FSU's valuable backup hurts Wake on offense and special teams.
By JOHN ASHLEY
Published October 24, 2004
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - When a backup makes a big play that shapes the outcome of a football game, the performance is usually viewed as a bonus or unexpected.
Big plays fire up teammates while fans say "I'm sure glad he's on our team," or "Why can't the starters do that?"
Florida State's Willie Reid doesn't agree with that perception.
The kick returner and wide receiver expects to make big plays when he touches the football, or believes he has to since his opportunities are limited.
Saturday at Groves Stadium, with FSU trailing the Demon Deacons 14-3 in the third quarter, Reid provided a much needed spark that perhaps turned what was shaping up to be an embarrassing defeat into a fortunate victory.
The junior fielded a Ryan Plackemeier punt at the FSU 38, and with room to run, headed up the middle of the field before spinning and dragging tacklers to the Wake Forest 14.
After two sweeps to the left by Lorenzo Booker yielded a loss of 6 yards, quarterback Wyatt Sexton lofted a 20-yard fade to the goal line that Reid hauled in for a touchdown. The score and point-after trimmed the deficit to 14-10.
"I thought it was a big momentum change," Reid said of his 48-yard punt return. "The guys up front really did it. I just followed their blocks. It gave our offense good field position ... and it really turned things around for us and gave us that boost and confidence we needed to come back and win the game."
Being a backup, Reid could have called it a day at that point, satisfied with a performance that consisted of the team's longest punt return of the season and only touchdown of the day in a span of 58 seconds. But he didn't.
Still trailing 14-10 in the fourth quarter and facing second down and 20 from the Wake Forest 33, Sexton found Reid for an 18-yard completion. Three plays later, Sexton connected with senior backup Dominic Robinson on a 46-yard touchdown that gave Florida State its first lead at 17-14 with less than 10 minutes remaining.
"It's a gift and a curse being a wideout for Florida State because you're going to have great wideouts every year," said Robinson, who led the team Saturday with four receptions for 81 yards.
"Me and Willie could probably start anywhere else and both catch 50 balls apiece. I prepare to make big plays every week."
