Four More Florida State Football Starters Exit Orange Bowl With Apparent Injuries
There was no doubt that Florida State was going to need an otherworldly effort to pull off the improbable and shock the Georgia Bulldogs in the Orange Bowl. However, the opening half of the game went even worse than anticipated as the Seminoles were outclassed on both sides of the ball with a ton of starters and key reserves out of the lineup.
To add to the dismay, a number of players who entered Saturday afternoon as starters for Florida State have gone down with injuries, forcing the coaching staff to get even further into its withering depth. The Seminoles lost starting left tackle Darius Washington into the opening quarter.
The hits continued into the second frame as three more players were forced out of the game. Florida State saw redshirt junior offensive tackle Robert Scott, who replaced Washington, go down with an apparent injury. Redshirt freshman Jaylen Early entered the game in his absence for the remaining portion of the first half.
Starting wide receiver Kentron Poitier and starting cornerback Fentrell Cypress II were also injured in the second quarter. Both players were forced to head back to the locker room with the assistance of trainers. Poitier looked like he was hit in the face and was holding a towel over his nose while it was unclear what exactly was bothering Cypress II.
True freshman wide receiver Hykeem Williams took over in place of Poitier while Cypress was replaced by true freshman cornerback Quindarrius Jones. Poitier is tied for the game-high in receiving yards after catching four passes for 84 yards. He had a 55-yard effort in the second quarter to set up Florida State's lone field goal. Cypress totaled three tackles before leaving the contest.
Prior to the offense taking the field in the second half, starting left guard Casey Roddick limped back to the locker room. It's unclear at what point he suffered a potential injury but he was limited late in the season, seeing slim playing time in the regular-season finale against Florida. Roddick was replaced by veteran D'Mitri Emmanuel with Keiondre Jones taking over at right guard.
Scott and Cypress came out of the tunnel with the team to warm up for the second half. Scott ended up re-entering the contest at left tackle. Poitier wasn't spotted coming out of the tunnel.
Williams has hauled in one reception for nine yards while Jones has recorded three tackles after stepping into the lineup.
Florida State trails 49-3 during the early stages of the third quarter. This one can't end soon enough.
READ MORE: FSU Football vs. Georgia Bulldogs: Kickoff Time, TV Channel, and Odds
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