Boston College vs. Florida State: Game Grades, Analysis for the Seminoles
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: No. 3 Florida State University was never able to put away an inferior opponent Saturday night and had to rely on some late-game playmaking to pull off the victory and extend its nation’s-best winning streak.
It's a different week but the same story for this FSU team in a 20-17 victory over Boston College at Doak Campbell Stadium. The Seminoles (11-0, 8-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) once again shook off in-game issues to remain out of the loss column and keep their College Football Playoff hopes intact.
For the Eagles (6-5, 3-4), it’s the case of another FSU opponent that couldn’t take advantage of a multitude of opportunities to knock off the defending college football champions.
| Pass Offense | B | C+ |
| Run Offense | B+ | C |
| Pass Defense | B+ | B |
| Run Defense | C | C |
| Special Teams | A | A- |
| Coaching | B+ | B- |
Pass Offense
Jameis Winston was special Saturday night. The redshirt sophomore made throw after throw that were perfectly timed and placed to his wide receivers. There were many plays against the Eagles that will show up on Winston’s NFL draft highlight reel. He was terrific.
So why weren’t his statistics better? Winston went 22-of-32 for 281 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He probably should have only had three or four incompletions and definitely shouldn’t have had an interception.
But his pass-catchers dropped at least a handful of passes, and one of them even bounced off the most reliable player's hands (Rashad Greene) before being intercepted. Greene shook off that miscue and finished with 106 yards receiving on eight catches.
The passing game should have been more effective against Boston College, so a “C+” grade seems appropriate.
Run Offense
FSU appeared to have a nice thing going on the ground to start the game, capping off a long opening drive with a Karlos Williams dash to the end zone for the team’s first score. Freshman sensation Dalvin Cook had some terrific runs, and he was integral in FSU’s march down the field and into field-goal range at the end of the contest.
The issue was everything in between.
The Seminoles handed the ball to Williams and Cook just 15 more times after eight first-possession carries. But Jimbo Fisher elected to rely on the passing game in the rainy weather, and the ‘Noles finished with 110 yards on 29 carries for a per-carry average of 3.8 yards.
FSU is going to have a hard time competing for a national championship if it can’t get more from a terrific pair of tailbacks in Williams and Cook.
Pass Defense
FSU’s pass defense was fine Saturday, especially since it didn’t have much to do. Boston College's Tyler Murphy attempted just 10 throws and finished with 73 yards and no touchdowns.
How about a “B” grade for a unit that had to spend most of the night cleaning up tackles missed by the middle of the defensive line and the linebackers.
Run Defense
Florida State’s run defense gets a “C“ for its effort against the Eagles. Murphy and the Boston College ground game gashed the Seminoles repeatedly throughout the night and probably should have been the difference.
The Eagles finished with 240 yards on 51 carries. If FSU did anything well against Boston College’s rushing attack, it was keeping it out of the end zone. BC managed just one rushing score.
Special Teams
Roberto Aguayo missed a rare field goal early in the second half, but he more than made up for it with the game-winning 26-yard field goal with just three seconds left.
Cason Beatty averaged 49 yards per punt and did a terrific job of setting up a high snap on that game-winning field goal as the team’s holder.
This group gets an “A-“ grade.
Coaching
This was one of the rare games where Fisher and his staff were outcoached in the second half. That crew typically makes amazing adjustments at the break, and all of FSU’s second-half comebacks have been predicated on that logic.
Saturday night, Fisher may have overthought some of his second-half game plan. He should have dedicated more effort to the running game and taking some of the pressure off Winston, who was being negatively affected by his receivers all night.
Brandon Mellor is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Statistics are courtesy of Seminoles.com. All recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports.
Follow @BrandonMellor on Twitter.
