Football
Florida State wide receiver Duce Robinson will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL suffered in Saturday’s loss to Clemson. The senior leads FSU with 24 catches for 438 yards and four touchdowns through eight games:
FrankDNole broke down how FSU’s offensive and defensive snaps were distributed in the loss to Clemson, including Jasen Lopez playing two-thirds of the offensive snaps after Robinson’s injury:
Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz, who has been floated as a potential candidate for the
FSU job by some (not Tomahawk Nation, though), used his opening statement to make clear he is not one:
“I’m not a candidate at Florida State. I want to clear that up. Let’s focus on the main thing, which is Texas, and eliminate all the distractions and clear the clutter from that standpoint for my team and for everybody out there.”
Brian Kelly, unfortunately, expressed his interest — from On3:
“Yeah, I mean, look, when you’re talking to an unemployed football coach, every job’s a great job, you know? But Florida State, look, I’ve got a great history with Florida State, great games,” Kelly said on College Sports Radio on Sirius XM. “I know what that’s like, the history and tradition of Florida State, playing in that state, and the fan base.
“So anytime you have an incredibly brand driven, great tradition and history, there’s a want and desire to be part of somebody that has had that success and, certainly, leading that program, from anyone’s perspective, would be an honor and privilege.”
Basketball
CBS Sports wrote a feature story on Marcis Ponder, calling the freshman “must-see TV” after his double-double debut:
After Florida State’s 7-foot, 285-pound freshman center hustled in an attempt to secure an offensive rebound, he was fouled. That meant another trip to the free-throw line and a chance to add stats to his already impressive night. Once he stepped onto the line, fans started chanting “Baby Shaq,” a nickname Ponder earned when he was just a teenager.
There are some similarities in playstyle between Ponder and Shaquille O’Neal’s games, which makes his nickname — and the fans chanting it — even more fitting. O’Neal, who became one of the most dominant players of his era for his blend of size, strength and athleticism, inspired a generation of players to live and dominate the game from inside the paint.
That’s Ponder’s game to a T. He is a down-low physical finisher who operates almost solely in the paint. He sets hard screens and gobbles up rebounds on both ends of the floor. Ponder, who played football growing up, looks impossible to move, so imagine being on the opposing end of a screen or having to fight around him for a rebound.
Women’s Basketball will play tomorrow morning against North Florida. The Ospreys are still looking for their first berth in the NCAA tournament.
Baseball
Soccer
Florida State soccer senior defender Tanner Strickland was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Week:
Strickland is bestowed with weekly conference accolades for the first time in her career.
This is the fourth ACC weekly honor for the Seminoles this season, their most since they received five in 2023. Strickland is joined by fellow senior defender Grace Hoytink, who was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Week on October 20. Sophomore goalkeeper Kate Ockene was recognized as the ACC Goalkeeper of the Week twice, on September 8 and October 20.
Strickland helped Florida State to a 2-0-0 weekend, with a 2-1 win against No. 5 Duke on October 29 before a 2-0 victory at rival Miami on November 1. FSU has won five of its last six games and is unbeaten in nine of its last 10 going into the regular-season finale Thursday night in Tallahassee.
In Thursday’s win against Duke, Strickland scored the eventual game-winning goal in the 13th minute. In a 2-1 game, Strickland and the FSU back line held Duke without a shot in the final 30 minutes to prevent a late rally by the fifth-ranked visiting side. Three days later at Miami, Strickland helped limit the Hurricanes to just one shot in the shutout victory. The defensive performance came after UM had 53 combined shots in its previous three games, with a single-game low of 15. In the two games last week, Strickland played the full 90 minutes vs. Duke and logged 72 minutes at Miami.
On the season, Strickland has scored three goals with one assist for seven points, tied for third-most on the team. She shares the team lead with two game-winning goals. Strickland has played in 12 games with 10 starts and has logged 792 minutes.
All Sports
FSU Volleyball defeated Georgia Tech in a furious comeback victory. At one point, the Seminoles were down 2-1 in sets; they ultimately put up a 25-23 fourth set and a 21-19 final set to win the match 3-2.
