Life and politics from the Sunshine State's best city

Guessing which way FSU’s Jimbo Fisher will go at quarterback vs. Clemson

in Sports/Top Headlines by

FSU’s Jimbo Fisher isn’t saying. Whatever he plans to do with his quarterback, however he plans to attack the Clemson Tigers, he’s keeping it to himself.

Even if he knows.

Does he start Everett Golson, his starter for much of this season? The guy with the ability to escape defennders? The guy with 11 touchdowns?

Or does he go with the hot hand in Sean Maguire? The guy who looked so good against Syracuse? The guy who beat Clemson last year. Look, there is a reason to argue for Maguire.

Put it this way: Jacques Patrick had a great game last week, and no one is arguing that he should start over Dalvin Cook. Because Cook has been superb. Golson? Not so much.

For Fisher, it’s a decision as he goes for the Seminoles’ biggest victory of the year. Golson has won seven times as his quarterback, but he hasn’t lit it up in any of them. Or Maguire, who threw for 348 yards and three touchdowns last week.

Here’s a hunch that he will go with Golson. With a quick trigger for Maguire.

Oh, Fisher doesn’t usually do this. He usually picks a quarterback and goes with him. He played the position, and he doesn’t like the feeling of a quarterback looking over his shoulder.

But these are different circumstances. Fisher has a lot more ammunition to make a decision these days. And if the Syracuse game was any judge – and as bad as Syracuse has been, it might not be – then Maguire can be a game-changer.

Golson has only one interception for the year. A coach likes that. And there were reasons that Fisher picked Golson at the start of the year.

Besides, Maguire is used to being the backup. He can come off the bench without a hitch. Golson has been a starter. Period. If he’s healthy, he probably will be again.

For FSU, the bigger question is which quarterback will be there in the end, and in the inevitable big drive that is sure to come.

Gary Shelton is one of the most recognized and honored sportswriters in the history of the state. He has won the APSE's national columnist of the year twice and finished in the top 10 eight times. He was named the Florida Sportswriter of the Year six times. Gary joined SaintPetersBlog in the spring, helping to bring a sports presence to the website. Over his time in sports writing, Gary has covered 29 Super Bowls, 10 Olympics, Final Fours, Masters, Wimbledons and college national championships. He was there when the Bucs won a Super Bowl, when the Lightning won a Stanley Cup and when the Rays went to a World Series. He has seen Florida, FSU and Miami all win national championships, and he covered Bear Bryant, Bobby Bowden and Don Shula along the way. He and his wife Janet have four children: Eric, Kevin, K.C. and Tori. To contact, visit [email protected]

Latest from Sports

Go to Top