Florida State Football: Offense will run through freshman Cam Akers
By Dana Becker
More bad new for Florida State football broke early this week as junior running back Jacques Patrick is expected to miss the remainder of the season.
Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher told The Jeff Cameron Show Monday morning that Patrick suffered a knee injury and is unlikely to return this year. The Seminoles are are coming off a 31-28 setback to Louisville that dropped them to 2-4 on the season and 2-3 in ACC play.
Despite being the starting running back on the depth chart, Patrick has watched as freshman sensation Cam Akers has taken over the lead back role in recent weeks. If he is finished, Patrick ends the year with 76 carries for 434 yards with one touchdown.
Patrick’s best game came in Week 5 when he rushed for 120 yards and his lone score in a 26-19 victory for Florida State at Wake Forest. He followed up that performance with 91 yards in a four-point loss to Miami and 98 in a 17-10 victory over Duke.
Last year, Akers ran for 350 yards and scored four touchdowns as a change-of-pace back to Dalvin Cook. He had 314 yards and five scores in 2015 as a freshman for FSU. Akers, who was rated as the top running back recruit in the nation by various outlets following a standout career in Mississippi, has 454 yards on 87 carries including two 100-yard games vs. Miami and Duke.
The injury to Patrick is just the latest in a sub-par season for the Seminoles to date. Florida State opened with a neutral site loss to Alabama, 24-7, also losing star quarterback Deondre Francois late in the game to a season-ending injury.
Weather cancelled a game vs. Louisiana Monroe the following week and the Seminoles returned three weeks after playing Alabama only to lose to NC State. They rebounded with a win at Wake Forest but have lost to rival Miami and Louisville by a combined seven points around the win at Duke.
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Along with Patrick and Francois, guard Landon Dickerson is also out for the year with an ankle injury. Receivers Auden Tate, George Campbell and Keith Gavin have all also missed time this year. Florida State is at Boston College this Friday night.