Yes, those were fighting words / clickbait.
Folks, we have Boston College football this week. Alright, next week technically, but less than 7 days from now. Get excited!
As most of you have likely seen, #10 (for now) Florida State lost their Week 0 game to Georgia Tech in Ireland. What does that mean? BC has tape of their opponent AND they have a shorter flight. It might also mean we’re dealing with a pretty pissed off team that has a long flight home, but let’s not think that way.
Needless to say it was not a good trip to Dublin for the Seminoles. Falling 24-21, Georgia Tech dominated on the ground and in possession. Here we’ll focus on how the FSU offense failed to make an impact in this game.
As we mentioned in our opponent preview, Mike Norvell’s offense has a lot of new pieces, with only four starters returning. Starting up front, DJ Uiagalelei returns to the ACC having already played Boston College three times (twice competitively). Last season, DJ excelled at taking care of the ball, avoiding sacks, average depth of target, and connecting on those deep throws. This weekend however for those last two points . . .
Dawg pic.twitter.com/7hGzKfHdd4
— College Football Report (@CFBRep) August 24, 2024
It leaves a lot to be desired, but it certainly isn’t the whole story nor what we expect BC to face in Tallahassee.
The game got off to a rosy start for FSU. They marched (rushed) down the field with Lawrance Toafili ending it with a 28 yard scamper. Four different players carried the ball on the opening drive. This was the offense Norvell has, typically had — 2023 was his worst rushing team since 2016 —with a power run game, wide receiver screens, and the RPO game. Then, Norvell had the audacity to bust out a sneaky 2-pt play. Tech was caught off guard and FSU went up 8-0.
From that opening script on however, the offense would never get a handle on the game. They never went three and out, but they couldn’t replicate that same magic. There were 58 rushing yards on that first drive, but they would only muster up 40 more. But that felt more like a bug rather than a feature because of how Tech was able to seize the game — control possession and shorten the game. While three of the offensive starters that returned were on the offensive line and that veteran unit was perceived to be a strength of the team, they were flatly manhandled by Georgia Tech’s defensive line. DJ was under constant pressure, with little time to take shots. Even in situations where they could, it felt like the coaching staff either didn’t trust him or the line to hold up. Now, for BC, the defensive front hasn’t exactly been known to generate pressure. We’ll have to see a much improved group to even begin to replicate what the Yellow Jackets did.
Onto the FSU receivers — as mentioned they didn’t really manage to get down the field well. Ja’khi Douglas and Malik Benson had only four catches apiece for 55 and 39 yards, respectively. The team was down receiver Hykeem Williams, which may have played a part in the conservative game plan. They did try and get the ball to playmakers in other creative ways. This is a much speedier group than last year’s team. Douglas is a strong talent, and alongside Indiana running back transfer Jaylin Douglas both had opportunities with the ball in space, Expect both to play and get the ball more. We can expect similar actions, but if BC can’t keep things disciplined as GT did in the second level, FSU can bust out more explosive plays. There’s a good chance they’ll overcorrect and takes some play action shots on early downs that they shied away from last week.
Norvell after the game talked about needing to put his team in better positions, and also the need for explosive plays. They were conservative a number of times on third down and went 5 for 12 as a result. The offense often elected for short runs on third down rather than letting DJ drop back. On the flipside, they showed willingness to go for it on fourth downs.
Bottom line is the FSU offense is certainly capable of more. On Uiagalelei, the man only logged six carries for seven yards, but we have experienced 12 carries for over 50 yards in each of the last two games against him. His output at Oregon State drastically dropped, but different offenses/teams aside, DJ will have more the chance to take the ball himself and go. Passing wise, we only need to look at FSU’s game-tying drive in the fourth quarter. He misfired on a pair of deep shots on that drive, but he made up for it. He had two clutch fourth down throws (yes, that went past the line of scrimmage) and set the team up to score. He may not have a touchdown pass, but he certainly wasn’t inept as easy a narrative that is. And let’s remember it was Week 0. While the disappointment will certainly linger, FSU should have been able to shake off some rust and know exactly what needs to be improved.
One last note on FSU’s offense — they can kick. Their Ryan Fitzgerald nailed two from 50+ including one from 59 yards out. The weather wasn’t pretty either.
Do you expect the FSU offense to turn it around, or will the massive disappointment for a playoff snub, and now possible playoff pretender loom large? Stay tuned for a look at the FSU defense tomorrow.