Florida State Loses to the JSU Gamecocks

What even is there to be said. The Florida State Seminoles fell short against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks in a thriller. After a close game with Notre Dame last Sunday, FSU failed to live up to the hype and lost on a last-second touchdown. Now, the Seminoles are 0-2 heading into ACC play. Check out an analysis of Florida State’s 17-20 loss against Jacksonville State:

Recap

Offense

Physically, it was obvious that McKenzie Milton didn’t appear to be his normal self from UCF. He threw for 133 yards and a touchdown, which isn’t bad, but you expect more from a Division I quarterback. He also threw an interception, so his mediocre play forced Florida State to depend on the running game.

Jashaun Corbin again rushed for more than 100 yards and a touchdown. The Seminoles did play a team from the Ohio Valley Conference, so it’s hard to evaluate the performance of Florida State’s playmakers in this game.

Florida State’s fourth quarter drive just made no sense. The Seminoles got in the red zone, and they decided to go for it on fourth down when they were up 17-7; taking a field goal in that situation would have led the game into overtime. It was an effective 15-play drive, but the Seminoles came away with no points.

Treshaun Ward also looked impressive at running back, and he finished with eight carries and 45 yards. Heading into Wake Forest, the Seminoles will have to game plan around Corbin and Ward to have a chance in the ACC. There are no receiving threats on this team that Milton can consistently trust. Developing an approach similar to Oregon should get the Seminoles’ offense in the right direction.

Defense

Leaving out the fourth quarter, Florida State’s defense played a respectable game. The Gamecocks did score a touchdown early in the second quarter, but most of the other drives before the fourth quarter were short drives: even three-and-outs. 

The Seminoles’ defense, and team as a whole, just collapsed midway through the fourth quarter. Zerrick Cooper suddenly got comfortable in the pocket, and the Gamecocks’ offense went on double-digit play drives that both resulted in touchdowns. He had less than 50% accuracy in this game, but he just looked so poised near the end of the game; that’s a fault of both the pass rush and play-calling. 

Now, the last play of the game. Florida State leads 17-14. Zerrick Cooper throws a good ball on a deep route to Damond Philyaw-Johnson to the Seminoles’ 20-yard line, and he cuts to the middle of the field with a blocker to score a touchdown. This play was a reminder of the Stefon Diggs’ game-winner against the Saints in the 2017 playoffs. The unawareness of the Florida State secondary is just mind-blowing on that play; there’s been absolutely no improvement from last year in terms of the entire squad.

Concluding Thoughts

FSU vs. Jacksonville State: Defensive breakdown, analysis - Tomahawk Nation

It was a disappointing loss for Florida State, but the Seminoles must keep their heads up after their poor performance against the Gamecocks. It will be tough for Mike Norvell’s squad to reach a .500 record this year, but the Seminoles can still regroup and win against the likes of Wake Forest, Louisville, and Syracuse in the next three weeks. For fans, this is going to sting for a while.

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