# 2017 Florida State Seminoles football team

The 2017 Florida State Seminoles football team represented Florida State University in the sport of American football during the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Seminoles competed in the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference and were led by eighth-year head coach Jimbo Fisher until he left to coach at Texas A&M before the final game of the regular season. They were then coached by interim head coach Odell Haggins. Home games were played at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida.
In 2016, the Seminoles won 10 games for the fifth straight season and appeared in the Orange Bowl, a fifth consecutive appearance in a major bowl game. Running back Dalvin Cook, defensive end DeMarcus Walker, offensive tackle Roderick Johnson and cornerback Marquez White went on to be selected in the NFL draft.
Prior to the start of the season, Deondre Francois, Jacques Patrick, Cam Akers, Nyqwan Murray, Landon Dickerson, and Cole Minshew were named preseason All-ACC offensive selections while Derwin James, Tarvarus McFadden, Derrick Nnadi, Josh Sweat, Brian Burns, and Matthew Thomas were named preseason All-ACC defensive selections. In the pre-season media poll, Florida State was picked to finish first in the ACC Atlantic and win the conference title and Francois was picked as runner-up for ACC Player of the Year while Alec Eberle, McFadden, and James were named to the pre-season All-ACC team.
In the opening game against Alabama, quarterback Deondre Francois suffered a season ending knee injury which resulted in true freshman James Blackman being named the starter for the remainder of the season, leading to the program's worst start since 1976 although the Seminoles went on to become bowl eligible for the 36th consecutive year. Following the game against Florida, Jimbo Fisher resigned as coach; associate coach Odell Haggins was named interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes ( ) = First-place votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | 3 (4) | 10 | 11 | 12 | RV | RV | — | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Coaches | 3 (4) | 9 | 10 | 11 | 25 | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 2 | 8:00 p.m. | vs. No. 1 Alabama* | No. 3 | Mercedes-Benz StadiumAtlanta, GA (Chick-fil-A Kickoff) (College GameDay) | ABC | L 7–24 | 76,330 |
| September 23 | 12:00 p.m. | NC State | No. 12 | Doak Campbell StadiumTallahassee, FL | ABC/ESPN2 | L 21–27 | 73,541 |
| September 30 | 3:30 p.m. | at Wake Forest | | BB&T FieldWinston-Salem, NC | ABC | W 26–19 | 31,588 |
| October 7 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 13 Miami (FL) | | Doak Campbell StadiumTallahassee, FL (rivalry) | ESPN | L 20–24 | 78,169 |
| October 14 | 12:00 p.m. | at Duke | | Wallace Wade StadiumDurham, NC | ESPN2 | W 17–10 | 31,073 |
| October 21 | 12:00 p.m. | Louisville | | Doak Campbell StadiumTallahassee, FL | ESPN | L 28–31 | 72,764 |
| October 27 | 8:00 p.m. | at Boston College | | Alumni StadiumChestnut Hill, MA | ESPN | L 3–35 | 40,629 |
| November 4 | 12:20 p.m. | Syracuse | | Doak Campbell StadiumTallahassee, FL | ACCN | W 27–24 | 71,805 |
| November 11 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 4 Clemson | | Memorial StadiumClemson, SC (rivalry) | ESPN | L 14–31 | 81,436 |
| November 18 | 12:00 p.m. | Delaware State* | | Doak Campbell StadiumTallahassee, FL | ACCRSN | W 77–6 | 70,599 |
| November 25 | 12:00 p.m. | at Florida* | | Ben Hill Griffin StadiumGainesville, FL (rivalry) | ESPN | W 38–22 | 89,066 |
| December 2 | 12:00 p.m. | Louisiana–Monroe* | | Doak Campbell StadiumTallahassee, FL | ACCN Extra | W 42–10 | 58,780 |
| December 27 | 1:30 p.m. | vs. Southern Miss* | | Independence StadiumShreveport, LA (Independence Bowl) | ESPN | W 42–13 | 33,601 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time ||||||||

