Florida State Football: Report Card Grades for Oklahoma vs. Florida State

Tallahassee, Fla. was the epicenter of the college football world on Saturday.

I really wish they had measured tectonic plate movement under Doak Campbell Stadium, because this spectator felt the ground shake regularly.

Booming voices triumphed over Boomer Sooner in decibels. "It was just loud, I couldn't hear anything, especially down there when we were in their student section," Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones said.

I was in that student section. Yes, it was very loud.

Very.

No wonder, though. The Seminoles' home arena had its largest crowd in history. Many onlookers used conventional wisdom and thought the 'Noles would decide the endgame in this series. Desmond Howard and Kirk Herbstreit did, too, if you were at College GameDay.

Somehow, Florida State let it slip away. How?

Was it the offensive line? Was it the injuries to key players? Or was it cornerback Greg Reid?

Each of these questions deserve introspection, because if the 'Noles ever want to be No. 1, they have to beat No. 1.

Quarterbacks

Unexpectedly, FSU had two quarterbacks start against a fierce and biting Sooner defense. The declared starter, E.J. Manuel, had an alright night against on the big stage. Most of his statistics would lead the casual observer to expect a career game; Manuel had a 70 percent completion rate against the No. 1 team in the nation. However, look beneath the gloss. Christian Ponder’s successor didn’t even throw 20 passes. And two of the incompletions were picks.

It is sad to say, but thankfully Manuel got hit out of the game before all hope was lost. Enter the passing super star Clint Trickett. A freshman, Trickett converted on a 3rd-and-28 to score the Seminoles’ only touchdown of the entire game. Unfortunately, the freshman showed his weak spots in a game-changing play for the Sooners.

Together, two quarterbacks threw three interceptions—albeit against an elite defense.

Grade: C-minus (for Manuel), B+ (for Trickett)

Running Backs

Coming into this game, I thought the running backs were a strong point. Unfortunately, the rushers proved the Achilles’ heel. What Manuel lacked in sound split-second decision-making tosses was regained in a five-yard run. That did not happen tonight.

Twenty-seven yards.

Completely pitiful. Chris Thompson, one of the true workhorses, had negative yards. Devonta Freeman was entirely stuffed. I was originally skeptical of James Wilder, Jr., whom a fan told me would have a break-out game. Hearing the word “freshman” made the Sooners think the same, as Wilder redeemed the team by posting 76 yards for 7.6 yards per rush. So is Wilder strong, or was it the element of surprise?

Seeing the Sooners’ defense, it was an annoying—but controllable—variable.

Grade: D

Receivers

Instead of Kenny Shaw, this dynamic duo of underclassmen (Rashad Greene and Jarred Haggins) kept the flame in an anemic offense.

Shaw had a great night for the Seminoles—until his injury took him to the infirmary. Thank goodness that his head-to-head injury with two Sooners’ players didn’t permanently debilitate him.

However, in more ways than one, Tallahassee’s fans saw a blessing and a curse. FSU’s leading receivers were both underclassmen. Is that a diss to the seniors or what? It’s a great glimpse of things to come, but depth at the position was exposed. Nearly all positive yardage came from the flicks of quarterback’s wrists. However, it’s a mixed bag—FSU only scored 13.

But yes! Every fan needs a dose of the power of positive thinking. James Coley was able to keep the enemy guessing at every turn, since Manuel spread the ball to the team’s veteran and untested catchers. Haggins, a sophomore from Lakeland, Fla., caught only four hurls but scrambled for 45 yards.

Green freshman Greene deserves a medal for his pass rush on 3rd-and-28 conversion that went nearly 60 yards for six points.

I could continue to flip-flop in my evaluation of the receivers, but here is the truth: Short-yard passes to all the players worked well, but the defense was only confused for so long. The basic subterfuge failed.

Grade: C

Offensive Line

I never chose to major in Biology. Concepts just never kept glued to my mind.

There’s one concept a neophyte like me could even remember: osmosis.

Permeable. Penetrable. Pervious. The offensive line literally let Oklahoma defenders just push it open like a door.

It was because of the line that Manuel got sacked. It’s because of that line that two of the team’s three turnovers occurred. If you want a scapegoat, glare at the offensive line players.

Each man did what was asked and then some, but Travis Lewis and company really had the upper hand. It’s truly a shame that such hard working units lost only to a minimal—but noticeable—variance in talent.

