Scoring 14 points but securing a win is the mother of all glass-half-full scenarios for Florida State’s struggling offense.

But when the snowball rolls downhill, it begins to feel like an emotional avalanche. The hit to the confidence hurts, even after a long offseason of work and preparation.

DJ Uiagalelei is the most experienced college football player on FSU’s offense, but the accumulated emotion — of processing not just plays but processing losses and then pressing to make plays — has impacted his performance in the eyes of one FSU assistant coach.

“He needs to stop stressing,” FSU offensive coordinator Alex Atkins said on Monday, in his first interview in more than a month. “He’s been through it. But he takes full ownership and responsibility. And sometimes you try to force those big plays and force those moments.”

FSU sports information:

Redshirt junior defensive lineman Patrick Payton was named the ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week on Monday after his performance in Florida State’s win over Cal on Saturday evening.

The Miami native set career-highs with 3.0 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss, with all of his tackles behind the line coming in the second half. Payton spearheaded a Seminole defense that did not allow a touchdown and set season-highs with 7.0 sacks and 12.0 tackles for loss.

FSU’s 7.0 sacks were one shy of the single-game national high this season and matched the most for the Seminoles under head coach Mike Norvell. Payton’s 3.0 sacks are second in a game this year nationwide.

Payton and the Seminoles are back in action this Saturday at SMU (8 p.m. ET, ACC Network).

Mike Norvell will hold his weekly press conference on Monday at 11:30 a.m.

He will be followed by Adam Fuller, John Papuchis and (we think) Alex Atkins.

We'll have updates in the thread below as the coaches reflect on a win over Cal and look ahead to the SMU game, on Saturday at 8 p.m. (ACC Network) in Dallas.

They may have missed on opportunities to end Cal drives on 3rd & long and 4th & long, but Cal never found the endzone. Something to build on. Good job guys!

JMU has hung 60 on UNC and it’s just the 3rd quarter.

Roydell Williams was in a walking boot during FSU's game against Cal

Some very good defensive grades overall, notably Josh Farmer. Lawrance Toafili averaged an impressive 3.76 yards after contact.

Here are snap counts and PFF grades from FSU-Cal:

While FSU has started 0-3, there is no need to dwell on what has happened this season. FSU sits at 11 commitments. They are going to need to land about 9-10 more prospects to meet their goal for high school recruiting this cycle. One of those prospects looks to be deciding this weekend. So what do we have?

RB Byron Louis - American Heritage Plantation - 5-11, 200 - Louis is rated a four-star, ranked 8th overall nationally by Rivals.com, 27th in the state of Florida. He is a top 150 prospect. You are looking at one of the very best backs in the nation. Louis would give FSU a back who can run with both power and finesse. He has very good footwork. He can cut on a dime and make the first defender miss. He is also a threat in the passing game. Louis would compete for the starting job Day 1. If Louis does pull the trigger for FSU they will have Kam Davis, Louis and Micahi Danzy. That will be one of the best backfields in the ACC for 2025-2026. (Future Forecast: FSU), I put the forecast in for FSU. They have been a leader for Louis for a while now. Miami and Wisconsin were the two greatest threats. FSU WINS OUT.

RB Ousmane Kromah - Lee County - 6-2, 220 - Kormah is a flat-out stud. He is also considering FSU. What has been an on again/off again relationship is back on. FSU is in the picture. He is coming back on campus before making a decision. FSU has done a great job of putting on the pressure to land Kromah. Auburn is the leader but this is one of those odd recruitments that could go either way. FSU is fighting and has a legit shot at pulling him in.

LB TJ Alford - Vero Beach - 6-2, 220 - Alford is committed to Ohio State. I have been told that FSU has upped the ante on Alford. They are in the ball game for the talented linebacker. He has people in his corner pushing FSU. Been told he may take another visit at some point. FSU just needs to stay in the game until the end. Alford would be a welcome addition to the FSU Class.