### Alabama

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #3 Seminoles | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| #1 Crimson Tide | 3 | 7 | 11 | 3 | 24 |
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
* Date: September 2
* Game time: 8:16 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Indoors
* Game attendance: 76,330
* Referee: Michael Cannon
* TV announcers (ABC): Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst), Maria Taylor and Tom Rinaldi (sidelines)
* Total Yards
* 250
* Passing Yards
* 210
* Rushing Yards
* 40
* Leading Passer
* Deondre Francois 19/33; 210 yards, 1 TD
* Leading Rusher
* Cam Akers 10 carries, 30 yards
* Leading Receiver
* Keith Gavin 7 receptions, 50 yards

### NC State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wolfpack | 10 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 27 |
| #12 Seminoles | 0 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 21 |
at Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida
* Date: September 23
* Game time: 12:06 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Temperature: 83 °F (28 °C) • Wind: NE 7 mph (11 km/h) • Weather: Partly cloudy
* Game attendance: 73,541
* Referee: Jeff Flanagan
* TV announcers (ABC/ESPN2): Jason Benetti (play-by-play), Anthony Becht (analyst), Rocky Boiman (sideline)
* Total Yards
* 382
* Passing Yards
* 278
* Rushing Yards
* 104
* Leading Passer
* James Blackman 22/38; 278 yards, 1 TD
* Leading Rusher
* Cam Akers 12 carries, 56 yards
* Leading Receiver
* Auden Tate 9 receptions, 138 yards, 1 TD

### Wake Forest

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Seminoles | 3 | 10 | 3 | 10 | 26 |
| Demon Deacons | 3 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 19 |
at BB&T Field, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
* Date: September 30
* Game time: 3:36 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Temperature: 74 °F (23 °C) • Wind: NNE 10 mph (16 km/h) • Weather: Mostly sunny
* Game attendance: 31,588
* Referee: David Epperley
* TV announcers (ABC): Mike Patrick (play-by-play), Tommy Tuberville (analyst), Paul Carcaterra (sideline)
* Total Yards
* 270
* Passing Yards
* 121
* Rushing Yards
* 149
* Leading Passer
* James Blackman 11/21; 121 yards, 1 TD
* Leading Rusher
* Jacques Patrick 19 carries, 120 yards, 1 TD
* Leading Receiver
* Jacques Patrick 3 receptions, 26 yards

### Miami (FL)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #13 Hurricanes | 0 | 0 | 10 | 14 | 24 |
| Seminoles | 3 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 20 |
at Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida
* Date: October 7
* Game time: 3:35 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Temperature: 89 °F (32 °C) • Wind: SE 11 mph (18 km/h) • Weather: Cloudy
* Game attendance: 78,169
* Referee: Duane Heydt
* TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (analyst), Tom Luginbill (sideline)
* Total Yards
* 406
* Passing Yards
* 203
* Rushing Yards
* 203
* Leading Passer
* James Blackman 17/28; 203 yards, 2 TD
* Leading Rusher
* Cam Akers 20 carries, 121 yards
* Leading Receiver
* Auden Tate 3 receptions, 56 yards, 1 TD

### Duke

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Seminoles | 7 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 17 |
| Blue Devils | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
at Wallace Wade Stadium, Durham, North Carolina
* Date: October 14
* Game time: 12:01 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Temperature: 72 °F (22 °C) • Wind: N 3 mph (4.8 km/h) • Weather: Partly cloudy
* Game attendance: 31,073
* Referee: Jeff Maconaghy
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Jason Benetti (play-by-play), Kelly Stouffer (analyst), Kris Budden (sideline)
* Total Yards
* 425
* Passing Yards
* 197
* Rushing Yards
* 228
* Leading Passer
* James Blackman 18/21; 197 yards, 1 TD
* Leading Rusher
* Cam Akers 15 carries, 115 yards, 1 TD
* Leading Receiver
* Nyqwan Murray 5 receptions, 81 yards

### Louisville

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 7 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 31 |
| Seminoles | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 28 |
at Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida
* Date: October 21
* Game time: 12:02 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Temperature: 78 °F (26 °C) • Wind: E 13 mph (21 km/h) • Weather: Humid
* Game attendance: 72,764
* Referee: Jeff Flanagan
* TV announcers (ESPN): Mark Jones (play-by-play), Rod Gilmore (analyst), Quint Kessenich (sideline)
* Total Yards
* 403
* Passing Yards
* 248
* Rushing Yards
* 155
* Leading Passer
* James Blackman 16/28; 248 yards, 2 TD
* Leading Rusher
* Cam Akers 16 carries, 75 yards
* Leading Receiver
* Nyqwan Murray 4 receptions, 95 yards

