Last season's 51-14 thumping by FSU is a painful memory Clemson is hoping to forget this Saturday when they visit Tallahassee to take on Florida State. Aiding their cause is reigning Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston's first half suspension after the quarterback was seen yelling obscenities on campus.
"It's not something we want or we're indicative of and it's not a good decision," coach Jimbo Fisher said, referring to Winston's behavior. "It was something that has to be addressed."
Winston threw for three touchdowns and ran for a score in the meeting between these two teams last season. Clemson was in the title hunt before getting blown out by Florida State, who used the win as a momentum-builder for their eventual championship run. The No. 22 ranked Tigers are hoping to use Winston's suspension as a springboard to upset top-ranked FSU on Saturday.
"We've tried to remind these guys that we did get embarrassed out here, make no mistake about it," Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris said. "Yes, we've definitely talked about it."
Clemson safety Jayron Kearse is tired of FSU's year-old boasts.
"Just from what they did to us last year, that was an embarrassment," Kearse said. "Just looking through media, that's all they talk about is how they beat us 51-14 and things like that. That's old, that's behind us. We're just ready to go out and show the world what we can do (on) Saturday."
Replacing Winston in the first half will be sophomore Sean Maguire, who has only attempted 26 passes during his time at FSU. Maguire will try to lead a Seminoles team that ranks just 90th in total yards and 77th in points this season after finishing 4th and 1st last year, respectively.
Fisher appeared on SportsCenter Wednesday night, where he was asked about Maguire's ability to fill in for Winston.
"This is about Florida State football, Jameis Winston is a great player, but there are a lot of great players here. We have a great team. Sean Maguire is a very capable quarterback that can play very well. He's practiced well, had a great camp, a great spring and I think the guys will rally around him. We'll continue to run our offense and do the things that we do."
