Explosive Plays Sink Norvell and Florida State

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A power outage delayed the much-anticipated Monday night matchup between
No. 19 SMU and Florida State, and it may have been better for the Seminoles if
the lights at Doak Campbell Stadium had stayed off, as the Mustangs handed Mike
Norvell’s program yet another disappointing 27-24 loss.

Now, with the loss and a bye week ahead, Alabama waiting on the other
side, Norvell’s future looks bleak, to say the least, and he will face even
more questions about his future in Tallahassee.

The Noles trailed 17-10 at halftime before ultimately falling by three
points. The one bright spot was Florida State’s ability to win the turnover
battle, but despite forcing four turnovers and committing none of its own, the
Noles still could not capitalize.

Before the game, only one of the previous 40 teams had lost a game
despite posting a plus-four turnover margin; Florida State is now the second.

“We’re definitely glad to be 1-0, but we made it harder than we had to,”
Lashlee said. “We made it harder than it had to be.”

One reason Florida State couldn’t secure the win, even with SMU
continually giving the Seminoles opportunities, was that Tony White’s defense
struggled to limit explosive plays.

In the first half, Florida State allowed SMU offense 178 yards on
passing plays of 15-plus yards. The longest play of the first half was a
64-yard pass to Jalen Hale, while a 50-yard pass to Jalen Copper went for a
touchdown.

SMU also found success on the ground, with the Noles’ defense allowing
two runs of 10 or more yards for 37 yards.

The Noles’ defense improved in the second half, doing a better job of
limiting SMU’s big plays, but eventually the Mustangs broke through at the
worst possible time. In the fourth quarter, with the game tied 17-17, SMU faced
a third down when Jennings connected with Yannick Smith for a 79-yard
touchdown, giving the Mustangs a 24-17 lead.

Then, in a tie game late in the fourth quarter, SMU’s ability to hit big
plays, coupled with Florida State’s inability to get off the field, cost the
Seminoles once again. On third-and-10 from its own 39-yard line, SMU
quarterback Kevin Jennings found Dramekco Green for 29 yards, setting up the
game-winning field goal a few plays later.

SMU’s ability to hit big plays was a big part of the story, as the
Mustangs gained 304 yards on just eight passing plays of 15 or more yards. By
comparison, Florida State finished the game with 324 total yards, including
just 125 through the air. SMU also added 60 rushing yards on plays of 10 or
more yards.

SMU’s 11 chunk plays accounted for 384 yards, more than Florida State’s
324 total yards, showing just how much the Seminoles struggled to limit
explosive plays.

Florida State won the turnover battle, but ultimately, when you can’t
get off the field, go 2-for-15 on third down and get out gained by 80 yards on
chunk plays, it becomes difficult to win. The fact that Florida State was still
in the game late in the fourth quarter was almost miraculous.

After another disappointing performance, the Seminoles are once again
heading back to the drawing board, searching for answers. Two games into the
season, fans are already asking when Norvell’s time in Tallahassee will end.

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