FSU Football: Harlon Barnett deserves praise after Syracuse game

The FSU football defense was the lone bright spot for the Noles against Syracuse even though the final score wouldn’t indicate it.

If a FSU football fan or anyone saw the final score of the Syracuse game without watching it they’d assume the ‘Noles defense wasn’t very good giving up 30 points.

However, the fact of the matter is Harlon Barnett deserves a lot of praise for how his defense performed Saturday against a team that’s known to score points.

The defense was on the field for 45 plays in the first half and only allowed 172 yards and six points even though Syracuse has excellent field position the entire time.

In comparison, the FSU offense ran just 29 plays and had just one first down midway through the second quarter.

A some point the defense had to break due to the sheer amount of time they were on the field. They were able to force a punt on Syracuse’s first possession of the second half, but when the FSU offense promptly went three and out that seemed to be the straw to break the camel’s back.

The defense gave up two touchdowns and field goal on Syracuse’s next three offensive possessions.

Those drives accounted for 23 plays and 183 yard which equates to 7.95 yards per play. It wasn’t the defense changed, they were tired and began missing the tackles they were making in the first half.

Despite those three drives, the defense still only allowed 441 yards on 88 plays for 5.01 yards per play.

That deserves praise considering they were on the field for 36 minutes. Not to mention Harlon Barnett is already playing a ton of young guys and building impressive depth.

Also, a couple of plays the defense gave up were just great plays by the quarterback and wide receivers. The coverage was there and you’d just have to tip your hat to the offense.

The FSU offense has to improve to give those guys a chance, otherwise it’ll be more of the same going forward.