Louisville vs. Florida State: Game Grades, Analysis for the Seminoles

Following a dangerous start and a possible upset bid, No. 11 Florida State quickly put away ACC conference foe Louisville behind a 41-21 scoreline within the friendly confines of Doak Campbell Stadium. For more details, check out the NCAA box score HERE. 

Up next, the undefeated Seminoles will travel to Atlanta to battle Georgia Tech in another ACC clash. Meanwhile, Louisville (2-4, 1-2 ACC) hopes to recover at home when it hosts Boston College. 

	First Half	Second Half
Pass Offense	B	A-
Rush Offense	B-	A+
Pass Defense	C+	B
Rush Defense	A-	A
Special Teams	A	B+
Coaching	B-	A

Pass Offense: While the dismal first half looked decent on paper (150 yards with 13 completions), the second half proved more fruitful for the Seminole scoreboard as starting quarterback Everett Golson went 13-of-18 for 222 yards and three scores. Further, Golson was able to maintain his streak of no turnovers, helping Florida State keep the ball. 

Rush Offense: Similar to the passing game, Dalvin Cook and the ground attack failed to come alive until the second. However, once he got going, Cook racked up a brilliant 163 yards and two scores on 22 carries. Not too shabby for the Heisman contender. 

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Pass Defense: Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson looked solid in the first half, completing 10-of-15 for 148 yards and the leadoff score. The second proved less fruitful, as the Cardinals only found five more completions for two scores and one interception. However, the ever-increasing lead by Florida State forced Louisville to the air more consistently, giving way to punts and more Seminole possessions.

Rush Defense: Considering Louisville was held to just 99 yards on the game, it's safe to say the Florida State rush defense was near perfect. Sure, the Cardinals abandoned the ground game in order to try to pull off the comeback, but the limited production is impressive all the same. 

Special Teams: Kicker Robert Aguayo drilled two easy field goals in the first half, not to mention each of the five extra points in the second. Punts were solid, and coverage proved constraining for the Louisville special teams. 

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Coaching: The Jimbo Fisher game plan may have been ground to a halt after a first half of dismal production, but sticking with Cook proved to be the right decision as he opened up all pieces of the Florida State offense throughout the second half.