Clark: Let's all celebrate the greatness of FSU's Cam Akers

There was no way I could write another big-picture column about the Florida State football team.

It just didn't fit. Not this week. Not against this team.

The Seminoles were impressive in their 35-17 victory over Syracuse, don't get me wrong. But if they lose next week to Miami, it won't be remembered at all. So I'm not going to sit here and write about how big this victory was for Willie Taggart and his program.

We'll see what happens next week. That's a big-picture game. That's a big-picture column.

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No, for this one, I thought it would be good to once again focus on the best player on the 2019 Florida State football team. And, truthfully, one of the best players in the entire country.

One that deserves so much more attention than he's gotten this season.

After Saturday's game, I asked Florida State head coach Willie Taggart about the sensational Cam Akers and whether he thought enough people across the nation appreciated just how good No. 3 in garnet really is.

"I really don't care what they think," Taggart said. "I think he's awesome. I think he's the best running back in the country. And the kid is, he's special. When you see the way he runs the football, he's a tremendous talent, he's doing a darn good job for us, and looking forward to watching the rest of this season to see how he ends up."

Akers rushed for 144 yards and four touchdowns against Syracuse on Saturday -- with many of those plays coming on runs out of the "Wild Cam" formation. The Orange defense seemed completely flummoxed by the direct snaps to Akers, and he and Khalan Laborn were able to rush for over 200 yards combined in the win.

Akers also completed two passes for 26 yards as he carried the Seminoles to their fourth win of the season.

"I don’t look at it like that," Akers said. "I just look at it as going to make plays when my team needs it. I’ve put in the work, throughout the spring, throughout the summer, and it's showing. Whenever my teams calls my number, I'll be ready."

The Wild Cam (which it will be forever called by the way, don't bring that 'Wildcat' nonsense over here) was so effective that I think it's fair to wonder where in the world this has been for the last few seasons. Akers, a high school quarterback, has shown he can throw the ball on a few trick plays in the past. And in rare chances -- like last year at Notre Dame -- he's shown he can really be hard to stop when he's running the read option.