In football, there are no moral victories.
Even though Florida State (1-2, 0-1) played Alabama close, including having a multi-touchdown lead during the second quarter, a poor defensive performance and turnovers from the offense, which are becoming a trend, dug the Seminoles into a hole they could not dig out of on Saturday. Now, FSU returns home for a cupcake game versus Central Arkansas ahead of a three-game gauntlet vs. Virginia, Louisville, and Miami.
“There’s obviously, a handful of plays that
we’d love to have back, because I still felt like we left points out there on the field where we got to be better. Unfortunately, defensively, did not play to the standard after those first four drives,” head coach Mike Norvell said to the local Tallahassee media on Monday.
The numbers never lie, and even though the Seminoles put up a valiant effort, there are still numerous reasons why they could not pull off the upset and look pedestrian.
Here are three stats that show why Florida State fell short against Alabama on Saturday.
9 straight scoring drives
After FSU forced a three-and-out on the opening two possessions for the Tide, Alabama scored every drive for the rest of the game. The number feels almost hard to believe, and if Tony White’s defense could have walled up for just a couple of those possessions, the Seminoles could have been in real position to return to Tallahassee with a win.
The wheels came off the defense when Alabama scored three touchdowns in 132 seconds at the end of the first half, turning a 21-6 FSU advantage into a 26-21 halftime deficit. The Noles had multiple chances to get off the field on the first TD drive and allowed too many explosive plays for the final two scores. To start the second half, Alabama found the end zone on their first two drives, as the Tide went on a run of five straight touchdown drives while scoring on nine consecutive trips.
As the game went on, White’s defense began to make mistakes and tire out, creating easier opportunities for Keelon Russell’s offense to put points on the board. Still, there is no excuse for the Seminole defense to fail to force a punt past the first quarter or manufacture a turnover. 36 points should have been enough on the road. But, the Nole defense was not up to the task.
“We look at how much are we asking guys to do, the confidence, the speed, the reactions of what shows up on film because it’s not good enough. They scored on nine straight drives in the game… And so, that was definitely, something that was disappointing to see. I mean, we did get a little worn down there towards the back part of the game. They did a good job throughout it and our depth has been tested.”
7.4 yards per rush for Alabama
Part of the reason for the nine straight scoring drives and why Florida State lost the game was a terrible run defense down the stretch. At first, it seemed the FSU front was up for the challenge against the Tide, holding Alabama to only 13 rushing yards on 10 carries in the first quarter. But the body blows took their toll, and by the fourth quarter, the front seven had nothing left. Alabama rushed for 124 yards on 14 carries in the final stanza, including 80 yards on the ground of a 90-yard touchdown drive to go up by 14 points, 50-36.
The issue many saw in the offseason is depth. Four defensive linemen played 40 snaps or more on Saturday, well above the 50% cap Norvell says he wants to keep his DL at. On the flip side, four defensive linemen played 22 snaps or less, as they work to earn the coaches’ trust. If FSU could have evened out those numbers, the front-end fade might not have happened. Unfortunately, through poor coaching or reliance on too many young players, the depth is not ready and Florida State paid for it.
“We’re playing a lot of guys that are kind of getting thrust into action a little bit, and that’s an opportunity, but you gotta take advantage of it when you get in the game. And, that’s, that’s part of your continued growth. Some positions are a little thinner than others, when it comes to that.”
10 explosive plays from the Seminoles
344 of Ashton Daniels’ 377 passing yards came on those 10 plays as Norvell and the offense found ways to take the top off the Alabama defense and fire shots downfield. Wide receiver Duce Robinson was a big part of that, finishing 6-135-15, with a 40-yard reception. Michai Danzy also used his speed to get behind the Alabama defense, catching three passes for 89 yards, including a long of 56 yards.
The explosive plays helped cover for an offense and quarterback that struggled down-to-down. Daniels finished with a sub-60% completion percentage for the second straight game, as he has not been decisive enough when getting rid of the ball. According to gameonpaper.com, Florida State had an explosive-play rate of 17%, in the 99th percentile, but finished the game with a 45% success rate, in the 53rd percentile. Explosive passing plays are always important, but they became most of the offense, leading to Daniels forcing the ball on his interceptions.
“There might be some games that you throw a few times, right, because of what things look like. Then there’s gonna be times that you got to be able to push the ball down the field. I thought they did a good job in their preparation and executing when we get those opportunities for those throws and plays.”