Grade: C+

Defensive Line

Dominique Whaley is a Heisman type of player. Norman, Okla.'s favorite running back, though, isn’t DeMarco Murray’s spitting image just yet. Look up at the pic.

Whaley’s longest run was a pathetic nine yards.

The defensive line refused to give the Sooners any leeway. The veteran experience shined.  Unlike Tulsa, each ‘Nole scoped out on Oklahoma’s newest star. As a result, the Sooners’ scoring average was halved in Florida on Saturday night.

Note: For the rest of the year, the defensive line will be Florida State’s focal point of success.

Grade: A

Linebackers

What can be said about Linebacker U?

FSU’s players lived up to their hype, helping crumple the aforementioned Dominique Whaley.

The most telling stat? The Sooners never scored a touchdown on a run. For all the weaknesses the offensive line had, it was the polar opposite on the other end of the ball.

Now if they can just stop Tajh Boyd…

Grade: A

Special Teams

Dustin Hopkins has kept up his reputation of being Sebastian Janikowski’s clone. He should get the Seminoles’ Most Valuable Player Award; nearly half of FSU’s points came from only one player. His kicks always made it within the uprights. For example, he was able to take out his inner tension and make a 40-plus-yard kick. Sure, the home crowd was on his side, but there was so much on the line. Hopkins will be a first-round draft pick.

Shawn Powell, the team’s starting punter, nailed seemingly every kick swiftly to the Oklahoma 10. Longer drives stalled the no-huddle OU offense in the long run. Please give him some applause.

On the returning side of the ball, Fisher’s crew did okay. A couple of returns had the potential to go for touchdowns, but OU’s better special teams always delivered a physical blow to suffocate the play.

Special teams is what kept hope alive until the late fourth quarter. The loser’s game ball (if such a thing exists at FSU) should be given to the special teams, namely Hopkins and Powell.

Grade: A+

Coaching

Second-year coaches have the joy of seeing players more fully utilize their system. The same is true at Florida State. Jimbo Fisher shouldn’t be given heaps of praise when trampling the less evolved teams in the sport. Come prime time is where the once subtle mistakes become accentuated.

Given the circumstances, no Seminole was able to even the series in Saturday’s grudge match. Anchoring defensive linemen kept the Flash (i.e. Dominique Whaley) from entering the end zone. Landry Jones was picked off twice and OU only converted four third downs. For the first time since 2009, the Sooners only picked up 310 total yards. Defensive coordinator Mark Stoops knew his brother inside out.

Despite this, Kenny Still went on a rampage on Bobby Bowden Field, desecrating the spot with the game-winning touchdown pass. Once the clock strikes zero, only the scoreboard matters.

FSU’s offense was held to substantially lower yardage against Oklahoma. Having linebacker Travis Lewis reinvigorated Brent Venables’ men. E.J. Manuel proved ineffective under James Coley’s play calling, as the ‘Noles had three turnovers. The lack of the rush is what killed the home team.

A last, random observation: Fisher made a solid choice to not play Manuel in the fourth. An already jilted, mediocre quarterback will become a turnover machine when hurt.

Grade: C

Intangibles

Steadily improving: FSU versus ranked teams, Jimbo Fisher era

Date	Opponent	Result
Sept. 11, 2010	@ OU	L 47-17
Oct. 9, 2010	@ Miami	W 45-17
Dec. 4, 2010	vs. Virginia Tech	L 33-44
Dec. 31, 2010	vs. South Carolina	W 26-17
Sep. 17, 2011	OU	L 13-23

Critics will look at numbers, and numbers alone to make a decision. These pathological number crunchers will point to the number 11. It’s true—for the 11th time, Florida State lost to an AP top-five football squad. Anyone (and anyone who’s anyone) that watched the game noticed a shift in play execution. While the immature offense had to rely on a flimsy run game to not get blown out, FSU’s defenders were on the Sooners’ as quickly as CIA agents.

A loss is still a loss, though. The one time feared “Road Warriors” will have to win the squeakers at Doak. You have injuries—sorry, but the football powers of lore overcome that problem. A loss stings, and the storm ahead at Clemson is bringing down the hail of impassioned opposition. The Seminoles are on the war path to national relevance, but don’t say the Dynasty is back until the end of bowl season.

Grade: A