'He'll forever be a 'Nole' ... Turnetine's late injury leads to emotional scene for Florida State
ORLANDO — Jazston Turnetine has been a member of the Florida State football team for all of about five months.
The massive offensive tackle transferred in this summer from South Carolina, where he had been a part-time starter the past two seasons, for his final season of college football. And he was a part-time starter with the Seminoles as well.
He did not start Thursday night’s Cheez-It Bowl game against Oklahoma.
Yet after coming in for injured starting tackle Robert Scott in the second half, Turnetine was at the center of one of the most emotional moments of the year — if not years — for the Seminoles.
Shortly before placekicker Ryan Fitzgerald kicked what would be a 32-yard game-winning field goal, Turnetine crumpled to the turf when a player rolled up on his legs from behind. The 6-foot-7, 336-pounder would end up having to be taken on a cart to the locker room.
But before that could happen, practically Florida State’s entire team rushed out onto the field to give the lineman a hug or offer their support in what would be his final college football game.
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Here were Florida State coach Mike Norvell’s comments on that scene after the game:
“Jaz is a young man that’s been with our team for a year and came in in the summer. But he’s a part of our family forever now. When you see — these guys know. They know the work and they know the investment. It’s one thing it to talk about investment when it comes to a football team, and everybody thinks about lifting weights, practice and all the things that go on on the field.
“When it’s investment in who they are off the field, getting to know a teammate, building a relationship; when you see a guy that goes down, you know, it hurts. I want to try to go out and see every one of them because this is a game that unfortunately that happens.
“Jaz played his last game as a Florida State Seminole, but he’ll forever be a ‘Nole. To see our team embrace him, celebrate after the game with him, he’s sitting there on crutches, and celebrating with him, I mean, you know, I love the young man. And I’m grateful that I got an opportunity to coach him. And I think you saw the impact that he had on this team … just in the way that they embraced a very tough situation.”
*ALSO SEE: ‘We’re just getting started’ … Florida State unleashes lethal passing attack in win over Sooners
Talk about this story with other die-hard FSU football fans on the Tribal Council.
