Florida State will not allow tailgating for football season-opener

Seminole.com

Florida State University officials announced that tailgating would not be allowed for FSU’s football home-opener against Georgia Tech on Saturday.

“Given what is going on throughout the country and the number of COVID cases in Leon County, we have determined that for the safety of all involved we will not allow tailgating for the Georgia Tech game,” said FSU Director of Athletics David Coburn.

“We will continue to monitor the situation, and if changes are warranted, we will adjust the policy accordingly.”

Patrons cannot raise tents, put up tables or use outdoor grills and cook tops in the parking lots for the Georgia Tech game.  Fans will also be asked to go directly to the stadium gates, which open two hours prior to kickoff.

Parking lots around the stadium will open 2 1/2 hours prior to the 3:30 p.m. kickoff. Following the end of the game, all vehicles have to leave the parking lots within 2 1/2 hours.

Saturday’s game will be televised by ABC.

Meanwhile, four Seminole upperclassmen – senior defensive tackle Marvin Wilson, senior defensive back Hamsah Nasirildeen, junior wide receiver Tamorrion Terry and junior defensive back Asante Samuel, Jr. – were named to the preseason All-Atlantic Coast Conference team last Friday.

Florida State’s three defensive players on the preseason All-ACC team are the most in the conference. Wilson earned the most votes among all defensive players, while Terry and Samuel were the top vote-getters at their positions.

Wilson, a Houston native, was named to the watch lists for the Maxwell Award as the nation’s best player, Bednarik Award and Nagurski Trophy for top defensive player, and the Outland Trophy, presented to the country’s best interior lineman. He is also part of the Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List. Wilson is a consensus Preseason All-American with first-team recognition by Phil Steele, Sporting News, Associated Press and Walter Camp.

He was an All-American and first-team All-ACC performer last season despite a season-ending injury in the ninth game of the year. In those nine games, Wilson recorded 44 tackles, including 8.5 for loss with a team-high five sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, four pass breakups and two quarterback hurries. He was one of only four defensive tackles in the nation, and the only one from the ACC, with multiple three tackle-for-loss games in 2019.

In his career, Wilson has started 14 of his 33 games played and compiled 93 tackles, 13.5 for loss with 8.5 sacks, seven quarterback hurries, six pass breakups, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. His sacks and tackles for loss totals are tops among current Seminoles.

Nasirildeen, from Concord, North Carolina, joined Wilson on the Bednarik and Nagurski watch lists and is on the Thorpe Award Watch List given to the top defensive back. He recorded 101 tackles with two tackles for loss, including one sack, three forced fumbles, two interceptions and one fumble recovery in 2019. He earned second-team All-ACC honors and was the first Seminole since 2014 with at least 100 tackles in a season. Nasirildeen has led FSU in tackles each of the past two seasons and in 2019 ranked second nationally among Power Five defensive backs in tackles, despite missing the Sun Bowl due to injury.

Against Boston College in 2019, Nasirildeen finished with 22 tackles, the third-most in FSU history for a single game and the most for a Nole since 1968. His 22 tackles were also the most in the ACC last season and the second-highest in the NCAA. He earned three ACC Player of the Week honors.

Terry, from Ashburn, Ga., was named to the Maxwell Watch List and the Biletnikoff Watch List for the best receiver. Terry enters 2020 with 95 career receptions for 1,932 yards and 17 touchdowns, ranking 15th in FSU history in both yards and touchdowns. He holds the FSU record with five career receiving touchdowns of at least 70 yards, including a career-high 91-yard score against Arizona State in the 2019 Sun Bowl.

Nationally, Terry’s 49.06 yards per touchdown reception in his career is the second-highest among players with at least 15 touchdowns over the past decade.

In 2019, Terry led FSU with 60 catches for 1,188 yards and nine touchdowns while earning second-team All-ACC honors. He posted the 13th 1,000-yard receiving season in program history, ranking seventh in single-season receiving yards. He led the country with 57.89 yards per touchdown catch, the highest average in the last 15 years among players with at least nine touchdowns.

Samuel, from Sunrise, Fla., started all 12 games as a sophomore, notching 48 tackles, one interception and 14 pass breakups. The third-team All-ACC selection in 2019 led the ACC in pass breakups and ranked eighth nationally. His interception came at No. 25 Virginia.

Samuel was the only player in the Power Five to record at least 14 pass breakups and more than 45 tackles. His 23 career pass breakups are the most among active players in the ACC.