Darius Washington proves once again why he is ‘security blanket’ for Florida State OL

When the No. 3 Florida State football team takes the field today at Boston College, Darius Washington could make his second consecutive start at center.

Or he could line up at left tackle or right tackle, two spots where he has started before. Or he could pitch in at either left or right guard.

Florida State offensive line coach Alex Atkins has said multiple times he has eight offensive linemen he knows he can win with. But with Washington being one of those eight, it’s almost as if the Seminoles really have 11 or 12.

“Darius has been our Swiss Army knife,” Atkins said. “We can plug him in wherever we need to go. … I’m very comfortable with Darius playing all five positions. He gives us a little security blanket, because he can go in there and do it at a high level too.”

Washington showed that again last weekend against Southern Miss. With normal starter Maurice Smith sidelined by injury, Washington started at center for an offense that racked up 554 yards of total offense and scored on nine of 12 possessions.

It was Washington’s second career start at center. The redshirt junior from Pensacola made one start there last season, along with four starts at right tackle and two more at left tackle.

The year before, Washington started seven games at right tackle and five at left.

“I thought Darius Washington … I just can’t say enough about him. He’s remarkable,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said. “He could literally play all five positions. To go in there at center, he managed the game well. … It wasn’t a perfect game, but he really did a good job of going in there and making a positive impact.”

Washington, a redshirt junior from Pensacola, admits picking up the center position has been a work in progress. He said it took about a year before he felt comfortable snapping the ball consistently, and then there’s the challenging mental component.

Before every play, it’s his job to identify the middle linebacker and defensive front and then communicate that information to the rest of the line — with the knowledge that defensive lines now often shift right before the snap.

And then he has to remind himself exactly where he is lined up, since he has learned every lineman’s responsibility on every play.

“Playing all over the offensive line, it can kind of mess with your [mind] if you don’t understand each position as it should be,” he said.

*ALSO SEE: Matchup Analysis: Complete breakdown of No. 3 Florida State at Boston College

While there were likely a few things he could have done better in the Southern Miss game, Washington essentially nailed the most important aspect of the job — snapping the ball cleanly. One snap slipped out of his hand and skidded back to quarterback Jordan Travis because the ball had gotten wet, but other than that, he was on point.

The next time he’s in that position, Washington hopes to be 100 percent.

“I’m still getting comfortable with it,” he said. “If you don’t snap the ball or have a good snap, you can mess up a whole play, a whole drive, a whole game. … In practice if you have a bad snap, you just blow the whistle and go on to the next play. In a game if you have a bad snap, that can mess up a whole drive.”

It’s not yet known exactly where Washington will line up today at Boston College. If Smith is back to full speed, Washington could move back to a reserve spot at multiple positions. Or he could be used in a starting role — something he has done 28 times in his career.

One thing is certain: He’ll be wherever the offensive line needs him most.

“Darius is a special man,” senior right guard D’Mitri Emmanuel said. “It’s very impressive that he’s been able to do that. He’s a very key piece for our line.”

Said Washington: “Our coaches tell us, ‘You never know when the opportunity is gonna come. You’ve just got to make sure you’re ready for it.’ So if I’m preparing myself to play all five. And if I know all five, if anybody goes down, that gives me a more likely chance to go in.”

Weather Note for Florida State-Boston College

Florida State and Boston College are scheduled to play at noon on ABC. According to the National Weather Service on Saturday morning, the weather conditions related to Hurricane Lee call for rain showers and wind gusts of up to about 39 mph.

Talk about this story with other die-hard Florida State football fans on the Tribal Council.

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