Florida State has largely disappointed Seminoles fans over a rocky 3-5 season, but its final-play blunder against Clemson on Saturday drew the ire of gamblers as well. Down four at their own 33-yard line with four seconds remaining, the Seminoles executed multiple laterals in an attempt to shake the Tigers’ defense and get into the endzone.
The attempt didn’t go as planned. Quarterback Jordan Travis lateraled to running back Lawrance Toafili, but the ball slipped through the running back’s hands and hit the turf. Linebacker Barrett Carter then collected the live ball inside FSU’s five-yard line and flipped into the endzone with the clock expired to put an exclamation mark on Clemson’s win — and an outrageously bad beat.
FSU came into Death Valley as a 9.5-point underdog, and the game total was 47.5. Bettors who took FSU and/or the under had a win locked up with four seconds remaining. Clemson’s late scoop-and-score, however, flipped both outcomes. CBS Sports analyst Brady Quinn called it the “bad beat of the week” while SportsLine’s Allan Bell tweeted it was “one of the worst I’ve ever seen.”
Clemson (5-3) will travel to Louisville next Saturday while Florida State will host North Carolina State. After Saturday’s last-second debacle at Memorial Stadium, it wouldn’t be shocking if bettors stayed away from both squads.
