Jimbo Fisher Call-In Show updates/takeaways: Wake Forest week

On Wednesday night, Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher held his weekly call-in show from the Downtown Sheraton in Tallahassee.

And it was a pretty interesting show tonight.

Of course, you knew it would be when host Gene Deckerhoff led off by asking the coach what happened last Saturday when FSU "took it on the chin" from N.C. State in a pretty stunning 27-21 upset loss.

The Seminoles are 0-2 for the young season, and it’s something Fisher, nor Seminoles fans, are too familiar with. After all, the last time Florida State was winless through two games was almost 30 years ago in 1989.

Here's some of the highlights of tonight's conversation:

LOSING AUDEN TATE IS BIGGER THAN BIG: Ok, so maybe most FSU fans already think it's huge. And it is. The guy was in the middle of a career game against N.C. State, and he could've been the difference maker in a win and a loss had he not gotten hurt on the second play of the second half. But, as Fisher pointed out tonight, Tate does so many things on the field and away from the ball that are immeasurable. Fisher lauded how smart Tate was as a football player tonight, and said he plays even bigger than he is, so his body poses problems for any opposing player trying to shed Tate's block. Hearing Fisher talk after the loss Saturday and then tonight, you almost felt like HE felt that Tate may be the most important offensive player on the team right now. Tate is listed as "day-to-day" right now, but considering how much pain he was in when he walked off the field Saturday, fans shouldn't be too confident he'll play this weekend.

CLARENCE FROM QUINCY: Welcome to stardom, Clarence from Quincy — you just asked the question of the night, which was: “Man, we used to be good on defense. What happened, coach?” This was obviously a bit uncomfortable for Fisher, but he played it off well and smiled before answering with something to the effect of, “You’re right, Clarence. We need to be better. We didn’t play as well as we needed to. We played well in spurts, but gave up some critical third downs. We didn’t play a terrible game, but we didn’t play up to our standards.” He didn’t mention anyone assistant coach by name - something fans probably would’ve like to been called out - but he was resolute in the fact that he’s aware there are issues on defense.

NOT ALL DOOM AND GLOOM: One caller lauded Fisher for his positive attitude after losses and how she appreciates him always looking at the glass half full. And she reminded FSU fans who were down on the team to stay positive themselves. Fisher obviously really appreciated this caller — after all, it’s surely been a tough week for him and his players — and when she asked what the first thing he tells his team on a Monday practice after a loss, Fisher dove right in. “The first and most important thing is don’t let one loss become two because you’re upset about the last one. You can’t dwell on them and feel sorry for yourself. Can’t allow that loss to affect the next game. So that’s the biggest thing. We all feel bad. We all hate to lose. But whether you win or lose, you gotta flush it and move onto next week.” He expounded on this later with more about his outlook after losses: “Doesn’t mean we don’t know there’s issues, or things to fix. But there’s a saying I like: ‘Why is your windshield 10 times bigger than your rear view mirror? Because it’s 10 times more important what’s in front of you than what’s behind you.’ I tell the guys all the time: There’s no 11-win games. No. 10-win games. There’s one game at a time. So we move on and just take the next step forward.” Well said, coach.

THAT BOISE STATE SERIES IN 2019 and 2020? IT’S STILL ON: The show had a caller from Oregon tonight who grew up just down the road in Blountstown, but he was now living in Albany, Ore., and wanted to know if FSU was ever going to come out West and play a game. He specially asked about the reported Boise State series. Fisher confirmed the Boise State series was still on, and he “believed” it was 2019 and 2020, home-and-home. Except, it’s not exactly home-and-home after FSU gave up its home field to play the game for its large collection of alums in Jacksonville. So the Noles and Broncos will meet at Everbank Field in Jacksonville in 2019 and then travel to the blue turf at Boise for the second part of the series in 2020.

You can read a full list of updates in the comments section below.