We’re just hours away from the Garnet and Gold game in Tallahassee as the defending national champions showcase their talents in a timed game for the first time since rallying to beat Auburn in the BCS National Championship. While Florida State’s uniform changes may be the center of attention on Saturday, last season’s game proved that there is some significance to the inter-squad spring contest.
Although most view the spring game as an early look at the team, a spectacle for fans and a reward for the players for surviving the grind of spring football, the Florida State spring game a season ago was where quarterback Jameis Winston truly showed how special he was. While Winston would eventually win the Heisman Trophy and lead Florida State to its first national championship in 14 years, it may not have happened without his stellar performance against his own defense.
The battle for Florida State’s starting quarterback position between Winston and Jacob Coker may not have been decided until the month of August, but entering last spring, it was more than a two-man race. While many knew of Winston’s high school success, the perceived front-runner to replace E.J. Manuel — a first round pick by the Buffalo Bills — was arguably redshirt junior to-be Clint Trickett.
On April 13th of last year, Trickett and Coker each had pedestrian days in the annual spring game while Winston completely stole the show by completing 12 of his 15 pass attempts for 205 yards and a pair of scores.
It didn’t matter that the Garnet fell to the Gold, 40-24, but Winston’s performance proved to his teammates, fans and most importantly, his coaches that the redshirt freshman was ready to play right away while leaving the crowd in attendance and the fan base wanting more.
The rest is history as Winston went on to become just the second freshman to win the Heisman Trophy. The 6’4″ rifle-armed kid from Bessemer, Alabama would lead the Seminoles to a second straight ACC title, a 14-0 record and a come-from-behind win over Auburn in Pasadena to claim the school’s third national title.
With Winston taking the college football world by storm last season, few suspect that Winston would not have eventually taken over the starting quarterback position. But had it not been for such a stellar showing in the spring game a year ago, Trickett may have not transferred to West Virginia and Winston might not have got the season-opening nod against Pittsburgh. Had that not happened, the Seminoles may have just done something other than run through their schedule and win the crystal trophy.
To most, Saturday’s Garnet and Gold game serves as little more than a teaser, but one can only speculate what would have happened for Florida State in 2013 without Winston’s stellar showing in the spring game. Considering how highly Winston was sought after by the nation’s elite teams out of high school, many believed that the two-sport star had the potential to be special. It wasn’t until the spring game however that Jameis became “famous”.
While the Garnet and Gold game mattered a season ago for FSU, head coach Jimbo Fisher and Florida State can only hope that this year’s spring contest brings about similar results. Maybe, just maybe it will bring about the emergence of a new star.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
