After a difficult 5-7 first season with head coach Willie Taggart, Florida State fans were hoping for a second-year boost for their team. And with a 31-13 lead over Boise State late in the first half, it looked like maybe this would be a different kind of year for the Seminoles.
Well, maybe not. Florida State blew that 18-point lead, didn’t score in the entire second half and lost, 36-31 to the Broncos on Saturday.
This was a special kind of meltdown for Taggart and his team because they had so many advantages while the Broncos had a lot working against them. The game was in Florida, so, obviously, Boise State had a long trip with a couple hours in time change. Florida State also had unexpected home-field advantage because the game was moved from TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville to Tallahassee because of concerns about Hurricane Dorian making landfall.
Additionally, the Broncos are working with a true freshman quarterback in Hank Bachmeier. He was in high school last year and went 31-for-50 for 407 yards with one touchdown, which happened to be the go-ahead touchdown with one second left in the third quarter.
And lastly, Florida State still had an 18-point lead. While the Broncos’ defense stepped up in the second half, it’s still incredibly challenging to comeback from a deficit like that with a young QB.
And yet, Boise State did it, and college football fans and media members couldn’t believe what happened. It’s not so much that Florida State lost but that it lost after building such a solid lead. And they roasted the Seminoles, as many wondered if Taggart might be in trouble.
