Future at offensive line a positive or negative?
There's no sugar-coating it -- the Seminole offensive line struggled greatly and took a step backward on Thursday. Florida State was completely dominated in the trenches, especially in the first half. At the end of the day, Houston recorded three sacks and was able to pressure FSU's quarterbacks all day. The Cougars completely shut down the ground game and racked up 11 tackles for loss.
Nobody was expecting a dominating performance by FSU's front-five, but the lackluster effort against Houston raises a red flag going forward. The most perplexing aspect is that the offense and the line were trending upward at the end of the regular season. Now, all of that momentum has been reversed, and there's no clear reason as to why.
Not to take anything away from Houston, but it wasn't the best defense FSU faced all season. Florida, Clemson and Boston College probably field superior defenses overall, so it's hard to explain why the offense was completely overwhelmed both in its ability to block for the run and pass. The injury and absence of right tackle Chad Mavety, who started the last three games, was probably a factor. But the issues up front were more than just one missing starter.
That's why it is so tough to figure out where this group will be going forward. On the positive side, every offensive linemen, including starters and reserves, return and have a whole offseason to get bigger, stronger and improve their technique. So there should be a significant improvement in the line's play in 2016.
But the dreary outing against Houston has to raise questions as to just how improved the line will be. Rick Trickett's group took a step back despite having a full month to prepare and heal up. It's probably not fair to put too much weight on a single game, but it's also hard to be overly optimistic after Thursday's disappointing result.
Defense plays fairly well despite 38 points surrendered
It's easy to assume the Seminole defense had a horrific day with Houston posting 38 points on the scoreboard. However, a closer look at the flow of the game and the finer details makes that huge point total somewhat understandable.
With a month off between games, and Houston bringing in a high-paced offense and an elusive dual-threat quarterback, it was almost a given that it would have some success early on. That success came on the Cougars' second drive when QB Greg Ward led his team on a 64-yard touchdown drive. FSU's defense appeared to settle down after that, however, forcing an interception on the next drive followed by two three-and-outs.
The defense's biggest problem from that point forward was the Seminole offense.
Following Sean Maguire's late-first-quarter injury, the Seminole offense completely imploded over the next six drives. They had four three-and-outs and two two-play series that ended in turnovers. As a result of an FSU offense that failed to convert a single first down and netted minus-15 yards in the second quarter, Houston continually had great field position against a defense that could never got a breather. Not surprisingly, the Cougars notched a couple more touchdowns in the first half, including one on a quick, 17-yard drive following an FSU fumble. All in all, Houston ran a whopping 52 plays in the first half -- the most by any opponent this season.
Following the halftime break, the Seminole defense settled in and performed as expected during the third quarter. Houston averaged just 2.1 yards per play during this quarter, and over its next four dives had just 41 total yards, two first downs and zero points. But after FSU's offense committed two more turnovers and had another three-and-out, the defense simply ran out of gas. The Cougars would go on to put together three long scoring drives in the fourth quarter against a spent defense. Had the Seminole offense not continually forced the defense to defend a short field with little time to rest, it's unlikely the score would have been what it was.
The one area where it's hard to give the defense a pass was its inability to defend third-down situations. Houston converted a whopping 13 of 23 of its third-down tries (56.5 percent). It would be one thing if most of those conversions came on short-yardage plays, but eight of 13 came on downs where UH needed six yards or more. In this case, the defense was its own worst enemy in keeping itself on the field too long.
Wide receiver blocking comes up short
The offensive line deserves the lion's share of the blame for the poor blocking, but it wasn't the only group that fell short in this department.
On several plays to the outside, Houston defenders had clear paths to take down FSU running backs and receivers. On many of these plays, it wasn't the offensive line that was tasked with the responsibility of clearing the way but a wide receiver or tight end. Time and time again, the blocker whiffed or barely slowed down the defender. The final result of the poor blocking was either a minimal gain or a loss behind the line of scrimmage.
On the other side of the ball, Houston's receivers effectively blocked FSU's defensive backs and linebackers. The effective blocking by the Cougar receivers helped to negate the 'Noles' speed advantage on defense.
Two factors played into the Seminoles' disappointing blocking by their receivers. First, the group clearly wasn't as motivated as their counterparts. Jimbo Fisher often says that blocking comes down to "want to," and it was clear to anybody watching that the Houston players wanted it more.
The loss of receiver Ermon Lane, who missed the game with a foot injury, also left FSU without its top blocking receiver. Even though he hasn't been a major contributor when it comes to catching passes, Lane is often on the field because he is a dominating and physical blocker. His absence was clearly felt on Thursday.
Injury shifts momentum
When a game doesn't go as expected, especially in an upset, there is usually a turning point that shifts momentum to the underdog. On Thursday, that turning point came late in the first quarter.
Florida State was putting together its first legitimate offensive series and closing in on a potential game-tying touchdown when Sean Maguire was hit, fell awkwardly and sprained his left ankle. After he was carted off the field into the locker room, FSU's fortunes dramatically shifted.
After having to settle for a field goal, the Seminole offense completely imploded over the next six series to finish the half. So much damage was done during that span that it was simply too much for the Seminoles to overcome in the second half.
Here's a rundown of the six drives from hell following Maguire's first quarter injury:
1. Three-and-out: -12 total yards
2. Three-and-out: -3 yards
3. Three-and-out: -9 yards
4. Two plays, -2 yards, fumble
5. Two plays, 0 yards, interception
6. Three-and-out: 9 yards
Total numbers from those six series: 0 first downs, -17 yards, 2 turnovers
Maguire returned to the game a few series, but he was obviously nowhere near 100 percent. And at that point, the momentum had completely shifted and the offense was reeling. When the offense finally got on track in the second half, it was too much to overcome, especially with a defense that had been on the field for way too long.
A few positives from a dreary game*
• Cason Beatty -- Tied a career high with five 50-plus-yard punts, including four in the first half. Averaged 51.5 yards on six kicks with a long of 55. Following Thursday's efforts, Beatty's season average ends at 45.2 yards per punt, and he is No. 11 nationally in punting average.
• Derwin James -- Led the Seminoles in tackles (14) for the fifth time this season and registered his fifth 10-plus-tackle game of his young career. He also moved into third in FSU history for most tackles by a freshman with 91, moving past Daryl Bush (1994), who had 86, and Myron Rolle, who had 77 in 2006. James finished just three tackles behind linebacker Reggie Northrup for the team lead despite starting three fewer games.
• Travis Rudolph -- Finished with seven catches for 201 yards and a touchdown. It was his first career 200-yard game. The 201 yards are the most for a Seminole in a bowl game, surpassing Javon Walker's 195 against Virginia Tech in the 2002 Gator Bowl. It also ranks 12th in a single game in FSU history.
* Some of this was in FSU's post-game notes
