For the first time since 2023, the FSU Seminoles won a road game, beating the Boston College Eagles 31-24 in Alumni Stadium. They had lost their last 12 road games before the win, and their fans flocked to social media to celebrate.
It was Rick Stockstill's first game as FSU's interim and head coach, and the FSU Hall of Fame member admitted that it was special to win the game, with Warchant posting the postgame press conference on YouTube.
I guess I wanted it as much for our players in there as I did for all my former teammates and all the other players that came before us. It was special. It's emotional, because, like I told you on Monday, I poured my heart and soul into this place as a player, and I was going to do that throughout these next
couple months here.
I'm just happy for our players. I dreamt all my life of one day being a coach at Florida State. To have this opportunity and to have a win is something I'll cherish all my life.
The Seminoles trailed 10-0 in the first quarter, but they were able to fight back and took their first lead in the second quarter. FSU exploded for 21 points in the first quarter thanks to some unexpected players. Kicker Gabe Panikowski scored a touchdown on a fake field goal, and freshman Amari Thomas scored the first game of his career, kick-starting a phenomenal performance.
Stockstill also talked about Jasen Lopez having a big day, getting a Powerade bath, the return flight home, and more. Here are his comments after FSU beat Boston College.
Opening Statement
First of all, just thanks to everybody for sticking around. I know the weather wasn't great today. You guys are probably cold and wet. So I just want to thank you guys for sticking around and coming here to this press conference.
Very happy, very proud of that football team in there. They answered the bell. Everything we talked about throughout the course of the week, everything we talked about yesterday and today, pre-game, everything. Just really proud of them and the resiliency.
I talked about toughness all week, the toughness that they played with, their competitive spirit. I tell you, I'm very humbled, like I said, early in the week. But excited for them.
It's been a long time since we've won a game on the road. I'm just really happy for those guys. They worked extremely hard to be able to dance in that locker room. So I'm happy for them.
On how special the Powerade bath was after the game
This was emotional for me today. I got a lot of good luck texts this morning from my family and former teammates, everything.
I guess I wanted it as much for our players in there as I did for all my former teammates and all the other players that came before us. It was special. It's emotional, because, like I told you on Monday, I poured my heart and soul into this place as a player, and I was going to do that throughout these next couple months here.
I'm just happy for our players. I dreamt all my life of one day being a coach at Florida State. To have this opportunity and to have a win is something I'll cherish all my life.
I think of Coach Bowden all the time. You guys probably get tired of me talking about it, but Coach Bowden meant so much to me and this program. I wanted our players to understand that, that they're playing for all those players that came before them and to leave their heart out there on the field.
So I know I'm rambling, but it's a very special feeling. It's really special.
On what it means to him to see the players so excited for him
It means a lot because, like I said, I had a good relationship with these guys even though I wasn't coaching them before this. I hope, and I think, that they saw my genuine care and concern and passion for Florida State football this week.
I just kept talking to them about how much I believed in them and encouraged them on the sideline. I hope they felt my passion. It made me feel really good that you're having an impact because that's why we coach, that you want to try to impact kids. Seeing them and their smiling is an impact. So it was special.
On the fake field goal
No, sir. I didn't put it in Herb Hand are offensive line coach put it in. We didn't have it previously. Before this game, we put it in over the weekend. We had a check out of it. They didn't get us the look we wanted.
My thought process behind it was there wasn't a lot of time left in the first half, maybe in the 20 second range, something like that. We were down three.
So in my mind, I'm thinking, they're thinking, hey, they're just going to get it tied up and go in the halftime at 17. I said, let's do it. We did it. We got the look we wanted. Then Derek said, I don't know if a lot of people thought about it. I hadn't thought about it.
But Gabe, he scores his first touchdown, at least in college, maybe in his life. Now he's got to run back there and kick the extra point. So I wasn't even thinking about that.
Then at halftime coming off, they asked me, Tom asked me, why'd you do it? The first thing that goes through my mind, and I've got Coach Bowden’s blood in me. He’d run a trick play or two to himself. So maybe he's smiling down on me right now.
On younger players stepping up
I think J-Rock, he's getting better every week, you know. With Duce going down, you know, he's got a little bit more of an opportunity there today.
Made some phenomenal contested catch is, you know, the little out route on third down on their sideline there in the fourth quarter of the big, and the conversion on third down on the last touchdown drive that touched deep ball that he caught on their sideline. You know, it just made some really nice plays.
Amari, the thing, two things that stand out most about Amari to me in this game were, one, his ball security. And that's the most reps he's got for a freshman, for a young kid. And, you know, the thing you worry about them people is, you know, their ball security. But he did a great job of that.
And then he finished forward. Both he and Tre, you know, they knocked him back. He finished runs forward. And, you know, that was the toughest part of it.
But I thought both of those guys really stepped up in critical situations. And then, you know, even with some of the other guys go down, Brayden (Welch-Joiner) goes down and Sandman (Chavez Thompson) comes in. He hasn't played a whole bunch this year. Did a great job with the snaps.
K.J. Kirkland comes in when, you know, Ash goes down. He comes in for a handful of plays and makes a great tackle, you know, in there in on the quarterback. And we've had a couple turnovers. We've had many interceptions this year.
You know, 12 gets one, six gets one. You know, it was just really, really satisfying and fun. And, again, I said earlier this week, I think today was really the first time we played complementary football.
You know, we had things that J-Rock had a great return early on the punt return. We fake a field goal for a touchdown, you know, so the special teams contributed. Offense, we scored 31 points.
The defense got critical stops. So, I really – and we got turnovers. So, I really thought we played complementary football for the first time.
On the impact he hopes this game has on FSU’s players
I think the big thing that I hope they take from here is how much I love them, and I know it's been a short time, but how much I care about this program, and no matter what happens moving forward, that they'll always give their heart, their greatest effort, their passion to this football program and never take it – a game, a play where you think you take it for granted.
You have an obligation. You have a responsibility when you put that Florida State helmet on to represent Coach Bowden and this football program, all the former players, the way you're supposed to represent it.
On the timeout they took a few plays before the field goal
That looked like a timeout before – a couple of plays before the field goal. It looked like you were talking to her, Dan. Were you talking about that possibility? Yes, I was.
I wanted to make sure if we were okay. We really had two plays off. This hash, we're going to run what we did. If we're on the other hash, we're going to run something else. But I'm just asking because we didn't practice it from the one-yard line or the two-yard line, and I was just asking him, will they change their alignment since we're so close? He said, no, they should stay the same.
On Ernie Sims
I said it to the players in there. I said – because they can see the emotion in me.
I said, now you know what a Florida State football player feels. And Ernie, Corey Fuller, Odell Haggins, all of us that are here that poured our heart and soul into this. And, you know, Ernie, thank goodness that we were able to get a first down and we didn't have to punt because that would have been not very good there.
So I got to get him back on the sideline. He can't do that. But you can see the love that he has for this university, for this football program. But that wasn't really a good thing, to be honest with you, him running out there in the midfield. Amari saved him by getting a first down.
On what he thinks the flight home is going to be like
I hope it's a celebration. I hope that we don't rock those wings. I hope we keep them straight. But, yeah, this is the first road win, you know, since ’23, I guess, because I got here in ’24.
And so I hope it's happy. Winning is hard. When you win, you celebrate. You dance. You have fun. Because at 24 hours, you've got to forget about it and start worrying about Pitt.
So I hope it's a celebration. I hope it's loud. I hope they have fun. I hope they love the taste that they have in their mouth and they want more of it.
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This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: What FSU head coach Rick Stockstill said after Boston College win
