Florida State Football: 5 Things We Learned from the Win over Maryland

The Florida State Seminoles jumped all over Maryland in the first quarter, by racing to a 14-0 first-quarter lead en route to a 41-16 victory that improved their record to 4-3 on the season.

After a solid performance in all three phases of the game, many fans left Doak Campbell Stadium thinking that this was the team that many prognosticators envisioned as a top-10 team entering the season.  

Despite some shaky moments in the second quarter after jumping out to a big lead, head coach Jimbo Fisher was pleased with the team's performance.

"I would have liked to stayed hot and kept going, but I thought the defense played very well.  We got the running game going ... It was like a tale of two halves (for the offense) ...Threw for 250 in the first half and ran for 250 in the second half ... Special teams were solid."

While some underclassmen performed well, the return of a pair of seniors buoyed the Seminoles offense to 482 yards of total offense.  

What does this performance mean for the Seminoles?

Here are five things we learned from FSU's win over Maryland.

5. Seniors Step Up

Florida State entered today's game with true freshmen leading the team in rushing (Devonta Freeman) and receiving (Rashad Greene).

On Saturday, a pair of seniors stepped back into the spotlight.

Wide receiver Bert Reed finished the game as the 'Noles leading receiver, hauling in five passes for 76 yards and a huge chunk of that came in the first two drives that helped the 'Noles to a commanding 14-0 lead.

Meanwhile, running back Jermaine Thomas reemerged in the second half, finishing with nine carries for 86 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that put FSU up 24-3.  

The senior battled injuries and migraines in fall camp and started the season buried on the depth chart after starting for most of his previous three years on campus.

"It has been a long process," Thomas said. "I just thank my coaches and teammates for always encouraging me to keep doing the right things and always listening to them. The coaches kept telling me that I was going to get my shot again ... Today, I was able to make the best of that opportunity."

4. The EJ Effect

The Florida State offense had its struggles this season dealing with injuries and finding a running game.  

With QB EJ Manuel back in the saddle the last two weeks, both of those issues seemed to fade away.  

Manuel passed for 264 yards on the day, but more importantly, his presence opened up running lanes for running backs Jermaine Thomas and Devonta Freeman.  

With defenses forced to deal with a dual-threat quarterback, the offense has now found its rhythm and looks to have gotten over its issues that bogged them down early in the year.  

Getting off to a fast start was key for Manuel and the rest of the team.

"That was huge for the whole tempo of the team,"  Manuel said.  "We want to come out there and play off three phases - offense, defense, and special teams.  Those were two big pivotal drives and it helped us out a lot."

3. Rush Defense

Maryland QB C.J. Brown entered the game against FSU coming off of consecutive 100-plus-yard rushing games against Clemson and Georgia Tech.  

He left the game early in the second half after being blasted by FSU LB Nigel Bradham and had zero rushing yards in the game.  

Brown was averaging 9.5 yards a carry, but the 'Noles never allowed Brown or running back Davin Meggett to break loose for the big plays that had been staples of their offense.  

In addition to not letting Brown escape the pocket, the 'Noles sacked him four times and backup Danny O'Brien twice as their defense constantly pressured the Maryland ball carriers only allowing 59 yards in the contest.  

If the Seminoles can continue their strong play against the run, they will be hard to beat going forward.  

2. WR Unit Is a Force

The Seminoles may have had their struggles earlier in the year, but one unit that has consistently played well has been their pass-catching unit. 

FSU had four receivers catch at least two passes against the Terps, and that was without leading receiver Rashad Greene, who missed his second straight game due to injury.  

Senior Bert Reed stepped up to replace Greene, and sophomore Kenny Shaw caught a 26-yard touchdown pass from Manuel in the first quarter.

Maryland's defensive backs were no match for the 'Noles on the edges, which Manuel exploited routinely in the beginning of the game when FSU jumped out to a 14-0 lead.

1. Dominant DL Play

FSU defensive ends Brandon Jenkins and Bjoern Werner have been solid forces on a Seminoles defense that entered Saturday's game ranked as the 11th best defense in the nation.

After harassing Terps quarterbacks C.J. Brown and Danny O'Brien and sacking them six times, they are finally starting to become the powerful unit many envisioned coming into the season.  

"I thought the defensive line was very dominant in the game."  Fisher said.  "They put constant pressure on the quarterback and they ended up with six sacks."

Freshman defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan routinely busted through the Terps battered offensive line and was part of the charge that held them to just 59 yards rushing on the afternoon.

With no seniors on this unit, the future of the defensive front looks bright in Tallahassee.  

Their performance has gotten better each game, and they should continue to put consistent pressure on opponents throughout the remainder of the season. 

Sanjay Kirpalani is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.