2011 Champs Sports Bowl: Grading FSU Football's Win Over Notre Dame

Facing a 14-0 third quarter deficit against Notre Dame, the Florida State Seminoles knew that the time to claim innocence for its team’s considerable youth had passed.  

Jimbo Fisher’s offense hit a growth spurt in the second half, scoring on its next four possessions to claim an 18-14 win over the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame in the Champs Sports Bowl.

True freshman wide receiver Rashad Greene made a series of acrobatic catches, including a 15-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter that gave FSU its first lead, en route to winning game MVP honors.

In erasing a second half double-digit deficit, the Seminoles claimed their fourth consecutive bowl victory, showed tremendous heart and grit, and more importantly laid the foundation for what should be another chance to have a special season in 2012. 

Here are the grades for Florida State’s win over Notre Dame.

Offense

For three quarters, the Seminoles looked like the putrid unit that mustered only 95 yards of total offense in their previous game. 

The only score in the first half came when Devonta Freeman fumbled after catching a pass, which was scooped and ran back for a touchdown by Notre Dame safety Zeke Motta. 

The offensive line, which started four true freshmen, was overwhelmed by Notre Dame’s outstanding defensive front seven. 

After Greene (who finished with five catches for 99 yards and a score) made an outstanding grab to convert the first third down of the game to that point for FSU, the offense became galvanized and young players did not look so young after that point. 

The offensive line began to protect EJ Manuel, who looked like the leader most expected to see this season.

The receivers started making acrobatic catches (an 18-yard touchdown catch by Bert Reed and another sensational grab of a bomb on the sideline by Greene), and Freeman started finding running room. 

There are still plenty of issues to fix, but considering the remarkable turnaround Fisher’s unit made, the offense has a strong foundation to build on heading into 2012.

Grade:  B+

Defense

The Seminoles turned in another outstanding performance, despite losing starting corners Greg Reid and Xavier Rhodes early in the third quarter. 

The ‘Noles forced three interceptions, including two in the red zone, and harassed the Irish quarterbacks all night long, recording four sacks on the evening. 

After Irish receiver Michael Floyd’s circus touchdown reception left them in 14-0 hole, the Seminoles responded by holding them scoreless for the remainder of the game.  

Lamarcus Joyner played like a man possessed, willing his team to stay in the game by making plays at safety and corner after his two teammates went down. 

While the Irish’s outstanding tight end Tyler Eifert had a huge game (six catches for 90 yards), FSU’s defense bowed up and kept them away from the end zone. 

After Reed’s touchdown grab early in the fourth quarter, Nigel Bradham’s interception of an Andrew Hendrix pass set the ‘Noles up deep in Irish territory and allowed to offense to capitalize a few plays later and capture a lead that the defense would not relinquish 

Grade:  A

Special Teams

Notre Dame’s special teams was up to task against Seminoles, which is shocking considering the gaudy statistics that FSU has posted all season long 

However, after going down 14-0, the turning point for the ‘Noles may have been when Joyner took the ensuing kickoff and raced 77 yards deep into Irish territory and led to the first points his team would put on the board (a 42-yard Dustin Hopkins field goal). 

Shawn Powell punted eight times, and was able to match his nation-leading 47 yards per punt average, which helped FSU eventually gain favorable field position. 

Aside from allowing a 37-yard kickoff return by Irish freshman George Atkinson III to open the second half, the coverage units did their job corralling him and Floyd on punt returns. 

Overall, the Seminoles special teams’ units were up to the task in keeping its team in the game until the offense got itself together. 

Grade:  A-

Coaching

Jimbo Fisher’s squad showed tremendous heart, courage, and mental toughness in a comeback win over a good opponent.  

The fact that he believed in his young players, and stuck with them even when things were going bad is a sign of a gutsy coach who believes in his players without worry of risk or failure.  

Mark Stoops put the cap on an excellent season by overcoming a ton of adverse situations and finding ways to put his players in the best position to make plays.  

There are several areas where this team has to improve, but to win a game like this and overcome all the injuries with so many young players, it is hard to deny that Fisher and his staff have this program headed in the right direction.  

Grade:  B+

Overall

At the beginning of the season, most Florida State fans would have looked at a 9-4 record as a failure. 

After all, FSU was projected to win the ACC and compete in a BCS bowl and perhaps make a run at the national championship. 

However, an early season three-game losing streak derailed those dreams, and threatened to send this season and the program into a tailspin.  

A loss to Notre Dame, especially considering how ugly the offense looked in the first half, would have been a crippling blow to the believers who feel this team is closer to the nation’s elite than most think.  

Considering the resilience their young offensive line showed in the second half, for the game’s final moments, Florida State showed glimpses of the potential of where this team could be headed if it catches a few breaks that eluded them this season. 

Regardless, the Seminoles scored a thrilling win to end its season on a high note, and sent a message to the nation that they will be a force to be reckoned with next year. 

Grade: A+