DT Floyd Boucard - Miami Central - 6-3, 315 - Floyd decided to back off his Oklahoma commitment. Miami was the one team to worry about but right now it does not look like they are going to go after Floyd. He needs to get on campus. This is where recruiting and the long game comes in. FSU may end up his best option. Being dead honest, and this is not sour grapes, he was much better at the UA Camp than Myron Charles. He dominated the camp. Now he did not do as well going against Max Buchanan at the Rivals camp but Floyd is still impressive. He used to play hockey. Can't imagine this guy on skates.

DT Jeremiah McCloud - Lee County - 6-4, 290 - McCloud was at Gadsden County. He moved over to Lee County this off-season. He is a big, athletic defensive tackle. He is committed to UF but that thing is on shaky ground.

WR Joshua Moore - West Broward - 6-5, 200- The gifted receiver chose UF over FSU this summer. From my sources I am hearing the kid is opening back his recruitment. UF's season is not going well and Moore wants to make sure that the coach who is recruiting him is still there. I have seen him play twice this year and Moore has been impressive. Against Cardinal Gibbons he caught the game winning touchdown and then proceeded to do a double back flip in the end-zone. He is big, long and athletic. He is not going to stick to UF in my mind.

G Mario Nash - Kemper County - 6-4, 280 - We discussed Nash this week on Seminole Sidelines. Mississippi State landed an early commitment. It looks like FSU has cracked the door open. He is another guard. That is my only concern. FSU needs tackles. Did I say FSU needs tackles?

G Daniel Pierre Louis - Seminole Ridge-6-5, 290 - Louis is a decent prospect. Not sure if they should be going all in on him this early in the process. Last thing FSU needs is more projects along the offensive line. This is what happens when you don't throw a wide net early, focus on a few big-time players and miss. I always say have a backup plan for when you miss. Don’t go to plan C and plan D.

DE Chase Linton - North Atlanta - 6-4, 220 - He has come out of nowhere. Linton was a solid G5/lower P5 kid earlier this year. He has put in the time and it has paid off. FSU offered but we will see where this goes.

S Ladarian Clardy - Keep hearing Ole Miss- They put the clamps in this kid. Hopefully FSU gets back into it as he will be deciding soon.

Final Thoughts: FSU needs to land some big time players in this class. I like CJ Wiley but losing Hilson was huge. I don't know how you recover from those types of misses. You just don't replace ELITE players with good ones. CJ Wiley is ELITE. Hilson is ELITE. Solomon Thomas is an ELITE prospect. You can turn around your fortunes on the field quickly with more of these types of players. It is still a long ways to go till December but FSU does have some catching up to do.

It all comes down to this.
The TOUR Championship, the final leg of the three-event FedExCup Playoffs, tees off Thursday at the recently restored East Lake Golf Club, with the TOUR’s biggest prize still up for grabs. Scottie Scheffler once again returns to Atlanta as the top-ranked player in the FedExCup standings, with Xander Schauffele hot on his heels.
The Starting Strokes format gives Scheffler a two-shot advantage heading into Thursday’s opening round at the TOUR Championship, starting the week at 10-under. Schauffele starts at 8-under, with all 30 players in the field starting at even par or better.

