At the start of the season, any rational Florida State fan would have taken a 3-1 record at the end of September. Once they saw how it actually played out, they’re probably all feeling sick to their stomachs. How could the same team that looked so dominant against Alabama look so overmatched on multiple fronts […]
At the start of the season, any rational Florida State fan would have taken a 3-1 record at the end of September.
Once they saw how it actually played out, they’re probably all feeling sick to their stomachs.
How could the same team that looked so dominant against Alabama look so overmatched on multiple fronts against Virginia?
Here’s my two cents: This FSU team is not as good as it looked in Week 1 and not as bad as it looked Friday night.
The truth is somewhere in the middle, like we all thought it was coming into the season.
But that pill is a tough one to swallow after the tantalizing performance that was a thorough victory over Alabama less than a month ago.
As I wrote the week of the Bama game, the season was always going to be about so much more than just that game. Now, I admit I wrote that at the time expecting a loss to Alabama. But it certainly still applied with a two-score win in that game and you saw why in the Virginia game.
That win put a huge target on the Seminoles’ back. They finally played another team capable of hanging with them this week and the Cavaliers did exactly that in eye-opening fashion.
This isn’t a title-contending FSU team. And that’s ok. Remember where they were last year?
They’re greatly improved in some facets, especially on offense, where they racked up 514 yards of offense on an incredibly balanced 258 passing yards and 256 rushing yards.
There were also some very concerning things on display. I thought this team was going to be a bit inconsistent given all the new faces, new coordinators/schemes on both sides of the ball and a QB not known for his accuracy as a passer.
That certainly showed up.
As disruptive and effective as the defensive line was against Alabama (three sacks, seven tackles for loss, 87 rushing yards at 3.0 per carry), it looked impotent for much of Friday’s loss. Both of FSU’s sacks and all four of the tackles for loss came from defensive backs, a real condemnation of the front seven’s lack of impact.
Far too often, the defensive line failed to set the edge in the run and tackling was bad across the board. That’s how Virginia managed to amass 211 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns against an FSU defense that had allowed 235 rushing yards and no rushing scores in its first three games combined.
Castellanos, as brilliant as he was at moments Friday, also left some yards and points on the field with missed throws. At the very least, that overtime throwback pass he short-armed would have been a first down, if not a touchdown.
If it wasn’t for getting into an early 14-0 hole thanks to turnovers, penalties and mistakes, those things may not have mattered.
Or if the defense got a stop before halftime.
Or if the defense came up with one of any number of possible third/fourth-down stops it couldn’t deliver in the second half.
Or if Duce Robinson’s double-overtime touchdown catch wasn’t overturned. I still can’t say I understand that one.
Did FSU get caught overlooking Virginia and ahead to Miami? The case can be made.
But the stronger case may just be that FSU is a good, not great team. A team capable of stellar performances but also underwhelming ones.
The bottom line is it was a night to forget, one that sent the Seminoles plummeting back to earth after some levitation in the prior 27 days of beating Alabama and stomping some cupcakes.
For the Seminoles’ sake, they’d better hope it doesn’t carry into next week’s game vs. Miami.
One would have to imagine this performance was quite a wake-up call on that front.
Category: General Sports
