First TD catch carries extra significance for Seminoles' Christian Green
Florida State wide receiver Christian Green caught his first career touchdown in Week 5's game at NC State.
A monumental event in any collegiate player's career, it was especially meaningful for Green because he is a fifth-year senior who had played in 44 career games without scoring before Saturday.
"It was good to finally get in after all that, it's been a long time," Green said. "Hopefully just continue to work, and it can happen a couple, a lot more times this year."
Making the moment all the more significant was that he accomplished the feat hours after learning that his grandfather, Ernest Green Sr., had died.
"The news was kind of shocking," Green added softly. "But like I said, it happened, that's life. It felt good, definitely, because I knew if he was looking he would have been proud."
Green, the 2010 top-ranked high school football player in the state of Florida according to Scout.com, fought through injuries and lost numerous position battles over his first four years at Florida State, but was finally named a starter by coach Jimbo Fisher before this season.
The Seminoles head coach commented on Green, a member of Fisher's first recruiting class as a head coach, and what Saturday's performance meant to him.
"It was great for him to get his first touchdown," Fisher said with a smile. "I am very happy for him, but also very sad because he lost his grandpa on that day. It is very rewarding to see a guy work that hard and be such a great guy."
Green -- or "Pops" as the players call him -- was told by his quarterback Jameis Winston before the NC State game that he was going to "get him one [a touchdown]."
"You have to be prepared every play because you never know if it's gonna happen, and then it did," Green said chuckling. "It was a great pass by Jameis."
But that's the kind of attitude that Green has always had, according to coaches and teammates. Even when he lost out on starting positions or had his playing time cut, he worked as hard as anyone on the team and prepared as though he were the No. 1 wide receiver.
Teammates, specifically fellow WR and team captain Rashad Greene, were more than willing to discuss Green's big day.
"I was overjoyed for him," Greene explained. "Like I said, he's been here longer than me and that was his first time getting in the paint. And I know it was a great feeling for him, just proud of him. For that guy to continuously have a positive perspective and everything and just keep working. It's paying off."
Green will head back to Tampa, Fla., after Saturday's game against Wake Forest to be with his family for his grandfather's funeral.
