TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — After four games of undeniable progress, No. 23 Florida State ran into a harsh reality Saturday at Doak Campbell Stadium.
The Seminoles are better than they used to be but still not good enough to be considered among the ACC’s elite again. That was evident in their 31-21 loss to No. 22 Wake Forest, not only in the final score but how it happened.
The biggest issue for FSU (4-1, 2-1 ACC) was its play along the lines, summed up by two stats from ESPN. The first: 3.0, as in the number of yards Wake Forest (4-1, 1-1) averaged per carry before FSU’s defense made contact. The Demon Deacons entered the nation 119th nationally in that category, yet they pushed the Seminoles’ front around.
Getting torched by Wake Forest’s passing attack is one thing; the Demon Deacons do that to almost everyone. But getting gashed for 3 yards before the first would-be tackler makes an appearance? That’s concerning.
The second telling statistic from ESPN: 11 of 17. That’s how many times FSU quarterback Jordan Travis was pressured on his first-half dropbacks — the highest percentage for any half in his Seminoles career. Considering how bad FSU’s offensive lines were during his first three years, for Saturday’s line to set a new low is jarring and a step back from months of progress.
The second half was more of the same. In a span of eight plays, FSU was flagged for a false start, called for a holding penalty and gave up a third-down sack. Those miscues spoiled a drive that began at the Wake Forest 33 and ruined a chance to cut the deficit to one score.
Now for the good news, if there is any. Those problems are at least somewhat explained by the circumstances. FSU lost one of its top offensive linemen (Kayden Lyles) in the preseason, lost starter Bless Harris to a season-ending injury last month and was without starting tackle Robert Scott for a second straight game.
The defensive line has been hit with injuries, too. Tackle Fabien Lovett was in a walking boot, and end Jared Verse was still limited from the injury he suffered at Louisville.
Few teams have enough depth along the lines; that’s one of the traits that separates the superpowers from the rest of the pack. Eventually, Norvell will be expected to recruit well enough to withstand the inevitable attrition. But his program isn’t there yet.
Though it was a deciding factor Saturday, it isn’t an indictment on Norvell’s tenure. Instead, it’s a sign of what FSU must improve to rejoin Wake Forest and the rest of the ACC’s heavyweights.
Because FSU is clearly better in other areas. Travis continued his strong season, throwing a pair of touchdown passes to Tampa’s Mycah Pittman and a third to Arizona State transfer Johnny Wilson.
The defense struggled early but picked things up late with three big second-half sacks to keep things competitive. FSU even found a way to recover after surrendering 28 consecutive points, coming through with a pair of second-half touchdowns to make it a one-score game with 9:32 left.
But FSU couldn’t overcome its own blunders. The Seminoles missed a 29-yard field goal late in the first half, failed to score anything after starting at the Wake Forest 33 on one third-quarter drive and stalled just outside the red zone on their final drive. FSU allowed Wake Forest to convert on third-and-6, fourth-and-3 and third-and-5 on an 18-play field goal drive that melted the clock in the fourth. Those were costly mistakes in a tight game against a good, experienced opponent.
FSU entered Saturday having lost 14 of its last 16 games against ranked teams. This was FSU’s matchup of top-25 teams since Willie Taggart’s debut, a 2018 loss to Virginia Tech.
FSU travels to No. 10 North Carolina State next week.
