SWC75
Bored Historian
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2011
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- Yeah, it was a good game, largely because it was a game between two mediocre teams. My Dad and I use to play golf together and we often said “It’s a good thing we’re playing each other.” These teams could say that to each other.
- In my “Why Florida State will win” post, I opened with “Florida State will ‘get well’ against Syracuse. Even if they don’t, Florida State will still find a way to beat us. Even if they don’t, Syracuse will find a way to lose this game.” That’s basically what happened. We’re mad at the refs but we should have kicked the field goal in the first period instead of getting stuffed on a fourth down play. Our bizarre clock management at the end of the half, (two time outs taken with the clock already stopped), cost us another chance at a field goal. We had a golden opportunity with Duce Chestnut’s interception with 8:28 left. But we had to settle for a field goal. After we got the three and out, we did nothing with that opportunity and then there was the play where Marlow Wax let Travis run right by him at the sideline. It didn’t have to be this way.
- We started out the game going to Sean Tucker almost exclusively. He carried on 8 of the first 12 plays. The result was three punts and a fourth down stop. Then we started faking it to him and Shrader was off to the races. Later Shrader started completing short passes with some effectiveness and we scored 30 points in the last 36:21 after scoring none in the first 23:39 – against an 0-4 team that we wanted to “jump on top off so they wouldn’t have confidence”. Yes, you have to establish Tucker to set things up but his reputation has already been established. We should have balanced up the offense from the beginning.
- Shrader’s early runs were quarterback draws, which don’t work unless you’ve already established your passing game. It won’t work when the other team has loaded the box to stop the run. Actually, the one running play DeVito is better at than Shrader is the quarterback draw, since Tommy forces the defense to respect the passing game. Garrett’s play is the two-man game with Rucker, either handing it off or keeping it off the handoff.
- Shrader wound up having a good game but there’s still something missing: he’s now 0 for 11 on passes of over 20 yards.
- Neither of our quarterbacks are scramblers the way Travis is. He can move to buy time, search for an opening and make a big play. Both Shrader and DeVito are much better on planned running plays.
- Taj Harris, our leading receiver, didn’t make the trip for undisclosed season. The only clue: a tweet saying “I know my worth”. It’s zero if you don’t show up.
- We were 2/15 on third and fourth downs. They were 8 for 17. That’s the ball game right there.
- Our punter, James Williams, was also MIA. His replacement, Ian Hawkins, averages just 33.2 on 6 punts. Florida State’s Alan Mastromanno average 44.7 on the same number of kicks. Also, Andre Szymt missed an extra point. The advantage we’ve had for year from our kicking game has reversed itself.
- Our defense continues to play well but they did have some lapses in this game. The lack of containment, especially in the final drive was a killer and a whiff by Justin Barron at the line of scrimmage led to Treshaun Ward’s 65 yarder.
- Oh, yeah, the refs. We lost a couple of touchdowns on reviews but got them back on the next play. We had a possible touchdown by Garrett Shrader not granted when Shrader seemed to be on top of a Florida State player and placed the ball on the goal line. But what we couldn’t see was whether some part of his legs were on the ground. I didn’t have a huge problem with those but I did with the roughing the passer call on Marlowe Wax who hit the quarterback a split second after the ball had left his hand. You’re supposed to get a step before it’s a penalty. Speculation is that Wax let up on the final drive because he didn’t want to get called for a late hit, the earlier call being still in his mind. And on the play that set up the field goal, there were two obvious holds not called. One was a grab, the other a tackle.
- We still haven’t beaten the Noles in their own place and this was the year to get it done.
- In my “Why Florida State will win” post, I opened with “Florida State will ‘get well’ against Syracuse. Even if they don’t, Florida State will still find a way to beat us. Even if they don’t, Syracuse will find a way to lose this game.” That’s basically what happened. We’re mad at the refs but we should have kicked the field goal in the first period instead of getting stuffed on a fourth down play. Our bizarre clock management at the end of the half, (two time outs taken with the clock already stopped), cost us another chance at a field goal. We had a golden opportunity with Duce Chestnut’s interception with 8:28 left. But we had to settle for a field goal. After we got the three and out, we did nothing with that opportunity and then there was the play where Marlow Wax let Travis run right by him at the sideline. It didn’t have to be this way.
- We started out the game going to Sean Tucker almost exclusively. He carried on 8 of the first 12 plays. The result was three punts and a fourth down stop. Then we started faking it to him and Shrader was off to the races. Later Shrader started completing short passes with some effectiveness and we scored 30 points in the last 36:21 after scoring none in the first 23:39 – against an 0-4 team that we wanted to “jump on top off so they wouldn’t have confidence”. Yes, you have to establish Tucker to set things up but his reputation has already been established. We should have balanced up the offense from the beginning.
- Shrader’s early runs were quarterback draws, which don’t work unless you’ve already established your passing game. It won’t work when the other team has loaded the box to stop the run. Actually, the one running play DeVito is better at than Shrader is the quarterback draw, since Tommy forces the defense to respect the passing game. Garrett’s play is the two-man game with Rucker, either handing it off or keeping it off the handoff.
- Shrader wound up having a good game but there’s still something missing: he’s now 0 for 11 on passes of over 20 yards.
- Neither of our quarterbacks are scramblers the way Travis is. He can move to buy time, search for an opening and make a big play. Both Shrader and DeVito are much better on planned running plays.
- Taj Harris, our leading receiver, didn’t make the trip for undisclosed season. The only clue: a tweet saying “I know my worth”. It’s zero if you don’t show up.
- We were 2/15 on third and fourth downs. They were 8 for 17. That’s the ball game right there.
- Our punter, James Williams, was also MIA. His replacement, Ian Hawkins, averages just 33.2 on 6 punts. Florida State’s Alan Mastromanno average 44.7 on the same number of kicks. Also, Andre Szymt missed an extra point. The advantage we’ve had for year from our kicking game has reversed itself.
- Our defense continues to play well but they did have some lapses in this game. The lack of containment, especially in the final drive was a killer and a whiff by Justin Barron at the line of scrimmage led to Treshaun Ward’s 65 yarder.
- Oh, yeah, the refs. We lost a couple of touchdowns on reviews but got them back on the next play. We had a possible touchdown by Garrett Shrader not granted when Shrader seemed to be on top of a Florida State player and placed the ball on the goal line. But what we couldn’t see was whether some part of his legs were on the ground. I didn’t have a huge problem with those but I did with the roughing the passer call on Marlowe Wax who hit the quarterback a split second after the ball had left his hand. You’re supposed to get a step before it’s a penalty. Speculation is that Wax let up on the final drive because he didn’t want to get called for a late hit, the earlier call being still in his mind. And on the play that set up the field goal, there were two obvious holds not called. One was a grab, the other a tackle.
- We still haven’t beaten the Noles in their own place and this was the year to get it done.
