FSU football: Noles finally overcome adversity against Jacksonville St.

FSU football looked as though they were going to follow a familiar script in the first quarter against Jacksonville State.

How many times have FSU football fans seen the script? The football team will get hit with adversity and fold like a wet t-shirt.

That didn’t happen Saturday, although the Noles had multiple opportunities to allow it too. FSU football threw a pick-six on its first offensive possession and missed a field goal on its second possession.

All the while, Jacksonville State’s offense seemed to be moving the ball at will against FSU’s defense and went up 14-0.

I think one of the turning points in the game was FSU having to punt deep in their territory with Jacksonville State beginning their drive at midfield.

Had Jacksonville State been able to go up 21-0, I’m not sure how the team would have responded. The defense forced back-to-back punts, and the ‘Noles offense found its footing when Jordan Travis entered the game for Tate Rodemaker.

The offense played with a sense of urgency, scoring touchdowns on five of its next six possessions. It was like the defense was able to feed off the offense somewhat, as they were able to hold the Gamecocks to 4.72 yards per play as the ‘Noles offense was on fire.

Asante Samuel Jr. continues to be the leader of that defense, grabbing his third interception to stop a promising drive from Jacksonville State.

Thoughts

I know it was Jacksonville State. However, I’m not sure some FSU fans realize how fragile this FSU team was after getting blown out by Miami last week.

Quarterback play tends to affect a team, and we saw that once Jordan Travis came in and they started to score at will. Confidence is contagious, and the team showing they can battle back when times get tough is something to building on.