Photo courtesy of Ross Obley/FSU Athletics
The 2019 football season for Florida State ended just how it began – in disappointment. For the second straight year, the Seminoles will finish the season with a losing record after a 20-14 loss to Arizona State in the Sun Bowl.
FSU rallied from nine points down to take a lead into the fourth quarter, but six turnovers, including five from quarterback James Blackman, were too much to overcome. For the final time, the Fifth Quarter staff of FSU moderators will recognize those who did stand out on Tuesday. Handing out game balls are Mike Ferguson, Cory Thorpe, John Cooper, Salty Chris Fowler, Rednollah and Chase Griggers:
Offense
Mike, John, Salty and Chase: Deonte Sheffield, RB
Without a scholarship tailback in the lineup, walk-on Deonte Sheffield carried the load for Florida State, and did so admirably. On a day where FSU surprisingly went for 224 yards on the ground, Sheffield was the game’s leading rusher with 87 yards on 18 carries. Sheffield also caught a pass for a yard.
Cory and Rednollah: Tamorrion Terry, WR
Although his fumble on the final possession for Florida State ultimately ended the contest, the Seminoles would not have been in the game without the contributions of redshirt sophomore wide receiver Tamorrion Terry. Terry finished the day with game-highs of nine receptions for 165 yards and the 91-yard touchdown reception from James Blackman late in the third quarter that gave the Seminoles their first lead. That also served as the longest pass play in Sun Bowl history. Terry also carried the ball three times for 18 yards. Terry finishes the season as FSU’s leader in virtually every receiving category, tallying 60 catches for 1,188 yards and nine touchdown receptions. The nearly 1,200 yards receiving ranks seventh all-time for a single season at Florida State.
Defense
Mike and Salty: Cory Durden, DT
Although the numbers weren’t massive, redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Cory Durden was virtually unblockable against Arizona State on Tuesday. Durden finished with just three stops, but was a mainstay in the Sun Devils’ backfield. He had 0.5 sacks and 1.5 of FSU’s 5 tackles for loss. Durden finishes the 2019 season tied with Marvin Wilson for the team lead in sacks with five.
Cory: Carlos Becker, DB
Injuries have hampered redshirt junior defensive back Carlos Becker’s career, but there is something about bowl games that seems to bring out the best in the Kissimmee native. In Tuesday’s Sun Bowl loss to Arizona State, Becker led the Seminoles with 10 total tackles and was all over the field. The 10 tackles for Becker was a career-high and five of those tackles were of the solo variety.
John, Rednollah and Chase: Emmett Rice, LB
Over the final half of 2019, it would be hard to make the argument that anyone other than redshirt junior Emmett Rice was Florida State’s best linebacker. Rice was around the football constantly on Tuesday, finishing with seven tackles, including three solo stops. The Miami native finishes the year with a career-high 72 total tackles – good for second on the team.
Special Teams
Unanimous Game Ball: Tommy Martin, P
An unlikely starter at the beginning of the season, redshirt sophomore and walk-on punter Tommy Martin finished the 2019 campaign strong. In Tuesday’s contest, Martin averaged 41.5 yards per punt and did a good job keeping Arizona State backed up. Four of Martin’s six punts were downed inside the Arizona State 20-yard-line, and booted a massive 57-yarder as well.
Mike Ferguson is a contributor for Fifth Quarter and the editor of The Daily Nole. Be sure to follow Mike on Twitter at @MikeWFerguson. Follow all of Mike’s work by liking his Facebook page.