The Downside - Florida State | Syracusefan.com

The Downside - Florida State

SWC75

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- In the first half of the last three games we’ve been out-gained 374-738 and out-scored 9-58. Dino needs to make his halftime speech before the game.

- We seemed to have turned this game around earlier than the NC State and Pitt games, playing well in the second quarter. Then they ran a trick play where the QB made a backwards sideline pass and the receiver lateralled the ball back to him. He then passes it back to the sideline where we now had one DB against two receivers, one of whom was FSU’s #1 target, Tamorrion Terry, who caught it and ran 30 yard to set up a touchdown that made it 3-21 at the half. It was the third straight week that a trick play had worked against us, accounting for a touchdown each time. We’ve tried trick plays, too. Two times I’ve seen receivers or running backs look to throw the ball downfield but no one was open and they had to run it for minimal gains. Then there was play where the slot man took the ball from the QB and had blockers out in front of him. But somebody in the line had jumped. The play was blown dead and there was no point in trying it again as the other team had seen it. That’s SU football in 2019.

- Fun fact: there hasn’t been a lead change in an SU game all year. The first team that scored has won every game.

- 14 penalties for 107 yards. That gives us 78 for 629 in 8 games. Throw in the botched on-sides kick and it was still another game where we just didn’t seem focused or organized. That’s disappointing, regardless of talent level or youth.

- State had 11 penalties of their own for 76 yards. Why is that a negative? Firstly, 25 whistles by the refs is too many, (there was one against Carlos Vettorello where he barely made contact with a guy and the flopped and got a 15 yard call). Secondly, most of our early success moving the ball came in penalty yards, not yards we actually gained.

- Tommy DeVito endured 7 more sacks. That’s 42 we’ve given up for the season. But he had a lot of passes where had time to throw but the ball was off line. Some were incomplete. Others were caught but the receiver had to do so much to make the catch, he had no opportunity to get any yards after catch. Matt Park said “the receivers are being tackled by the ball.” With Tommy’s reputation for accuracy, I expected to see more passes caught “in stride”. Our guys are having to lunge for them.

- And the deep shots we took against Pittsburgh were completely absent in this game. Tommy did manage to complete 20 passes but only for 155 yards. Alex Hornibrook completed 15 passes but they were for 196 yards.

- Aaron Hackett caught a late pass for 14 yards but we once again didn’t target our tight ends, who appeared a few games ago to be major weapons. Meanwhile the Seminoles two tight ends caught 5 passes for 45 yards.

- Andre Szmyt missed his third field goal of the season, the second that hit the upright. Sterling Hofrichter performed well but was leveled on one play and had to be helped up.

- Our nation-leading streak of games forcing a turnover ended. Andre Cicsco9, of all people, had one bounce right off his hands.

- Now is the time to beat Florida Stat6e, while they are down. We did it last year but this year we made them look like they were ‘back’. Next year they could be and the window of opportunity will be gone.

- The game and the season seemed to be summarized when, on Florida State’s last score, we blocked the extra point- but the ball found its way over the crossbar anyway.

- This season feels like the latter half of the 2011 and 2017 season, when It seemed we were on our way to a bowl game but we just couldn’t find a way to beat the very beatable teams on our schedule. We can’t win because we are losing. We have four more chances to turn this around but it’s looking like a 3-9 season with no wins over power conference teams. I hope I’m wrong but it is what it is. Did last year really happen?
 
downside. sacked on the first play. 3 and out all 1st quarter. issues we've acknowledged haven't been resolved.
 

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