FSU’s DeMarcus Walker enjoys seeing hype surrounding Clemson
At the 2013 ACC Kickoff event, Clemson received a lot of hype and was picked as the overwhelming favorite to win the ACC Atlantic Division. Florida State defensive back Lamarcus Joyner’s response was, “Good luck with that,” before the Seminoles delivered a 51-14 beat down of the Tigers on their way to winning the national title.
Last week in Charlotte, FSU defensive end DeMarcus Walker was asked about the hype surrounding the Tigers entering the 2016 season and how it compares to 2013, when Joyner and others seemed to enjoy the attention placed on Clemson.
“That’s the same thing I’m doing now,” Walker said. “We’ve just got to worry about ourselves, take it one game at a time, and come October 29th, I hope you guys will be there.”
The two heavyweights in the ACC appear to be taking a different approach to the showdown at the end of October, which could decide the ACC champion.
While Walker appears to have the game circled on the schedule, Clemson star quarterback Deshaun Watson isn’t thinking about it at all.
“I don’t even know what date the Florida State game is,” he said. “We don’t worry about Florida State until that week. We don’t care about what other teams are doing outside of us.”
The Clemson-FSU rivalry seems to be growing as the programs consistently field top 10 teams and compete in BCS bowls.
They’ve combined to win the past five ACC titles and are the runaway favorites to compete for the conference championship in 2016.
Since 2013, FSU has won a national title and played for another, while the Tigers made the national championship game last season. From Florida State’s perspective, the Seminoles enjoy facing off against Clemson.
“That’s a game that the fans and the players and our whole staff look forward to,” FSU star running back Dalvin Cook said. “They recruit talent just like we do, so you’ve got to respect that game. That’s just become the rivalry, between Florida State and Clemson, and I love it.”
Added Walker, “The rivalry gets bigger every year because it’s either us or Clemson that goes to the ACC (championship) game.”
Earlier this week, the Tigers were made heavy favorites to win the conference by the media. Clemson received 144 votes to win the ACC, while Florida State received 39. No other team got more than seven votes.
That doesn’t mean the Seminoles feel like underdogs.
“We’re coming back with a strong, confident group,” Cook said. “We’re not cocky at all. We’re just confident in what we do. … We’re going to be ready.”