Regardless of the start, however, it’s how you finish. And this week’s top finisher will win the FedExCup.
FIELD NOTES: Scheffler will once again head to East Lake ranked No. 1 in the FedExCup standings after a fabulous 2024 campaign that includes six TOUR victories and a gold medal at the Paris Olympics. This is the third straight year Scheffler has entered the PGA TOUR season finale ranked No. 1 in the standings … Schauffele has authored his own tremendous campaign with two major titles to his name. He and Scheffler have separated themselves from the chasing pack on top of the FedExCup standings, as Schauffele is almost 1,500 points ahead of No. 3 Hideki Matsuyama …. Matsuyama won the FedEx St. Jude Championship but withdrew from the BMW Championship due to a back injury. He’s set to return to action at East Lake … Matsuyama was confirmed Sunday as the top-ranked member of the automatic qualifying group for the Presidents Cup’s International Team, with three other automatic qualifiers (Sungjae Im, Adam Scott and Byeong Hun An) in the mix at the TOUR Championship. All six of the U.S. Team’s automatic qualifiers – Scheffler, Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Wyndham Clark, Patrick Cantlay and Sahith Theegala – have qualified for East Lake … Rory McIlroy, at No. 6 in the standings, is looking to win his record fourth FedExCup title. He has finished outside the top 10 just once in the last seven years at East Lake.
FEDEXCUP BUBBLE UPDATES: Four players jumped into the top 30 on the FedExCup standings after their efforts at the BMW Championship, led by winner Keegan Bradley, who was the last man into the BMW (No. 50) and vaulted to No. 4 in the standings into the TOUR Championship … Adam Scott, who finished tied for second, jumped to No. 14 … Tommy Fleetwood was on the bubble heading into the BMW Championship (at No. 31) but finished tied for fifth and moved to No. 22 … Chris Kirk jumped from No. 32 to No. 26 … Brian Harman, Jason Day, Davis Thompson and Denny McCarthy were the four that got bumped from the field at East Lake … Justin Thomas heads to the TOUR Championship as the final player in the field at No. 30 in the standings.
HOW IT WORKS: The FedExCup Starting Strokes format rewards the top player in the FedExCup standings with a two-shot advantage Thursday at East Lake. For the second straight year, Scottie Scheffler starts on top at 10-under, while Xander Schauffele is at 8-under, Hideki Matsuyama is at 7-under, Keegan Bradley is at 6-under, Ludvig Åberg is at 5-under, and the balance of the field will span from 4-under to even-par.
FEDEXCUP: Winner receives the FedExCup.
COURSE: East Lake Golf Club, par 71, 7,490 yards. Every FedExCup champion (introduced in 2007) has been crowned at East Lake, the TOUR Championship’s host venue since 2005. The home course of Bobby Jones, East Lake is the oldest golf course in the city of Atlanta. Tom Bendelow was the original architect, with both Donald Ross and Rees Jones contributing to the storied Atlanta layout; Andrew Green recently completed a substantial restoration. Another of Green’s recent projects, the East Course at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York, hosted the 2023 PGA Championship.
Green worked off an aerial photo of the course from 1949 along with archival photos, and the team reworked the entire course in just 10 months. Grasses for both fairways and greens were changed, while No. 14 was converted to a par 5.
72-HOLE RECORD: 257, Tiger Woods (2007)
18-HOLE RECORD: 60, Zach Johnson (Round 3, 2007)
LAST TIME: Hovland held off a hard-charging Schauffele with a final-round, 7-under 63 to cement a five-shot victory for the 2023 FedExCup. Schauffele and Hovland were paired in the final group Sunday at East Lake and fired the day’s two lowest rounds, with Hovland’s 63 the lowest Sunday score for a TOUR Championship winner. Hovland was the No. 2 seed going into the TOUR Championship, starting at 8-under. In Sunday’s finale, Schauffele fired a front-nine 30 to Hovland’s 31, but the Norwegian never let up and closed with three straight birdies to secure the FedExCup. It marked Hovland’s third victory of the season, including the prior week’s BMW Championship. Clark finished third at 16-under, while McIlroy finished fourth in his FedExCup defense and Cantlay finished fifth.

How to follow (all times ET)​

Television:

• Thursday-Friday: 1-6 p.m. (Golf Channel)
• Saturday: 1-2:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 2:30-7 p.m. (NBC)
• Sunday: noon-1:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 1:30-6 p.m. (NBC)

Special programming alerts:

• Payne Stewart Award Ceremony
  • Tune in live on Tuesday, Aug. 27, at 7 p.m. ET on Golf Channel to as nine-time TOUR winner Brandt Snedeker is honored as the latest recipient of the Payne Stewart Award.
• PGA TOUR Live: On the Range
  • Tune in at 2:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Aug. 28, to catch all the live action straight from the practice range on at the 2024 TOUR Championship, featuring expert analysis, DraftKings betting and fantasy golf previews, player interviews and more at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
• 'The Creator Classic presented by Blackstone'
  • Tune in at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Aug. 28, as 16 content creators compete in a nine-hole competition at East Lake Golf Club prior to the TOUR Championship.

