Telvin Smith knew that Florida State had lost at Clemson in 2011. But he didn’t know how long the Seminoles’ streak of losses was at Death Valley.
“Has it been 12 years?” FSU’s senior linebacker said. “That’s crazy.”
Clemson has won five straight home games in the series, including a 26-10 win in 2003, a 35-14 victory in 2005 and a 40-24 win in 2009.
Smith has only experienced the 35-30 loss of 2011, when Tajh Boyd passed for 344 yards and three touchdowns (two of them to receiver Sammy Watkins). FSU fans have had to live through all five defeats, the longest current streak of road failures that the program has endured.
No. 5 FSU (5-0) and No. 3 Clemson (6-0) face off again Saturday night (8 p.m., ABC), and Smith would like nothing more than to turn his team’s fortunes around.
“That would be big, just because that’s what this team is about — overcoming obstacles,” Smith said.
FSU’s last win at Clemson came in 2001, when Chris Rix passed for 369 yards and four TDs in FSU’s 41-27 victory. Since then, FSU has struggled under Bobby Bowden and Jimbo Fisher.
Fisher has been a part of three games at Clemson in the series — a 24-18 season-opening loss in 2007 and the 40-24 defeat in 2009 (both as the Seminoles’ offensive coordinator) plus the loss two years ago as FSU’s coach.
“People always say, ‘Does the helmet make the player or does the player make the helmet?’ ”Fisher said. “Does the atmosphere make the players or do the players make the stadium?
“First off, they have good players. Secondly, they’re coached extremely well. And then third to have a great environment of 80,000 folks that love football and are very passionate — I think all three of those things make it very tough to win in Death Valley.”
Noteworthy: Fisher said senior center Bryan Stork, a former Vero Beach High School standout, practiced well Monday and Tuesday. Stork, who suffered a concussion in the 63-0 win over Maryland on Oct. 5, missed practice during the bye week.
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