Classic Florida State football games to watch

Chances are, you’ve got some time to kill (as if you didn’t come to Tomahawk to kill time in the first place), so to help pass the clock along, we’ve decided to gather some Florida State football games that you can use to either relive fond memories or indoctrinate your stuck-at-home children with.

We’re skipping over some of the more obvious games (see: anything super recent, national championships, big bowls, all of 2013) and instead, choosing arbitrarily from games that the TN staff kicked around. Please, and I don’t say this sarcastically, let us know what ones we could’ve included in the comments.

Without further ado:

Louisville, 2014

There are plenty of great, anxiety-ridden games from this season, with only one ending in a loss (I can’t exactly remember which, but seriously, do not remind me.) To me, the one that stands out is the comeback against Louisville, mainly because of the ridiculous way in which Florida State drags itself out of a hole. You’ve got Jameis Winston punching out a fumble (on an interception he threw!), Dalvin Cook showing off his future star potential by pooping all over the hearts of Louisville’s defense, Nick O’Leary slamming a man and Ermon Lane scoring a touchdown. It truly is the greatest, shining remnant of the Jimbo era.

Clemson, 2012

Perhaps EJ Manuel’s best game in a Florida State uniform, this matchup was Florida State’s first College Gameday win since 2006 and helped re-establish the Seminoles as a national power, while derailing Clemson’s momentum for a few years. While there’s some fantastic moments all around, including an all-time great crowd, the main highlights come courtesy of James Wilder Jr., who just did absolutely hilarious things to Clemson’s defense that night.

Virginia Tech, 2008

A 10-0 Tech run led to a back-and-forth game, ending in a winning Florida State effort led by Christian Ponder. Greg Carr had 100 yards receiving, and Graham Gano hit a 46-yard game-winner. “That Carr kid just went up and made a couple catches over us,” Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer said after the game. “Tall and fast helps when you are downfield like that.”

Florida, 2003

From our top 100 plays series two years ago:

No, this game didn’t feature the national title implications of the mammoth 1990’s match-ups. There were no Heisman winners on the field that day. Ron Zook roamed the sidelines for the Gators rather than a certain visor thrower. Jeff Bowden was FSU’s offensive coordinator. The quarterback battle featured Chris Rix against freshman Chris Leak. The game play itself was actually rather sloppy. The ‘Noles blew a sizable lead twice. I concede that when you compare this game to some others in this series, it’s tough to defend.

But from the perspective of a game that epitomized bare-bone hatred for the University of Florida, this game is a satisfying zenith. That’s why I love it.

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And here’s a tag-in by Frank with a personal favorite:

Miami (FL), 1997

While handing the Hurricanes their worst loss since 1944, this was the most fun FSU/UM (FL) game I ever attended. Total sheer dominance, and such a great sight to see the few Canes that had the guts to make the drive to Tally, leaving after the 3rd quarter while having 79,000 rabid Seminoles screaming the Warchant and doing the Chop in their faces. However, Daryl Bush thought UM was better than Maryland.

FSU’s defense set the stage early with Sam Cowart’s crippling sack of the UM QB, then kept things going with a stifling defense that allowed a (minus) -33 yards rushing on 27 attempts and a total offense of 131 yards for the game. Total sheer dominance by the Seminoles on both sides of the ball.

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What games from the 1980s should be here? Should we have included any random fun Lost Decade games? Did Frank completely misremember the game? Sound off in the comments.