PGA TOUR LIVE ON ESPN+
PGA TOUR LIVE is available exclusively on ESPN+

• Main feed: Primary tournament coverage featuring the best action from across the course
• Marquee group: New “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group
• Featured groups: Traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups
• Featured holes: Combination of par 3s and iconic or pivotal holes

Radio on SiriusXM and free at PGATOUR.com/liveaudio:

• Thursday-Friday: noon-6 p.m.
• Saturday: 2-7 p.m.
• Sunday: 1-6 p.m.

Congratulations again to last week's winner @fsu67810

Also Congratulations again to our regular season winner, Mrs BFT,

Spoke with Thomas after the game on Saturday and he provided this thoughts on the teams start, the impact of Alex Atkins and the state of the recruiting class.
https://floridastate.rivals.com/new...s-visit-offers-perspective-on-fsu-s-1-3-start

Pretty confident he makes the move at quarterback..and trust me, he was stubborn as they come as a coach

Betting lines for Week 5 of the college football season are beginning to trickle out Sunday afternoon.

After FSU (1-3) was favored in each of its first four games, it will ironically be an underdog next Saturday at SMU (3-1) for the first time after securing its first win of the season Saturday vs. Cal.

According to the preliminary line shared by Circa Sports, FSU is a five-point underdog for next Saturday's 8 p.m. (ACC Network) game at SMU's Gerald J. Ford Stadium.

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It will be the second straight week that FSU is facing an ACC newcomer in their first conference game as a member and the first ever matchup between FSU and SMU. FSU beat Cal 14-9 Saturday night while SMU put up 66 points in a 66-42 rivalry game win over TCU.

The Osceola staff will be taking a second look at FSU's 14-9 win over Cal today (Sunday) and Monday and share our thoughts on some of what we saw, and we thought were key moments in getting the Seminoles back in the win column.

Sidenote: I will be traveling today so might not get through the whole game until tomorrow.

A couple of overall thoughts. FSU didn't play perfect but when you are 0-3 heading into a game there is no such thing as an ugly win. In fact, this game played out about how most of us on the Osceola staff thought. It was going to be a defensive battle where two struggling offenses were going to have trouble getting into the end zone. That is how this game indeed played out. This was a huge win for this team. It had to give it some confidence, especially on defense which played very good football on 3rd down and in the red zone. The offense still has quite a bit of work to do but did just enough to get out of the game with a victory. FSU also won the battle of the kicking game. The Seminoles didn't make any mistakes in the kicking game while Cal missed two very makeable field goals.

This looks like the formula for this football team after four games and a 1-3 start. Play bend but don't break defense behind a what hopefully will continue to be a disruptive defensive front that has played well against the run the last two games and got a little better against the pass (to some degree on Saturday night, not as many blown coverages), great special teams (except for fumbled punt vs. Memphis) and just enough offense to get the job done. We did see a bigger commitment to the running game if not better play and I think that helped in this game.

We also saw a team that played with effort at least from a team standpoint and we are starting to see some young players take steps forward; Quindarrius Jones, Edwin Joseph, KJ Kirkland, Kam Davis and Jaylen Early to name a few. Jahki Douglas, Josh Farmer and Patrick Payton are a couple of the veterans who looked like they might have had their best game of the year.

It was an imperfect performance which ended in a perfect result, FSU went 1-0 against Cal, and that is good enough for this week. Most fans would have liked a little more optically pleasing win, but this is still a flawed football team, particularly on offense, so take the wins when you can get them no matter how they look. And maybe more importantly enjoy them. I am still not sure how many are out there this year.

Now, we will see if this team can build off this as it travels to SMU next weekend for what should be a very winnable game as the Mustangs, I think are very similar to both Memphis and Cal from a talent standpoint across the board and probably not as good as both those teams upfront.

One of the Mods who engages with Norvell…Will you PLEASE make sure to phrase the QB question by putting the words IN Norvell’s mouth, something akin to:…”Coach, we CAN expect to see Glenn or Luke under center next week correct?” And before he answers) admonish him with facts about HIS anemic pitiful offense and DJ’s lack of effectiveness and competency. Norvell should be TOLD that “He surely doesn’t believe Glenn or Luke a less effective or inspirational game manager than what DJ has clearly shown, or rather NOT SHOWN, in 4 games.” Norvell needs to be informed that “He can’t believe it wise to continue allowing DJ to take critical snaps away from Glenn or Luke.” Ultimately, Norvell needs to be MADE AWARE his continued negligence (where DJ is concerned), and his failure to properly develop the younger QB’s, allowing them adequate snaps and game experience will adversely impair his position and his buyout. Despite the win tonight Norvell’s highly-offensive offense needs an overhaul if we have any chance of beating UM and UF and preserving a top 25 recruiting class. The decision should be removed from HIS control and if he doesn’t like it he should take his piss poor coaching elsewhere. Damn man, for the love of God!

