The Florida State Seminoles came up short in a close game with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Doak Campbell Stadium. The stadium atmosphere was great, and the matchup definitely lived up to the hype. There were some glaring deficiencies on the Seminoles’ side, but also clear improvement on both sides of the ball in Mike Norvell’s 10th game as head coach. Check out an analysis of Florida State’s efforts against Notre Dame on Sunday night.
Recap
Offense
You could not have asked for a better performance from the running-back group in this game. Jashaun Corbin impressed with nearly 150 yards and a touchdown; Treshaun Ward also scored a touchdown and finished with 75 yards.
Jordan Travis was used as a game-manager in this game, and he made some risky throws that led to three interceptions. However, he did have two passing touchdowns thrown to Andrew Parchment and Ja’Khi Douglas. Douglas also raised some eyebrows with his 80 receiving yards.
McKenzie Milton came in late in the game, for the Seminoles needed a better passer heading into the fourth quarter. He did have an impressive drive, which resulted in a field goal to head to overtime. Some mistakes in the overtime possession could have been avoided, but Milton does seem like the better option for Florida State going forward.
Other than Jordan Travis’ errors, there was not much to complain about on the offensive side of the ball.
Defense
Honestly, it’s tough to see how Graham Mertz beat out Jack Coan for the starting quarterback job at Wisconsin. Coan looked poised throughout the game, and he threw for 366 yards and four touchdowns. Notre Dame’s passing offense just looked good, which may raise some questions about Florida State’s secondary.
When facing a top 10 opponent, it’s just hard to defend the athletic and talented pass-catchers on the outside. The Seminoles were able to limit the running game from Kyren Williams, but he got involved with 83 receiving yards and a touchdown. Michael Mayer and Kevin Austin were tough matchups for Florida State, and they both were Coan’s primary targets.
Concluding Thoughts
Even though the Seminoles were able to force an interception, it always seemed that the Fighting Irish were bound to win this game. Ryan Fitzgerald’s missed kick in overtime was obviously the deciding factor, but it was impressive that Florida State kept it close the entire way. Jonathan Doerer sealed the deal with a 41-yard field goal, and Notre Dame won 41-38 over Florida State. What a game.
Next Up
Next week, the Seminoles will face the Jacksonville State Gamecocks at Doak Campbell Stadium. UAB obliterated JSU by 31 points last Wednesday, so this should be an easy win for Florida State. Let’s hope Mike Norvell can keep his squad focused; on to the next one.