### Boston College

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Seminoles | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Eagles | 7 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 35 |
at Alumni Stadium, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
* Date: October 27
* Game time: 8:01 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Temperature: 52 °F (11 °C) • Wind: SW 7 mph (11 km/h) • Weather: Humid
* Game attendance: 40,629
* Referee: Stuart Mullins
* TV announcers (ESPN): Adam Amin (play-by-play), Mack Brown (analyst), Jen Lada (sideline)
* Total Yards
* 213
* Passing Yards
* 149
* Rushing Yards
* 64
* Leading Passer
* James Blackman 11/26; 102 yards
* Leading Rusher
* Cam Akers 18 carries, 42 yards
* Leading Receiver
* Nyqwan Murray 3 receptions, 102 yards

### Syracuse

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Orange | 0 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 24 |
| Seminoles | 7 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 27 |
at Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida
* Date: November 4
* Game time: 12:22 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Temperature: 78 °F (26 °C) • Wind: ENE 3 mph (4.8 km/h) • Weather: Clear
* Game attendance: 71,805
* Referee: Gary Patterson
* TV announcers (ACC Network): Tom Werme (play-by-play), Dave Archer (analyst), D.J. Shockley (sideline)
* Total Yards
* 343
* Passing Yards
* 136
* Rushing Yards
* 207
* Leading Passer
* James Blackman 12/19; 136 yards, 1 TD
* Leading Rusher
* Cam Akers 22 carries, 209 yards, 2 TD
* Leading Receiver
* Nyqwan Murray 3 receptions, 60 yards, 1 TD

### Clemson

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Seminoles | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| #4 Tigers | 7 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 31 |
at Memorial Stadium, Clemson, South Carolina
* Date: November 11
* Game time: 3:36 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Temperature: 48 °F (9 °C) • Wind: ENE 10 mph (16 km/h) • Weather: Mostly sunny
* Game attendance: 81,436
* Referee: Jeff Flanagan
* TV announcers (ESPN): Steve Levy (play-by-play), Brian Griese (analyst), Todd McShay (sideline)
* Total Yards
* 229
* Passing Yards
* 208
* Rushing Yards
* 21
* Leading Passer
* James Blackman 13/32; 208 yards, TD
* Leading Rusher
* Cam Akers 12 carries, 40 yards
* Leading Receiver
* Nyqwan Murray 4 receptions, 73 yards

### Delaware State

* Overall record
* 0–0
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hornets | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Seminoles | 21 | 35 | 7 | 14 | 77 |
at Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida
* Date: November 18
* Game time: 12:04 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Temperature: 70 °F (21 °C) • Wind: N 2 mph (3.2 km/h) • Weather: Clear
* Game attendance: 70,599
* Referee: Duane Heydt
* TV announcers (Fox Sports Network): Evan Lepler (play-by-play), Takeo Spikes (analyst), Kelsey Wingert (sideline)
* Total Yards
* 482
* Passing Yards
* 236
* Rushing Yards
* 246
* Leading Passer
* James Blackman 11/15; 179 yards, 3 TD
* Leading Rusher
* Ryan Green 7 carries, 96 yards, 2 TD
* Leading Receiver
* Keith Gavin 4 carries, 78 yards

### Florida

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Seminoles | 7 | 17 | 0 | 14 | 38 |
| Gators | 7 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 22 |
at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Florida
* Date: November 25
* Game time: 12:02 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Temperature: 68 °F (20 °C) • Wind: WNW 2 mph (3.2 km/h) • Weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 89,066
* Referee: Matt Austin
* TV announcers (ESPN): Beth Mowins (play-by-play), Anthony Becht (analyst), Rocky Boiman (sideline)
* Total Yards
* 216
* Passing Yards
* 128
* Rushing Yards
* 88
* Leading Passer
* James Blackman 10/21; 128 yards, 2 TD
* Leading Rusher
* Jacques Patrick 15 carries, 67 yards
* Leading Receiver
* Ermon Lane 1 reception, 39 yards