FSU sports information:

The No. 2 Florida State soccer team (6-0-2) settled for a 1-1 draw in the first road conference game against SMU (6-3-2) on Sunday afternoon. FSU maintains its 31-game unbeaten streak in competition dating back to 2022.

The match began with chances for both sides, Florida State’s best offensive moment in the first half came off a well-placed cross from Ran Iwai finding Taylor Huff as her header glanced just wide of the frame.

Sophomore goalkeeper Addie Todd was tasked with a fiery Mustangs attack and made several highlight reel saves including an instinctive glove save at her near post inside the first five minutes.

FSU committed a foul inside its own box to concede a penalty to SMU. After the initial kick was ruled back for encroachment, Addie Todd made an incredible penalty stop as she dove down to her right side and pushed the shot away to keep the game level going into halftime.

SMU opened the scoring just before the second-half water break with 20 minutes to go. The Seminoles wasted no time as Marianyela Jiménez laid the ball off to Ashlyn Puerta outside the box before the 17-year old unleashed a ferocious strike just under the crossbar to level the game at 1-1. The freshman scored her third goal of the season and either contributed a goal or assist in the last three games.

Florida State will return home to face College Cup semifinalists Clemson on Thursday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and available to watch on ACC Network.

Story from Pat Burnham:

Although FSU won last night, it also scored 14 or less points for the third straight game. The last time that happened at FSU? The first three games of Bobby Bowden's tenure in 1976.

Nothing looks easy right now for this FSU offense.

You are the man. Love your takes on the podcasts. Thoughts on 7 points in the first half?!?!?!

FSU sports information:

The No. 2 Florida State soccer team (6-0-1, 1-0-0 ACC) continues its opening week of conference play with a road match against SMU (6-3-1, 2-0-1 ACC) on Sunday afternoon. The Seminoles currently hold a 13-game unbeaten streak in conference play dating back to 2022.

Florida State faces SMU as conference opponents for the first time and have only met once in the series history. The Seminoles hosted SMU in the 2021 NCAA Tournament Second Round and defeated the Mustangs 5-1 with five different goal scorers en route to a third national championship.

The Seminoles continue to extend and break program records on their impressive run dating back to last season. Florida State has scored in 41 straight games and holds a 30-game unbeaten streak, both of which are program records. FSU has recorded five shutouts in the opening seven games and hasn’t conceded more than two goals in a game in the past 17 matches.

The reigning national champions concluded non-conference play unbeaten for a fifth consecutive season before beginning ACC play with five goals over Syracuse. Wrianna Hudson scored her third goal in her freshman season while Kameron SImmonds and Taylor Huff each scored two goals. All three goalscorers also scored in the 3-0 victory at Florida earlier in the month.

FSU has scored 29 goals through the first seven games, the most in that span since 2009 (32) while holding five shutouts in seven games for the third time this decade.

The Seminoles sent six players representing three nations to the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia. Marianyela Jiménez and Venezuela picked up its first-ever point in the competition while Lara Dantas and Brazil reached the quarterfinals. The four Seminoles for the United States will face the Netherlands in the third place match on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. ET to secure the nation’s best finish since 2012.

The Seminoles and Mustangs will meet at 2 p.m. ET and available to watch on ACC Network.

After two visits to Auburn and one to Georgia, Kromah made it back to Florida State on Saturday to watch the Seminoles beat Cal.
https://floridastate.rivals.com/new...recaps-fsu-visit-ahead-of-commitment-decision

Who you taking with the game on the line?

Beating Memphis 49-30 right now… We scored a whopping 12 on them. Good grief

I think we would be undefeated if we had an average quarterback. The offense is so limited with DJU.