Deondre Francois out for the season after injury./ANDREW J. KRAMER
Monday, 2 a.m.
They lost a game.
They lost their rankings.
And worst of all, they lost their quarterback.
For the Florida State Seminoles, Saturdays don't come more costly than last week's. It was bad enough to lose to Alabama, but Alabama remains the program that matters most in America. It was bad enough that, already, an unbeaten season is gone and the chances of a playoff berth are reduced.
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But the real punch to the gut for the FSU team came in the fourth quarter, when quarterback Deondre Francois – on his final play of the 2017 season — was sacked from behind and injured the patellar tendon in his left knee. He's gone, and freshman James Blackmon is expected to take his place.
It was a crippling blow for the Seminoles. Not many quarterbacks in America meant more to their teams than Francois, the tough sophomore who was expected to lead FSU this season.
Without him, everything changes. FSU plays Miami in two weeks. Without Francois, that's a more daunting challenge than before. They play N.C. State the week after. Can the Seminoles survive? How about the trip to Clemson? How about Louisville, and Boston College and Florida? One of the major advantages that FSU had over most teams is now gone. Are the chances of a special season gone, too?
In college football, of course, the quarterback isn't always the story. A lot of teams play around theirs. But FSU had one, and it was counting on him.
Now, they must follow a freshman. And it feels as if everything has changed.
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