Analyzing Florida State football's miscues, 'pressing' in first loss of season to Wake Forest
Greedy Vance Jr. positioned himself to make an interception.
Or at the very least, a pass breakup.
The Florida State cornerback undercut a route to the far sideline just before Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman threw toward his direction. But as Vance reached for the ball, wide receiver Ke’Shawn Williams leaped over the top of him and came down with quite the grab.
That 13-yard reception helped the Demon Deacons convert a critical third-and-6 with just under eight minutes left in the fourth quarter. It extended a drive that ultimately lasted 18 plays for 66 yards and milked 6:37.
And that drive ended with kicker Matthew Dennis effectively icing the game, nailing a 27-yard field goal to extend Wake Forest’s lead to 31-21 with 2:55 remaining.
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Had Vance taken advantage of his jump on that route, the Seminole offense would have received the ball back with ample time and an opportunity to tie the game. Instead, the result of the play had FSU head coach Mike Norvell in the infamous surrender cobra pose.
Vance's mistake was one of the many that plagued the No. 23 Seminoles (4-1, 2-1 ACC) in their 31-21 loss to the No. 22 Demon Deacons (4-1, 1-1) at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday.
“It was one of the first times this year where I felt like we were just pressing,” Norvell said. “We had a play that didn't work, or they made a play, and … (then we are) operating outside of what we necessarily needed to do.
“It might have caused a negative play. Or maybe a missed assignment. Or something that was definitely correctable, where our technique is not where it needs to be and you get a penalty.
“Those are things that beat you. We have to be better in those moments. I know our guys are going to respond to it. But it is just so disappointing, because I do know the work that they are putting in. But in the moment you’ve got to be able to apply the work.”
What Norvell described as his team's biggest issue – that they were pressing – could have stemmed from multiple factors.
Maybe they felt the pressure that comes with starting 4-0 for the first time since 2015. Maybe they felt they needed to overcompensate after losing multiple key players to injury, including left tackle Robert Scott Jr. (lower right leg) and defensive tackle Fabien Lovett (lower right leg).
Or maybe they were distracted and knocked off their routine in the wake of Hurricane Ian and FSU canceling classes from Tuesday to Friday.
Whatever the case, the Seminoles know they will have to be cleaner and better when playing at No. 10 NC State next Saturday and when they return home to host No. 5 Clemson the following weekend.
“Everybody wants more,” Norvell said. “You start off, you have success, you have the good feelings of seeing it play out.
“I will say this: life is not a fairytale. It is not always going to go this way. You are going to face things. The key to it is the response.
“We have done such a good job this year that when we've had a bad play or something has gone wrong, we've been able to flip the switch and get to the next one. Today, I just felt it was a little bit of a different energy there on the sides.
“They want it so bad. But you’ve got to stay true to the things that you do and how you prepare.”
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Quantifying Florida State’s errors
Poor situational football, penalties and untimely mistakes proved to be too costly for FSU to overcome.
Especially after Wake Forest took a 28-7 lead in the third quarter.
The Demon Deacon offense performed well in critical situations, converting 10 of 18 third downs and 3 of 3 fourth downs. On third down, they went 7 of 7 through the air for 78 yards and two touchdowns, earned 51 rushing yards on eight carries and drew a pass interference penalty. They also took three sacks.
Those conversions kept the banged up Seminole defense on the field for much of the game.
Four of Wake Forest’s drives, including three of its first five, lasted at least 12 plays. Despite not receiving the opening kickoff, the Demon Deacon offense played 50 snaps in the first half. They were on the field for 85 snaps for the whole game, winning the time of possession battle 34:32-25:28.
“They did a good job of mixing up the run and pass game,” Norvell said. “We knew that was something that they do. We’ve got to win one-on-one matchups in the run game and the passing game.
“There were times we had opportunities, but they did a good job of converting and were able to play ahead of the chains. They were in a lot of third-and-manageable situations. That's where for us, every play matters.”
FSU opened the game with a six-play, 83-yard touchdown drive that looked easy. The Seminole offense then went scoreless until 7:03 remained in the third quarter. After taking a 7-0 lead, they did not score on four of their ensuing six trips to opponent territory.
And two of those four possessions ended with struggling kicker Ryan Fitzgerald missing field goals of 29 and 55 yards.
Quarterback Jordan Travis also lost a fumble early in the second quarter, which led to Wake Forest capitalizing with a five-play, 39-yard touchdown drive. All nine of FSU’s offensive penalties, which went for 65 yards, came in the final 19:57.
“It should not have come down to that stuff. That's what bothers us the most,” Travis said. “It should not have to come down to a field goal (at the end). It should not have to come down to a hard situation like that.
“It comes down to us. We have to execute when it's first and second down. We can't get to third and long. We can’t make penalties.
“It was just like little focus penalties that we’re losing it on. Coming out on third-and-15, second-and-15, it’s tough obviously.”
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FSU missed Lovett and Scott.
Badly.
Coming into the weekend, Wake Forest ranked No. 105 nationally in rushing offense. But without Lovett’s presence, the Demon Deacons found a lot of holes up the middle. Running back Justice Ellison inflicted the most damage, turning his 18 carries into a career-high 114 yards and a touchdown.
Wake Forest solely leaned on running back Christian Turner, though, on its 18-play drive. He finished with 20 carries for 64 yards and a score, and 12 of those rush attempts and 44 of those yards came on that possession.
“Everybody in that stadium knew we were going to run it,” said Demon Deacon head coach Dave Clawson on that 18-play drive. “And even on the one third down and fourth down, we ran it.
“Our O-line stepped up. And we felt good about it. At halftime, we had run 50 plays. Our players thought that we were starting to wear them down, and they were tired.”
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Scott’s replacement, Darius Washington, looked uncomfortable at left tackle for much of the game. On one possession that looked promising in the third quarter, Washington committed two back-breaking penalties and allowed a sack from defensive lineman Jasheen Davis.
That sack came on third down and forced FSU to punt.
And it’s not just left tackle. The Seminoles have continued to struggle at right tackle since losing their starter at the position, Bless Harris, to a season-ending injury against Duquesne. South Carolina transfer Jazston Turnetine replaced him.
“It was kind of a mixed bag, to be honest with you,” said Norvell on how he would assess the offensive line play. “Too many penalties. The negatives that showed up.
“We had a couple drives that were going. But we have been battling. You have some guys that are still relative newcomers to the program that are being asked to do a lot. We've had some injuries up front. We are really kind of testing into the depth.
“But those guys are very capable. We have seen them play really well. Today, there were some things that showed up that were uncharacteristic. That's why I said that earlier. …
“I just thought we were a little shaken at times with the overall performance. But our guys, they battled. I definitely appreciate that group. I know that they are going to continue to improve.”
Reach Carter Karels at ckarels@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @CarterKarels. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football: Seminoles make too many mistakes in loss to Wake Forest
