The Mike Norvell era has been filled with bad football.
Over the last three years, horrible offensive turnovers, blown defensive coverages and special teams mistakes at critical moments have defined the falloff from a once-promising tenure. Just when it seems it cannot get any worse, Florida State football finds a way to sink to a new low.
Yet again on Saturday night, the Seminoles found the bottom of rock bottom, and one moment defined everything wrong with the FSU football program right now.
Amazingly,
Isaac Brown’s 97-yard touchdown run that Tony White’s defense allowed earlier this season against Louisville will not go down as the most backbreaking rush of the season. That title belongs to Clemson quarterback Tait Reynolds, who claimed first place after what he did in the fourth quarter on Saturday.
But, before getting to the play, the scene needs to be set:
For the second year in a row, Florida State and Clemson, two of the ACC’s three largest brands, were relegated to the ACC Network because both programs are going nowhere fast. FSU came into the night as 5.5-point favorites because of the Tigers’ struggles to move the ball. Clemson averaged 18.8 points per game coming into Saturday. Even so, it wasn’t enough to inspire the Seminole team or the crowd; an FSU drone show couldn’t keep fans in their seats because the team gave them no reason to stay, falling behind 26-10 after three quarters.
However, Norvell’s team seemed to turn it around, and two quick touchdowns cut the deficit to five, 29-24, with 5:30 left in the fourth quarter. The offense, which had moved the ball at times this season, found its groove and needed just one stop from its defense.
Now, the moment:
After a holding penalty backed Clemson up to 1st-and-20 and two middling runs made it 3rd-and-12, it seemed Florida State was going to play complementary football and give the offense a chance. Clemson averaged only 4.6 yards per play last night and had only five passing plays for 15 or more yards on 32 attempts.
But of course, this is FSU under Norvell, and this followed:
It is still so shockingly bad. Both defensive tackles fell down on a stunt that Florida State should not be running because the only threat is Reynolds’ legs on 3rd-and-long. Chris Jones hustled across the field but was unable to make the tackle, letting him get the first down and break into the open field. Poor effort, a missed tackle and a poor angle from CJ Richard Jr., the last line of defense, sent Reynolds into the Tallahassee night for a 79-yard touchdown, and sent Florida State to 0-8 in its last eight games against rivals, 3-5 on the season, and into another tailspin over what the Seminoles should do with their head coach.
“It was third-and-12, and we had a pass-rush game that was working,” Norvell told reporters after the game. “We were matching routes. Obviously, he got a seam, and we didn’t get home with the pass rush. As he worked up (in the pocket) and got into the open field, we had an opportunity to try and get him down. He ran through the tackle, and it resulted in a big play. … It’s a play you cannot have. That’s the moment of the truth.”
“No one is out there trying not to make a play,” Jones, who quite visibly gave up on the play when unable to make the tackle, said postgame on the TD rush. “We get to a point where it’s third down, and we need to make one stop to get the offense the ball back. In that situation, we have to make the play. I cannot tell you a complete answer; we have to figure it out.”
For everyone who stuck around to watch at home or inside Doak Campbell Stadium (of which there weren’t many), the answer is clear: these crazy moments are what Norvell is known for. Whether it was the punt muffs against NC State last year, DJ Uiagalelei’s horrible interceptions, Brown’s run or Reynold’s rush, it is hard to narrow the list down to one moment that encapsulates Florida State right now.
Reynolds’ touchdown run is unique among them, though, because of the situation. Yes, it was classic Florida State: come out incredibly flat, make a late run that makes the public think they have a chance, then blow it in a way that makes lifelong football fans say, “I have never seen that before.”
But as the Clemson QB darts down the field, look at the Doak Campbell crowd: the entire student section had left because there were better things to do with their time. Look at the atmosphere, with poor marketing and ticket prices at an all-time low heading into the game. Look at the macro-picture of this game: as mentioned, the TV channel isn’t Nielsen-rated, and no matter who won or lost, it wouldn’t make a significant difference to either program. There was something unique about a rivalry game with no implications turning even uglier due to poor coaching, poor personnel due to bad roster construction and a night that no one will ever remember, unless it is the night when this madness finally ends.
