Florida State’s Third-Down Failures Prove Costly Against SMU

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Florida State had its opportunities against SMU.

The Seminoles ran for 199 yards, won the time-of-possession battle and entered the fourth quarter tied. Yet, when the game demanded Florida State extend drives or get off the field, the Seminoles too often failed to execute.

Third down told much of the story in FSU’s 27-24 loss.

Florida State converted just 2-of-15 third-down opportunities, a 13.3% success rate. SMU, meanwhile, finished 8-of-14, allowing the Mustangs to sustain enough drives to eventually escape Tallahassee with the win. 

For Mike Norvell, there wasn’t one simple explanation.

“Well, it still comes down to overall execution of the things that are called,” Norvell said following the game. “Have there been different issues? Yes. Unfortunately, that has showed up.”

That inconsistency was especially damaging because Florida State showed it could move the football.

The Seminoles rushed for nearly 200 yards, with Ousmane Kromah accounting for 116 yards and a touchdown. Ashton Daniels added 71 rushing yards and a score. But FSU managed just 324 total yards and 16 first downs because drives repeatedly stalled.

Daniels also faced pressure at critical moments. SMU recorded three sacks for 19 yards, and several third-down opportunities ended with pressure, incompletions or Florida State simply failing to reach the sticks.

One of those problems surfaced before halftime. After moving into SMU territory, Daniels faced pressure on a pass intended for Desirrio Riles, forcing Florida State to settle for a Gabe Panikowski field goal. Later in the quarter, FSU failed to extend another possession and punted. 

Norvell pointed to players occasionally attempting to compensate for problems elsewhere rather than consistently handling their own assignments.

“Guys trying to do a little too much or being inconsistent in certain aspects of alignment,” Norvell said. “That comes down to, it’s player, it’s coach, it’s all of us.”

The concern extends beyond Florida State’s offense.

SMU’s 8-of-14 performance on third down meant FSU’s defense had difficulty finishing possessions, too. The contrast was glaring: the Mustangs converted better than half of their opportunities while Florida State converted barely one out of every eight.

That difference becomes magnified in a three-point game.

Florida State still managed to fight back. Kromah’s third-quarter touchdown tied the game at 17, and Daniels later connected with Samuel Singleton Jr. for a 39-yard touchdown to make it 24-24 with 7:17 remaining. SMU ultimately won it on Nick Reed’s 20-yard field goal with 21 seconds left.

The margin was razor thin. That makes the missed opportunities even harder to overlook.

“If we’re calling it, we got to be able to go out there and execute it,” Norvell said, “and, unfortunately, it’s not happening consistently enough in big situations.”

For Florida State, fixing third down isn’t simply about finding a better play call.

Norvell’s assessment places responsibility everywhere with coaches putting players in position to succeed and players trusting the call enough to execute their assignments.

In a game decided by three points, Florida State learned how costly one failed down can become when those failures begin piling up.

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