TALLAHASSEE – The scoreboard read 34-17.
Yet, Florida State football'sseason-opening win over New Mexico State didn't quell any doubtsover the Seminolesunder head coach Mike Norvell.
Sure, Week 0 games aren't supposed to be masterpieces, but the performance, particularly defensively, was less than inspiring when you consider the stakes of the season
. So much so that linebacker Chris Jones classified itas being below the standard of the program."Defensively, I feel like we didn't play up to our standard. If we're being honest. We just got to come out faster, be more urgent. Clean up the details that need to be cleaned up," Jones said postgame.
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"When the details get cleaned up, don't go out there and do your own thing. We just got to go out there and execute what's given to us... Don't get me wrong, we won the game. But we didn't go out there and play to our standard."
FSU defense struggles to get off field vs NMSU
Jones's assertion was correct, and a major red flag that popped up defensively came on third down.
The Seminoles, who were 31.5-point favorites, were aggressive and clean on first and second down for the majority of the game. Yet, when the chain crew flipped the two to three, FSU's defense lapsed to the point that New Mexico State converted 10 of the 17 third downs it faced, gaining 178 of the team's 319 total yards.
The Aggies even scored both touchdowns on third downs with some lackluster, blown coverage from the secondary. Credit for that goes to quarterback Trey Hedden, who threw for 272 yards while going 26-of-42.
Those aren't inspiring feats for a defense that struggled in that same area last season and entered the season with hopes of improving in that facet of the game.
"The two coverage [burts] on the touchdowns. That can't happen. We've got to be better in communication, execution on that. ...There were some things where we have to get better. We got beat, whether it was being a little bit too soft in our coverage, trust in what we saw as it unfolded, "Norvell said.
"At the end of the day, you see the potential of what's there. We had some mistakes tonight. When you give up what we gave up on third down, that has to get corrected. I think it's a very capable group, and we will get that addressed.
FSU had plenty to be happy about, though
Even with the defensive lapses, there were certainly some positives for the Seminoles to build upon.
Defensive back Quindarrius Jones returned from injury and tallied an interception and had an athletic pass breakup.
The ground game totaled 222 yards, 115 of which came from Ousmane Kromah, who averaged an eye-popping 8.2 yards per carry. Samuel Singleton compiled 164 total yards, with 54 in the air, 42 on the ground, and 68 on kickoff returns. He added a pair of touchdowns to his stat line, with one caught and another punched in from short yardage.
Quarterback Ashton Daniels tossed for 202 yards, with a touchdown pass and a touchdown on the ground, alongside an interception, which drew some slight boo's from the crowd when it was thrown. There is more to be desired from the signal-caller, however, who had moments of hesitation and indecision.
But much of that seemed to stem from an inconsistent display along the offensive line.
The unit had significant questions to answer entering the seasonafter being rebuilt through the transfer portal. Many of the answers provided weren't positive, though Week 0 games are far from the crown jewel of evaluation for a team.
While the overall performance might have left some success-hungry fans with an unquenched appetite, wins are hard to come by in college football, which Daniels reiterated when speaking postgame. They've been even harder to come by in Tallahassee in recent seasons.
And the Seminoles are 1-0.
To get to 2-0 and avoid a pressure-building loss, it's up to Norvell and the team to clean it up ahead of a crucial Labor Day clash with SMU.
"I saw flashes of what you want to see. I saw some areas where we get to continue to build upon," Norvell said. "There is going to be a lot of things that we are going to be able to do this next week to help put us in the best position the next time we get out on the field."
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: FSU got the result it needed. The performance should still worry fans
