Welcome to Seminole Script Roundtable.
Democrat writers Ehsan Kassim and Jack Williams talk about all things Florida State football, including final thoughts on the 31-24 overtime victory over Clemson, a glimpse into Tuesday and Wednesday practices and a look at the panic meter through four games for FSU entering the bye week.
Note: There will be no new Seminole Script video this week.
The No. 4 Seminoles (4-0, 2-0 ACC) return to action Oct. 7 when they host Virginia Tech (1-3, 0-0) at 3:30 p.m. at Doak Campbell Stadium.
Kassim and Williams share their final thoughts on Clemson and discuss what the panic meter is for the running game and other questions for FSU entering the next eight games.
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Any final thoughts on FSU’s thrilling overtime victory over Clemson?
Ehsan Kassim: That was the definition of a gutsy win against a Clemson team that is better than its 2-2 record. The Seminoles trailed 10-0 and then 17-7 before closing the gap before halftime. The Tigers were on a game-defending, two-touchdown lead drive before linebacker Kalen DeLoach made the momentum-changing play.
The offense did not have its best day, as the Tigers took away rushing lanes from Trey Benson and Jordan Travis, and Travis will be the first to admit he missed some throws. But he made them when they counted and they pulled off the win.
Defensively, the Tigers did what they wanted in the first half, moving the ball down the field. But FSU played a “bend, don’t break” defense in the second half, scoring as many points as they allowed.
Jack Williams: An instant classic. This was a fantastic game, from a fan’s perspective, and had all the dramatics. However, there’s a lot to clean up coming out of it, hence why FSU dropped in the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll.
The defense started slow and let Clemson march down the field on a few drives, it also struggled immensely with Clemson’s rushing attack. It came up big late, but if the Seminoles defense had played a full game they could’ve closed out with a win in regulation.
On the flip side, FSU’s offense began to collapse late. It also could’ve closed out at the end of regulation but failed to do so. If Keon Coleman hadn’t “balled out” once again, the Seminoles could’ve easily lost the game. A win is a win, but there were a lot of flaws.
What’s one thing you’ve seen through the first four games that is a cause of concern for the rest of the season?
Ehsan Kassim: The Seminoles are 4-0 and haven’t played their best game yet. FSU was fortunate to escape with a road victory for the second straight week, as Clemson made some questionable play calls near the end of this one and former walk-on kicker Jonathan Weitz pushed a kick to give the Tigers a late lead.
Penalties for Boston College played a major role in why the Seminoles walked out of Boston with a closer-than-expected victory. The team is very talented, but the margin of error in today’s college football remains very thin.
But none of that matters. FSU is 4-0 and a top-5 team after passing its two biggest tests of the season. Now the Seminoles have the bye week and three home games to figure out their rushing game.
Jack Williams: FSU has not played a full game. Not their best game, but a full game. You could argue that Southern Miss was its best all-around showing, but even then the Seminoles only had a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
LSU dominated in the second half but struggled to get going in the first. Boston College everything nearly fell apart in the fourth quarter and Clemson the offense and defense were never on the same page. We really haven’t seen a full fourth-quarter performance from this team.
At home for nearly the entire month of October, FSU needs to show that it can dominate from kickoff to the final snap.
On a scale of 1 to 5, what’s the panic meter for the rushing game?
Ehsan Kassim: Four.
I am not in full panic mode now, but FSU’s run game struggles are a cause for concern now. LSU and Clemson boast strong defensive lines, so struggles against them make some sense. However, the lack of success against Boston College is concerning.
The Seminoles are tied for 75th in the nation with 147.8 yards per game through four games in 2023. Last season, they were 13th with 214.1 yards per game.
Of the 591 yards FSU has on the ground this season, 306 came against Southern Miss. FSU had 135 yards against LSU (4 yards per carry), 128 yards against Boston College (3.8 per carry) and 22 yards (1.1 per carry) versus Clemson.
Jack Williams: 4.5
The running backs aren’t just bodies out there. While the rushing game has struggled, they’ve presented themselves as versatile athletes and made a handful of catches from Jordan Travis. However, the corps rushed for 22 yards against Clemson. That’s not good at all.
Benson was the only player that rushed for more than 2-yards. If that’s not a red flag, I don’t know what is. The bye week is CRITICAL in making sure that this running back group finds its groove. If the Seminoles come out against Virginia Tech and struggle to rush the ball again, you can almost kiss an undefeated season goodbye.
The rushing situation is not good, and the Seminoles are at a critical point of needing to turn it all around. If it’s still struggling after the bye week, I’d move this up to a five.
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On a scale of 1 to 5, what’s the panic meter for FSU’s third-down defense?
Ehsan Kassim: 3.5.
Opponents are 30 for 57 on third down conversions against the Seminoles this season, the 36% rate of getting off the field on money downs is tied for 42nd in the nation.
Specifically, in the last two games, the Eagles and Tigers were 18 of 33 (55%), which would rank 128th out of 130 FBS teams this season.
It is important to remember the Seminoles limited LSU to 3-for-10 in the season opener, so the last two games could just be an aberration rather than a trend.
Jack Williams: Three.
The first-half performance against Clemson was poor for the defense. It constantly struggled to stop the Tigers’ offense, whether it be passing or rushing, and in one sequence, let them walk down the field to a touchdown. However, the Seminoles’ defense managed to recover.
This is something in my opinion that’s very fixable, especially with this group. The defensive backs have proven that they can defend the pass, and the defensive line has stood tall. The linebacker corps has faced adversity this season, but still continues to hold steady.
I think that this is something less urgent, and more so something that needs to be cleaned up.
Prediction time: Do the Seminoles finish the regular season undefeated?
Ehsan Kassim: No. The close calls over the last two weeks concern me. Wake Forest, Pittsburgh and especially Florida will all provide tough road environments to play in. Duke and Miami are both undefeated and could be roadblocks for a perfect season.
In college football today, it’s not easy to win every single game. But the Seminoles have also positioned themselves now – with wins over LSU and Clemson – that they can finish with one loss, win the ACC Championship and be in contention for a College Football Playoff spot.
Yes, FSU passed its biggest tests of the season. But coming out undefeated is still a tall order.
Jack Williams: No, as of now.
FSU needs to clean up these three things in order to finish undefeated: the rushing game, consistency on both sides of the ball and road performances. Yes, it beat Clemson on the road, but barely. If the Tigers made that field goal in the fourth quarter, FSU could easily be 3-1.
I already talked about the rushing game and playing a complete game, so let’s talk about performing on the road. After the Boston College and Clemson games, you can now say Wake Forest, Pittsburgh and even more so Florida are trap games. FSU needs a dominant road performance in order to waive this issue.
Even at home, Duke and Miami can easily snap this hot streak. Until I see those three things cleaned up, I don’t think this team goes 12-0.
Jack Williams covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at jwilliams@tallahassee.com or on Twitter @jackgwilliams.
Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).
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