Not good. Not with a showdown at Clemson next. But for now, pretty good.
Jordan Travis threw a pair of touchdown passes, one to Jaheim Bell and one to Preston Daniel, as the No. 3 Seminoles defeated Boston College 31-29.
“It wasn’t a lack of work, it wasn’t a lack of investment. Lack of execution,” FSU coach Mike Norvell said. “…This is something we’re going to learn from as a football team. We’re going to keep pushing, we’re going to keep getting better and I have a lot of confidence in what this team is going to do and how they’re going to do it.” “We will recover from what we just saw.”
BC hadn’t beaten a top 5 team since November 2002, but the Eagles gave the Seminoles quite a scare.
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FSU takes advantage of few possessions in the first half
FSU (3-0, 1-0 ACC) had just three possessions in the first half, scoring a field goal and two touchdowns. The Seminoles were efficient going 61 yards (field goal) and then 75 yards and 70 yards (touchdowns) to take a 17-10 lead at the half.
There was a lot to like about the offense early, as Travis finished the drives with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Jaheim Bell and then Trey Benson ran two yards for a touchdown.
With both teams building long drives as a result of third and fourth down conversions, there weren’t as many opportunities. But the Seminoles, despite settling for a field goal on the first drive, generated 17 points in three drives. And FSU scored on five of its first six drives, not counting a knee to end the half.
Lundy swings with INT and touchdown
To top it off, Travis Hunter: DJ Lundy intercepts Castellanos as he essentially lays down, an athletic choice on a day when the defense needed stops. Or a takeaway. And in this case, it was Lundy’s first college interception.
Then the Seminoles drive to the goal line and Lundy gets the call. His run up the middle is initially stopped, but his second effort and push to the right takes him into the end zone. Lundy now has three rushing touchdowns in his career, with a fun stat: four carries, three yards, three touchdowns.
Lundy has been widely criticized throughout his career, mainly for what he is not. He was always too big, too slow. And he still struggles in pass coverage, as do most of FSU’s linebackers. But he has lost weight. And now an interception and a touchdown? That’s a memorable sequence for Lundy, who finished with four tackles and a half sack on Saturday.
Defensive struggles on third and fourth downs.
The FSU defense had been very, very good at forcing stops on third and fourth downs. Entering Saturday, the Seminoles allowed LSU and Southern Miss to convert on just 6 of 23 (26.9 percent) third-down attempts. And FSU had stopped all four attempts by the Tigers and Golden Eagles.
What did BC do? The Eagles (1-2, 0-1) converted 8 of 19 third-down conversions and 4 of 5 fourth-down conversions, making FSU’s defense pay.
Time and time again, BC quarterback Thomas Castellanos dropped back and had time to throw or find a running lane to get a first down. That day, he completed 20 of 33 passes for 305 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The Waycross, Georgia, native also ran 16 times for 95 yards and a touchdown.
On every significant drive, Castellanos threw or ran for a first down. O Kye Robichaux (21 carries, 64 yards, 1 touchdown) ran for a first down. Robichaux converted six times on third or fourth downs.
If not for BC’s numerous pre-snap penalties, this is a discussion about an Eagles upset.
FSU Victory Notables
Travis, Bell and Tatum Bethune were injured in the game. Bethune led FSU with eight tackles (five solo) and had one tackle for loss.
A week after Johnny Wilson was targeted frequently but instead had no sacks and a few drops, Travis found him early and completed a pass. It was the start of a very good day as Wilson had four receptions for 105 yards.
Benson rushed 14 times for 68 yards. Rodney Hill had a couple of impressive runs, finishing with three carries for 12 yards.
Preston Daniel also had a 4-yard touchdown reception in the second half.
BC committed 18 penalties, a school record, for 132 yards. And the last one was a mask that allowed FSU to generate a first down and run down the clock to win. The Eagles suffered most of them on offense and before the snap.
FSU had 10 tackles for loss, including two each from Kalen DeLoach and Patrick Payton.
BC also outgained FSU, 457 yards to 340. The Seminoles took advantage of their only fourth down opportunity, but were only 2 of 9 on third down.
The former Soviet Union had two costly turnovers. One was a short pass to Lawrance Toafili, but the ball fumbled and Khari Johnson returned it 8 yards for a touchdown. Another came on a BC kick that Benson mishandled and gifted the Eagles a short field.
