Eddie Goldman's Rise Key to Florida State Repeating

With the loss of defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan, who entered the NFL draft a year early, FSU needed to find interior linemen who could disrupt plays. And Eddie Goldman has done just that.

Goldman, considered one of the nation's top defensive tackles by 247Sports in 2011, has quickly recovered from an ankle injury to elevate himself into one of the defense's top players as the Seminoles look to repeat as national champions.

His stat sheet didn't really tell the story of how much he contributed to FSU's 23-17 win over Clemson on Saturday. But in the final two minutes of regulation plus overtime, the junior defensive tackle had a hand on three plays that led to the Seminoles win.

"Eddie Goldman was wow," FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said. "That's one of the more dominant performances we've had around here, and that was like how we had that other guy around here a year ago (Jernigan) that could really dominate inside and play with length and do some things."

With just five tackles this season, it doesn't look like Goldman has done much. Technically, 13 Seminoles have more tackles than Goldman.

Fisher, however, says he doesn't measure a defensive player's success in tackles or sacks. He looks back at the film and reflects on what effect he had—breaking up or altering a play, halting a drive or keeping points off the board. Goldman did just that on Saturday.

"He's always had the ability and done it in a solid way," Fisher said. "Now, he's starting to make exceptional plays."

It's the kind of exceptional plays that FSU will need week in and week out as they try to win a third straight Atlantic Coast Conference title and earn a spot in the College Football Playoff. No. 1 FSU (3-0) now prepares for a road game Saturday against North Carolina State, which is off to a 4-0 start.

What Goldman has done in the first three games quickly caught the attention of Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren.

"They have probably the best defensive tackle in college football in Goldman," Doeren said.

Goldman is an essential piece of the defensive puzzle as FSU moves past Clemson and deeper into its schedule. While N.C. State, Wake Forest and Syracuse won't be challenging games, the Seminoles will be tested by October games against Louisville and Notre Dame. And while still a long way off, November games with Miami, Boston College and Florida await.

Credit: FSU Sports Information

Against Clemson, and without Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jameis Winston, FSU needed Goldman and the defense to deliver.

After FSU's Sean Maguire was picked off by Jadar Johnson at the 50, the Clemson defensive back returned the interception 24 yards to the FSU 26 with 2:14 left in the game. All Clemson had to do was move a few yards closer and attempt a field goal to break the 17-17 tie and upset the No. 1 Seminoles.

But on second down at FSU's 18, Goldman pushed guard David Beasley backwards and used his left arm to strip the ball from tailback C.J. Davidson. Safety Nate Andrews recovered, and FSU was able to force overtime.

"I went for the tackle, but I felt my hand on the ball, so I tried to strip it," Goldman said.

Said defensive tackle Derrick Mitchell: "That's A-1, right there. You can't script it up any better."

Clemson had possession first in overtime. Goldman sacked Deshaun Watson on second down, and following a Watson-to-Adam Choice screen pass for 13 yards, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney opted to go for it on 4th-and-1.

Goldman was there again, pushing aside guard Jay Guillermo, penetrating through the line and getting a hand on Choice, altering the running back's desired path so that he ran into the hands of linebacker Reggie Northrup and defensive end Chris Casher.

Those three plays were crucial in the FSU win, but another goes unnoticed in the box score. Early in the fourth quarter, Clemson had the ball on the FSU 1-yard line. On 2nd-and-goal, Goldman tried to time the snap and was a split second too quick off the ball. He was called for offsides (Goldman respectfully declared that he wasn't offsides a few days later), but on the following play, Clemson's Ryan Norton airmailed the shotgun snap over Watson's head.

Clemson settled for a 40-yard field-goal attempt, but Ammon Lakip's kick sailed wide right.

Fisher said he felt Goldman's quickness caused Norton to concentrate more on his blocking assignment and less on a clean snap to Watson.

"He played a big role in the game," Northrup said.

Goldman's performance late in the game helped FSU, which went from a team that could have been upset in regulation and watched its national championship aspirations dwindle to a team enjoying new life and pulling out a victory in overtime.

Just two weeks ago, however, it looked like Goldman might not be able to play against Clemson. He suffered an ankle injury on the first drive of the win over The Citadel, the result of a cut block by an offensive lineman. But after weeks of rehabilitation, Goldman looked healthy and made an impact late in the game.

"It's feeling real good," Goldman said. "The trainers did a good job of rehabbing me."

Everyone on FSU's roster is happy to see Goldman on the field—and playing to his full potential.

Bob Ferrante is the Florida State Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Stats are courtesy of seminoles.com. Follow Bob on Twitter. All recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports.