Thoughts on the FSU game

[JasonB]

Wow, what an awesome atmosphere, event and game. The students were a little later showing up than the BYU and TCU games, but they eventually made it and were great again. I never thought SMU would be able to pull off a stripe out, and we actually did it pretty well, even without a t-shirt giveaway. Real football, and real football fans, are finally back on the hilltop.

- Starting on the defensive side of the ball, going into the game I felt like SMU had a massive advantage on the line of scrimmage and that FSU would need to go after our corners to be successful. They tried, and hit early, but they just couldn't sustain it over the course of the game.
- I was really surprised to see SMU come out in cover zero on that first TD drive where FSU tore Smoke apart. They also got him again in cover zero on the big play where he made a shoestring tackle. We quickly pivoted to mostly cover 2 (some cover 1) after that, but it was interesting to see the aggressive approach from the start. The SMU defense doesn't play cover 0 much at all, and rarely blitzes. I think Symons noticed the same thing I did in my game preview - that DJU's numbers when pressured are absolutely terrible. So the objective was to make sure that we got pressure. Later in the game, when FSU was forced to throw, we took advantage of their weak pass blocking OL and were able to pressure with just 4. But early on, we sent the house.
- DJU had a bad game, right? Well, the stats are bad enough... when you factor that he was 3/4 for 70 yards and a TD on the first drive, after that drive FSU was just 9/30 for 151, 1 TD and 3 INT. Those numbers are crazy bad. Why? According to PFF, FSU ran 62 plays in the game. 34 pass attempts. 27 PRESSURES!!!! 27 Pressures on 34 pass attempts is absolutely nuts production from the DL. On the evening, DJ only completed 18% of his passes when pressured with 2 INT. I don't think I have ever seen any numbers like that against a G5 school, much less a P4 staple like FSU.
- The DL was just amazing in this game. Not only with the pressures, but a 2.9 average running the ball isn't bad either. Roberts was awesome - 9 pressures and 5 tackles. Remember way back when we worried about him disappearing against Nevada? He looks more like the third round NFL pick we expected him to be.
- I know that some people might want to say that the tipped INT by Walker was a fluke, but the FSU TEs have been absolutely terrible all season.
- Really sucks to see Tank walk off injured. I am guessing it is an ankle, and I would bet it keeps him out until after the next bye. We will miss him against Louisville, although I thought both Lockhard and Jefferson did well after he left.
- Our corners still struggle and are the weakest unit on the team. Smoke is fast, but he doesn't have great hips, which hurts him on those slant routes. He also doesn't quite have a feel for the position yet. Crossley is ok, and Deuce is okay. As long as our front 6 can defend the run and our ELITE safety group can help in the secondary, we can limit the damage and force turnovers. That Boston College game has me a bit concerned on that front.
- I almost fell bad for McGill, because that great read and diving pick got overshadowed by...
- Possibly the greatest defensive play in Ford Stadium history. That pick and runback by Wilson was electric, and just incredible to fight through the FSU players who were desperately trying to displace the ball and score the TD. And just awesome to see a very well coached defensive team create a convoy for him heading down the field.

- Now, over to the offense, and what a great job by the OL. As I mentioned heading into the game, the DTs for FSU are actually really good. You have to be able to take advantage of their DEs and LBs in the running game. Frankly, I am shocked by the PFF ratings for our OL in the running game. I watched part of the recorded game this morning, and I thought the OL was fantastic. Clark at C wasn't pushing anyone off the ball, but he nailed his seals every time. Everyone did their job in the running game. This was always going to be a grinder, and 218 at 4.5 is great, especially when the long run is only 20 yards. What is great about it is that we actually ran an equal amount of gap scheme as zone. The first TD run by Brashard was an awesome pull by Parr where Osborne and Clark were able to seal and he nailed his block as well. Byrd started over Chamblee, and we struggled a little bit running behind him and Parr to the left. But Clark and the guards got us great yards right up the middle against those good DTs. That is something that bodes really, really well for the rest of the season, against every opponent we are going to face. I suggested before the game that we needed to run behind PJ and he dominated on that right side. This thing has morphed into a physical, power running game and it is just great to watch.
- What makes the success of the running game more incredible is that we did it without ANY of our power backs! No LJ, and even our combo backs (Rooster and Camar) are out for the season. But we still are managing to establish a power, physical running game.
- What makes Brashard so great is his patience. He allows the blocking to develop in front of him, and then he has the explosive burst to hit the hole like lightning. Legit ACC player of the year candidate at this point. Fantastic player. And a great catch as well.
- Something to keep an eye on - McFall had 3 carries and forced 3 missed tackles. The 17 yard run at the end was fantastic. He is going to be an X factor by the end of the season.
- The success of the running game is how players get so open in the passing game. We hit Bailey wide open down the middle a couple of times, and at least on one of them it was a great rub route by Smith (I think) who took out the nickel corner and let him run free. It also makes their safeties respect the run, and RJ gets free against LBs. I thought we would go to the TE even more frequently in the game, but the two TD catches by RJ were outstanding. It looks to me like all of our WR are kind of buying into the identity of the team, and are becoming more physical which is great to see. Remember, FSU has two outstanding outside corners and a very good nickel corner. I can't believe we went 8/9 to WR for 154 and a TD against that group. Fantastic job.
- Which leads me to Kevin Jennings. What an incredible game. 70% completions even though the average target depth was over 10 yards, which gives him an adjusted completion percentage of 89.5%. The back to back sacks were the first time I have ever seen him spend too much time looking at the deep ball - he usually just takes what is there. But he immediately flipped the switch back and was productive the rest of the evening. Great job running the offense, calling the RPO, and just rifling the ball when he sees an opening. Even throwing the ball away on the third down to set up the field goal.

And now we head into the hardest game of the season - @Louisville. Do NOT let the Notre Dame result fool you - that is a very, very good football team. All of their metrics are incredible, they really made mistakes to give that game away to ND, and their defense is really good.

[MV pony]

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[Charleston Pony]

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That's a fun watch