Florida State-BYU: Young Seminoles Look Good in All Phases as They Crush Cougars

Florida State got back on track Saturday with a 34-10 win at home against an overmatched BYU team that traditionally doesn’t do well on the East Coast.

Once again, coach Jimbo Fisher relied heavily on his freshmen and sophomores, as the Seminoles pulled away in the second half, turning a close game into a rout.

The Seminoles had ample chances to blow the game open early on, but mistakes, penalties, questionable calls, and bad luck prevented FSU from getting into the end zone.

On successive drives of 52 and 62 yards, the 'Noles could only muster three points. The first of the two drives ended when Bert Reed fumbled the ball inside the Cougar 10-yard line, as a Seminole player inadvertently struck Reed and jarred the ball loose.

The second drive ended in a field goal after Christian Ponder threw a third-down pass over 6’6” receiver Rodney Smith and into the stands.

Whereas the Seminoles’ offense was a bit out of sync in the first quarter, the defense was stingy, only allowing BYU to gain 29 yards on three drives. They forced two punts and swiped an interception.

The Cougars fumbled the ball on their opening drive of the second quarter, resulting in an FSU field goal. BYU would then punt on its next drive.

The Seminoles took the field, and on first down, speed demon Chris Thompson took a handoff off the left side, and thanks to a perfect block thrown by fullback Lonnie Pryor, he bolted up the sideline for an 83-yard touchdown. The Noles now led 13-0.

FSU stumbled in somnambulance through the rest of the second quarter, as their offense went from “out of sync” to all-out “sputtering.” The defense began to falter as well.

BYU answered with two successive drives that yielded 10 points, as they marched up and down the field with ease.

By halftime, FSU’s lead was now 13-10, and BYU's stats (152 net yards) matched those of FSU (140). FSU’s defense registered three sacks, but the offense was a paltry 1-for-6 on third down conversions and was penalized five times for 45 yards.

Once again, though, the Noles would come out after halftime and execute well. A seven-minute drive resulting in a touchdown took nearly all the wind out of the Cougars’ sails and swelled FSU’s lead to 20-10.

The Seminole defense also came out in the third quarter and stepped up their game. They forced BYU to punt on its first two drives of the second half and allowed only 30 yards in the quarter. FSU would score another touchdown on its second drive thanks to a 31-yard scamper by Thompson and a 34-yard jump ball caught by Willie Haulstead.

The second-half adjustments made by the Seminoles stifled the Cougars on both sides of the ball. FSU would add another five sacks (making the game total eight) and would only allow BYU to gain five yards in the final quarter.

There is a group of underclassmen on this team who are clearly stepping to the forefront, as they are dominating the stat sheet nearly every Saturday.

Though Jermaine Thomas started the game, the rushing totals were dominated by Chris Thompson (123 yards, one TD) and Ty Jones (95 yards, one TD). Ponder even chimed in to the tune of 50 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

Bert Reed has emerged as the clear-cut No. 1 receiver, as Ponder identified him as his third down possession guy often. He led the team with nine catches and amassed 89 yards. Though their numbers weren’t as gaudy as Reed’s, big men Willie Haulstead and Rodney Smith were targeted frequently throughout the game on long routes.

On the other side of the ball, Xavier Rhodes, Lamarcus Joyner, and Nick Moody had excellent games in the secondary.

Rhodes had a sack and an interception early in the game that really set the tone, Joyner was involved in numerous pass breakups, and Moody seemed to be doling out crushing hits all day like jello shots at a tailgate party.

Overall, the defense just seemed to tackle better. Exceptional might be a better way to describe it. There weren't many broken tackles (if any), as Cougars were brought down upon immediate impact.

If none of this was enough to bring a smile over any ‘Nole booster’s face, the D-line also stepped up in a big way.

The defensive line accounted for five sacks and pressured the BYU quarterbacks all day—so much so that calm Cougar touch passes in the first half turned into hurried, early, inaccurate rifle shots in the second half.

In a two-play sequence in the third quarter, playmaker Everette Dawkins broke a double team to bring a running back down in the backfield and then sacked the quarterback on the very next play.

The linebackers did a nice job in run support and managed to hassle the quarterback as well. Brandon Jenkins had two sacks. The linebackers had trouble covering receivers and backs throughout the game, though.

When the clock reached zero, BYU only had 10 points to speak of (all coming in the first half) and tallied 191 total yards, managing only 39 of them in the second half.

Despite last week’s “setback” (it’s still too painful to call it what it really was), this young FSU team is showing real promise.

The running game looks deadly, especially off tackle. Receivers are making plays, both underneath coverage and vertically downfield.  The offensive line—without starting tackle Andrew Datko—blocked well and protected their passer all day.

The big surprise was the effort of the defense. The sack total reminded Seminole fans of the glory days in the early '90s, when knocking quarterbacks out was expected. The question wasn’t if the ‘Noles would knock a QB out of the game; it was how many.

The tackling was superb and hasn’t been this good since those glory years. The lapses on defense were minor, and just like in Weeks 1 and 2, FSU’s D was stellar in the second half.

It’s hard to place an accurate value on Saturday’s accomplishment, largely because it’s hard to figure out how legitimate the opponent was. One thing’s for certain: The Seminoles seem to get better and better each week. These young underclassmen are coming up huge each week, and there’s no telling where they will be come October 9.

The coaching staff and players aren’t looking too far ahead, but as fans, critics, and observers, we are more than welcome to do so. That looming collision in South FL with hated rival Miami should have Seminole fans salivating.