THOMASVILLE – It was ugly and it was difficult, but Florida State finally secured their first win of the season. The 14-9 victory over Cal provided the Seminole faithful with a sigh of relief. However, it also, once again, showed some glaring weaknesses.
Let’s start with the positives. The defense was excellent, aside from the secondary. Florida State’s defensive line was touted as the best in the ACC in the preseason, but in the first three games of the season, they had secured just six sacks and given up an average of 172 rushing yards per game, including 263 yards they gave up to Boston College.
Saturday was different. Cal rushed for just over 100 yards and averaged 2.9 yards per carry. They had very few breakout runs and often got stuffed at the line of scrimmage. FSU finished with 12 tackles for a loss and seven sacks in the game, including back-to-back sacks to ice it in the final minutes.
The secondary had some trouble maintaining Cal’s quarterback Fernando Mendoza as he threw for 303 yards, though he was held without a touchdown. Cal had three different receivers with 46 yards or more and five receptions that went for 25 yards or more. However, they were able to keep the receivers out of the end zone. Cal’s offense was able to drive into the red zone a few times, but that was when the Noles defense looked its best. It was definitely a revitalizing win for the defense.
Now, let’s talk about the offense. DJ Uiagalelei was, at the very best, average in this game. He has been nowhere near the game-breaker that everyone thought he would be and that doesn’t look like it will change. He did throw a beautiful touchdown right in the basket of Ja’Khi Douglas, but outside of that, he was very limited all night. Most of his completions were short check-down throws, he was under a fair amount of pressure most of the time and he held onto the ball way too long per the usual. The most frustrating part for Noles fans may be that DJ U averaged less than seven yards per completion for the third week in a row.
The run game was fine, but Cal’s was better and they had a bad day. FSU had 107 rushing yards, just like the Golden Bears, only they lacked the explosive plays that Cal found. No Seminole rusher had more than 15 yards in a single carry and only two had a carry that went for more than 10. They averaged just 2.6 yards per carry. Lawrance Toafili had the best day of any back on the field, but it was by a slim margin.
So, here’s the rundown. Florida State’s defense may have finally found its stride, but are they capable of holding teams enough to the point that their below-average offense can win a game? It’s not just a single phase, either. Both the run game and the passing game look bad. So, where is the solution? Honestly, the solution is the offensive line. The Golden Bears sacked Uiagalelei three times on Saturday night and had seven tackles for a loss. Does DJ U hold onto the ball for far too long, yes. But there is often pressure on him right from the snap and that just isn’t a recipe for success. Plus, if your running back is having to shed tackles in the backfield a second after getting handed the ball, you’re doing something wrong. The second this o-line shows that it can hold its own, this offense will get a lot better.