Run the ball, manage the clock and take a couple shots downfield. Try and mess with Jameis' head and make him look like a mortal.
And finally, your prediction?
The game is going to go much as the last three have gone for the Seminoles: slow start, panic from the fan base and then in the second quarter, things might get ugly. I'm going with final score FSU 48 Boston College 10, but hey, I think Williams runs for over 100 yards, so there's that.
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