Written by Matt Zemek at Bloguin
It is true that Everett Golson might not start (or maybe even play in) Florida State’s huge game this Saturday at Clemson. The Seminoles and head coach Jimbo Fisher are keeping their cards close to the vest, as they should. There’s no real need to announce to the world which man will start against the No. 1 team in the College Football Playoff rankings. Sean Maguire could have the day all to himself.
However, would you really want to wager that Golson won’t see the field in this game?
Though perhaps physically limited, Golson was born to play in this kind of contest, to step into this kind of crucible.
He’s done so on several previous occasions, with mixed results. You know he wants one more bite at the apple, and that in many ways is the central drama of Saturday’s showdown in Death Valley.
Last week, we saw Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn play Sean White at quarterback for most of the Tigers’ game against Ole Miss, but Jeremy Johnson found his way into several plays, and at a few points in the contest, Malzahn went play-to-play with his two signal callers.
This tactic was best used in a game Florida State lost, back in 1997 to Florida. Steve Spurrier had Doug Johnson and Noah Brindise go in and out of the game, play after play. Two quarterbacks who would have had a very tough time playing the whole game on their own were very effective when given play-specific coaching and a reduced workload. This is an option for Fisher and the Seminoles’ coaching staff on Saturday afternoon, but if it’s felt that FSU must give entire possessions to its quarterbacks, Golson ought to get most of them or — at the very least — the biggest ones.
He has been through these wars to an extent Maguire has not. He hasn’t always conquered them, but he knows exactly what to expect this weekend in the ACC game of the year, a possible portal to the College Football Playoff for the Noles. (It’s a likely portal to the playoff for Clemson, which would merely need to avoid a slip-up in its remaining games against clearly inferior opponents.)
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