Both Florida State and Boston College tried to take a foot in tonight’s game in Chestnut Hill, but the Seminoles did not give the Eagles an inch en route to a 14-0 win that can be described in one word: ug-LY.
The approach from both teams was clear from the get-go. Florida State wanted to use its overall experience and star running back Dalvin Cook to take the wind out of BC’s sails, and the Eagles wanted to use their tough and feisty defense to contain Cook and force Seminoles quarterback Everett Golson to pass the ball.
That approach quickly appeared to backfire on BC coach Steve Addazio, as Florida State only needed eight plays as it marched 83 yards downfield for a touchdown on the opening drive, courtesy of Golson throwing to sophomore receiver Travis Rudolph for a nine-yard score.
[ESPN Video] E. Golson pass,to T. Rudolph for 9 yds for a TD:
Everett Golson pass complete to Travis R… http://t.co/1YYYSMIAeF #Noles— FSU Seminoles (@BR_FSUSeminoles) September 19, 2015
But then BC’s offense went into overdrive and refused to let Florida State’s offense score again for the rest of the game. A combination of tough coverage, hard hitting and sheer determination limited the usually high-scoring Seminoles offense to 217 total yards. Florida State was just 4 for 13 on third down attempts. Golson, the highly touted graduate transfer out of Notre Dame, completed just 15 of 24 pass attempts for 119 yards and a touchdown while Cook only managed 54 yards on 15 carries.
But Florida State can take solace in this. As bad as their offense looked tonight, Boston College’s looked far worse. The team that had just 291 team passing yards entering tonight’s game couldn’t make any progress against the experienced Seminoles’ front seven and had just 195 total yards. Sophomore Darius Wade completed just 4 of 12 throws for 47 yards before leaving with a left ankle injury, and he was seen hobbling to the locker room on crutches shortly after being helped off the field. On the night, Eagles’ quarterbacks were just 5 of 15 for 56 yards.
It just went to show that Florida State’s defense is a far cry from those of Maine and Howard, who BC beat by a combined score of 100-3 over their first two games. That defense forced two critical turnovers, one of which resulted in Seminoles cornerback Jalen Ramsey returning a fumble by BC running back Jon Hilliman 36 yards for a touchdown.
He gone. Jalen Ramsey returns a BC fumble 40 yards for a TD to give Florida State a 14-0 lead in the 4th quarter. http://t.co/ICuZEY2btb
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) September 19, 2015
BC never recovered after that, the wind completely taken out of their sails. With an offense whose passing game is borderline nonexistent, the Eagles just could not get it together to start a rally despite quarterback Troy Flutie, nephew of university legend and former NFL quarterback Doug, coming into the game and showing poise in the pocket. He could not convert on fourth down, that being the final nail in the coffin. Florida State ran out the clock to improve their overall record to 3-0.
But coach Jimbo Fisher did not appear satisfied with his team’s performance, even though he did praise the fact that no turnovers were committed and the defense was solid. Speaking to Allison Williams after the game, Fisher said that the offense was “not very good.”
Florida State will now get a bye week to relax and try to right the offense that has seemingly run into a brick wall over its last two games before taking on another ACC rival in the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at BB&T Field on October 3.
Boston College will also get a breather, but not in the form of a bye. Rather, the MAC’s Northern Illinois Huskies will visit Chestnut Hill next Saturday, and hopefully Addazio will find a way to rely less on his rushing attack and actually develop a passing game so that its offensive attack may be diversified and more complete rather than just a predictable combination of running the ball and play action.
Needless to say, despite the result, this was a step back for two teams that have a lot of work to do before taking the next step forward.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports
