Florida State Football: 5 Things We Learned from Virginia Game

Football is a game of inches. 

That cliché is often used to tell the story of marginal details which end up being the difference between wins and losses. 

Florida State tested that cliché repeatedly, and their result was a 14-13 upset loss at the hands of the Virginia Cavaliers. 

FSU was out of sync on offense from the start, but still failed to capitalize on numerous chances to finish off the Cavs.  

Penalties, conservative play calling, and their inability to put away a pesky team ultimately bit them in the end. 

Here are five things we learned from the loss to Virginia

5. Undisciplined Play Returns

False starts, personal fouls, and blocks in the back on returns repeatedly kept the ‘Noles going backwards even when they possessed the ball. 

In the first quarter, FSU appeared to lose a ton of momentum due to questionable calls by the ACC officials. 

From an offensive standpoint, they never seemed to recover enough to find a rhythm without shooting themselves in the foot first. 

The ‘Noles were penalized 11 times for 94 yards, which consistently crushed any positive momentum they were able to generate

4. Coaching Issues

Just when the thought arrived that FSU had turned the corner, the ‘Noles put forth their sloppiest and most uninspired performance this season. 

Jimbo Fisher’s offense was consistent in its inconsistency. 

Nursing a 13-7 fourth quarter lead, it was clear that Fisher’s strategy was to bleed the clock, but a crushing sack late in the fourth quarter knocked them out of field goal range and forced the ‘Noles to punt.

Virginia went on to have a quick game-winning drive, and clearly FSU gambled by playing the clock instead of the game. 

The bottom line is that Virginia’s staff put its team in a position to win. 

The same cannot be said of FSU’s staff, which failed its team numerous times over the course of the game.  

3. Shaky EJ

Quarterback EJ Manuel has been playing better as the season has gone on, but, against his home-state school, he played sluggish and the results were not pretty. 

His stats, 18-of-31 for 200 yards and one touchdown pass, do not tell the story in this case. 

He missed several opportunities for big plays, including overthrowing a wide-open Kenny Shaw in the second quarter for what would have been a touchdown. 

In fairness, Manuel was handicapped by an overmatched offensive line and was constantly under duress in the pocket. 

The play calling did not help his case either, but still, this game was one of his worst performances as a starter at FSU.  

2. Missed Opportunities

After Bert Reed’s 68-yard catch and run put the ‘Noles at the one-yard line, FSU settled for a field goal that only gave them a six-point cushion instead of going ahead by two possessions. 

A first quarter red zone fumble nullified FSU’s chances to jump out to an early lead, and Virginia ended up scoring first to put the pressure on the home team. 

Manuel’s blunders, the missed pass to Shaw and taking a sack late in the fourth quarter, clearly cost the ‘Noles dearly in their efforts to put away the Cavaliers. 

After a wild sequence during FSU’s final drive, their normally reliable field goal kicker Dustin Hopkins, pushed a 43-yard game-winning attempt wide left and capped a night full of futility for the ‘Noles. 

1. Short-Yardage Failures

While some of the mistakes that haunted the ‘Noles in this game were things they had seemingly corrected during their five game winning streak, the one area where they have been consistently bad all year is in short-yardage situations. 

Their inability to convert from the one-yard line in the third quarter stands out, but the facts are that several drives ended because their running plays were stuffed on 3^rd-and-1, as has been the case for most of the year. 

Short-yardage situations are about being physical, and clearly that is not the ‘Noles specialty up front.  

Elite teams do not struggle with this area of the game, but FSU will never be an elite team until it corrects this flaw.  

All of their blunders added up to another frustrating loss for ‘Noles fans.  

Time will tell if these lessons will be taken to heart, or bound to be repeated in another nightmarish effort in the future.