TALLAHASSEE, Fla. _ After FSU starting quarterback James Blackman and backup Alex Hornibrook went through a tough preseason battle for the top job, Seminoles coach Willie Taggart said Thursday Hornibrook may get a chance to show what he can do soon.
"Again, James has some throws he wishes he could've had back to help our football team and we're looking to see him improve from there and Alex has been doing a good job for us," Taggart said. "We have some plays and things where we want to be able to get Alex in and let him run some of those plays. Hopefully we'll get the chance to do that."
Florida State (1-2, 0-1 ACC) will host the Louisville Cardinals (2-1, 0-0 ACC), who will be playing their conference opener Saturday with two starting quarterback options. Starter Jawon Pass is expected to return from a foot injury and backup Malik Cunnignham has been preparing just in case Pass can't play the full game, reportedly taking snaps with Cardinals' first team during practice this week.
Louisville has transformed under the direction of new coach Scott Satterfield and his staff. Offensive coordinator Dwayne Ledford, who previously was the offensive line coach and run game coordinator at NC State, has helped lead the Cardinals' improvement.
Taggart said he and his staff have looked at both what Ledford did at NC State last season as well as how the Louisville offense operated last year to prepare for Saturday's matchup that will kick off at 3:30 p.m. and air on ESPN.
"You look at both. You look at what they were doing last year and the things they're doing now and you see some similarities in their offense and what NC State did last year in the run game," Taggart said. "There's some similarities there and you know you're going to get some of the plays you saw last year."
Defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett said ultimately the game plan has to be about finishing, regardless of which Louisville quarterback plays.
He said the Seminoles studied their 31-24 loss to then-No. 25 Virginia this past Saturday to understand how important proper execution down the stretch is for the FSU defense.
"We showed the last 4:49 of the game (to the team), we showed an emphasis on that before we came out to practice," Barnett said. " ... Everybody understands we have to finish. It's about finishing. So that's what we're focusing on. Not just the first two or three quarters, but all four."