### Louisiana-Monroe

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Warhawks | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Seminoles | 7 | 7 | 14 | 14 | 42 |
at Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida
* Date: December 2
* Game time: 12:04 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Temperature: 75 °F (24 °C) • Wind: W 3 mph (4.8 km/h) • Weather: Partly Cloudy
* Game attendance: 58,780
* Referee: David Epperley
* TV announcers (ACC Network Extra): Shawn Davison (play-by-play), Corey Simon (analyst), Ariya Massoudi (sideline)
* Total Yards
* 504
* Passing Yards
* 199
* Rushing Yards
* 305
* Leading Passer
* James Blackman 14/22; 197 yards, 1 TD
* Leading Rusher
* Jacques Patrick 19 carries, 155 yards, 2 TD
* Leading Receiver
* Ermon Lane 3 receptions, 45 yards

### Independence Bowl: Southern Miss

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Eagles | 6 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 13 |
| Seminoles | 7 | 16 | 10 | 9 | 42 |
at Independence Stadium, Shreveport, LA
* Date: December 27
* Game time: 1:35 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Temperature: 38 °F (3 °C) • Wind: 10 mph (16 km/h) • Weather: Cloudy
* Game attendance: 33,601
* Referee: Greg Sujack
* TV announcers (ESPN): Dave LaMont (play-by-play), Ahmad Brooks (analyst), Roddy Jones (sideline)
* Total Yards
* 452
* Passing Yards
* 238
* Rushing Yards
* 214
* Leading Passer
* James Blackman 18/26; 233 yards, 4 TD
* Leading Rusher
* Cam Akers 13 carries, 94 yards
* Leading Receiver
* Auden Tate 5 receptions, 84 yards, 3 TD

## Awards
### Watchlists

* Rimington Trophy
       Alec Eberle
* Maxwell Award
       Deondre Francois
       Derwin James
* Bednarik Award
       Derwin James
       Matthew Thomas
       Derrick Nnadi
       Tarvarus McFadden
* John Mackey Award
       Ryan Izzo
* Lou Groza Award
       Ricky Aguayo
* Outland Trophy
       Alex Eberle
       Derrick Nnadi
* Nagurski Trophy
       Derrick Nnadi
       Josh Sweat
       Tarvarus McFadden
       Derwin James
* Jim Thorpe Award
       Derwin James
       Tarvarus McFadden
* Paul Hornung Award
       Derwin James
* Butkus Award
       Jacob Pugh
       Matthew Thomas
* Wuerffel Trophy
       Alec Eberle
* Davey O'Brien Award
       Deondre Francois
* Doak Walker Award
       Jacques Patrick
* Manning Award
       Deondre Francois
* Ted Hendricks Award
       Josh Sweat
       Brian Burns
* Senior Bowl
       Nate Andrews
       Ermon Lane
       Trey Marshall
       Ro'Derrick Hoskins
       Jacob Pugh
       Matthew Thomas
       Derrick Nnadi

### Honors

Weekly awards :
| Player | Award | Date Awarded |
| Josh Sweat | ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week | September 2, 2017 |
| Derwin James | ACC Defensive Back of the Week | September 2, 2017 |
| Ricky Aguayo | ACC Specialist of the Week | September 30, 2017 |
| Cam Akers | ACC Offensive Back of the Week ACC Rookie of the Week | November 4, 2017 |
| Joshua Kaindoh | ACC Co-defensive Player of the Week | November 18, 2017 |
| Brian Burns | ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week | November 25, 2017 |

#### All-ACC

| Name | Selection |
| Derwin James | First Team (Defense) |
| Alec Eberle | Second Team (Offense) |
| Tarvarus McFadden | Second Team (Defense) |
| Cam Akers | Third Team (Offense) |
| Derrick Nnadi | Third Team (Defense) |
| Ricky Aguayo | Honorable Mention |

#### All-Americans

| Name | AP | AFCA | FWAA | TSN | WCFF | USA Today | Athlon | CBS | ESPN | SI |
| Derwin James | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | | | 1st | | |

## NFL draft

Five Seminoles were chosen in the 2018 NFL draft:
| Player | Team | Round | Pick # | Position |
| Derwin James | Los Angeles Chargers | 1st | 17 | S |
| Derrick Nnadi | Kansas City Chiefs | 3rd | 75 | DT |
| Rick Leonard | New Orleans Saints | 4th | 127 | OT |
| Josh Sweat | Philadelphia Eagles | 4th | 130 | DE |
| Ryan Izzo | New England Patriots | 7th | 250 | TE |