FSU Rapid Reaction: FSU 43 Wake Forest 3

The game between the Florida State Seminoles and Wake Forest Demon Deacons has just gone final, here’s some FSU Rapid Reaction.

As was expected, Florida State pulled away in the second half against an overmatched Wake Forest team. Despite getting off to a slow 13-3 first half start, the Seminoles used a pair of turnovers and some great field position to reel off 17 third quarter points and put the game well out of reach for Wake Forest.

The problem was injuries.

Austin Barron hurt his hand in the first half and missed the rest of the game. Rashad Greene suffered a concussion and missed the second half. Cam Erving appeared to be hobbled at one point. Lorenzo Featherston had to be helped off the field at the end of the third quarter.

For a team that can ill-afford injuries, Saturday had a few scary moments for the Seminoles.

Fortunately Florida State has a road trip to Syracuse between now and Notre Dame coming to town on October 18th to get healthy.

On the field, FSU’s offense just never really seemed in sync today. You have to start by crediting Wake’s defense — its secondary in particular — for playing a great game. Jameis Winston and the receivers never had a ton of space to work and the defensive line applied enough pressure to help the secondary. But Winston also didn’t look good today.

For perhaps the first time in his collegiate career, Jameis Winston looked pretty average on Saturday. It was nearly the first time in his career that he failed to throw a touchdown pass — were it not for a late 59-yard strike to Travis Rudolph — and after Rashad Greene left the ballgame he struggled to find his rhythm. Yes, he made some solid throws, but too often his passes sailed high or were just a hair behind his receivers. He also threw into coverage a lot. The interception he threw, though deflected, was intended for a covered Nick O’Leary.

All in all, it was not a great day for FSU’s reigning Heisman trophy winner. He did run for a score and he threw for one late, but I doubt Jimbo Fisher is pleased with the performance Winston turned in. There was a lot of yardage left on the field on Saturday.

In some ways, Winston got a preview of what next year would be like in the second half– should he return, that is. With the lone exception of Nick O’Leary, Winston was surrounded by freshmen and sophomores. At times, you could tell too.

That’s not to say the freshmen didn’t make an impact. Ermon Lane turned a short pass into a long gain with a nice move in the third quarter. Rudolph scored on the deep pass late. Dalvin Cook flashed a couple of times. But nobody was as impressive as Lorenzo Featherston. The 6-7 220-lb freshman was an absolute terror off the edge, racking up seven tackles, 2.5 TFL’s and a fumble recovery before heading to the sideline early after getting banged up in the third quarter.

The future is bright for Featherston and that’s becoming more and more apparent every week.

Defensively it was a step in the right direction for the whole unit. After missing 33 tackles against NC State last weekend, the tackling was improved on Saturday– though still far from perfect. More importantly, Florida State dominated at the point of attack. Granted, Wake’s offense was no goliath. But it takes a lot of discipline and patience to avoid any missed assignments or mental errors and — judging by the 126 total yards they held Wake to — the Seminoles were able to do just that.

After Wake scored an early field goal — one that you can go ahead and attribute to a turnover on offense — Florida State shut the Demon Deacons out.

It was the kind of performance that builds confidence– something FSU needed badly.

And then of course, you have to mention Roberto Aguayo who continues to be one of the top kickers in the game. On the day, he attempted five field goals and four extra points, nailed them all, and came away with 19 points scored– nearly double what UF’s entire offense put up today.

Aguayo is still perfect on the season and, without a doubt, has been the most consistent part of this Seminoles team so far this year.

Make sure to keep checking back at ChopChat for more post-game coverage and analysis.

Statistical Leaders:

Passing: Jameis Winston (23/309, 297, TD, INT)
Rushing: Mario Pender (5-70, TD)
Receiving: Travis Rudolph (4-66, TD)