There’s still time. Still time for the Noles to burst from the tunnel with steam blasting out of their ears. Time to take no prisoners, from kickoff to final horn. Still time for that close-to-perfect game that, if we’re lucky, comes once a season.
Remember, there was one last year. From the moment FSU hit the field at Sun Life Stadium, there was no doubt the Noles had found that elusive fifth gear. And it didn’t take long for the Canes to sense their opponents that night were on fire. For the guys with the U on their helmets, resistance was futile. Nothing they could do was going to match the intensity of their long time rivals from North Florida.
Final score 45 - 17, though it looked more like a zillion to zip. It was one helluva birthday present for Jimbo Fisher (his 45th that very day).
There was one more last year that almost qualified as a “Lights Out” game. FSU’s long overdue 31 - 7 gigging of the gators was a thing of beauty. In the great scheme of things, it probably meant more to FSU faithful than that UM body slam. But unlike the game at Sun Life, the gator beatdown was actually in doubt until the second quarter.
In 2009, what Nole fan could forget their team turning out the lights on Brigham Young. Especially because it was about as expected as a blizzard hitting the Big Bend in August. FSU had lost an opener to those Canes, then struggled to escape an upset by Jacksonville State. Game three at Provo looked close to unwinnable. Maybe even a Mormon massacre.
The thin mountain air was supposed to leave the Noles gasping. Instead, the Cougars looked like the oxygen-deprived flatlanders, as FSU ran circles around them for 60 minutes. The 54-28 final was so convincing, much of the Nole Nation heralded it as the beginning of Dynasty II. Oh, well.
Interesting thing about those last two “Lights Out” games, though. They were both on the road. If that trend continues, this year’s “L.O.” opponent lashing could come Nov. 3 at Boston. OR Thanksgiving weekend at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Florida Field in the shadow of the Urban Meyer Esophageal Spasms Clinic.
Yep, there’s still time.
Comments? Questions? Kudos?