FSU Football: Top 10 best Nole games to re-watch this summer

Florida State vs. No. 5 North Carolina 2020, final score 31-28.

This game was Norvell’s first signature win in garnet and gold. A great one to watch a couple of times over and probably was fun to watch as a neutral. It was the prototypical FSU on ABC primetime game that we all love and desperately missed.

Thankfully, this result allowed for relief from the misery. The game became close at the end, but that’s what you would expect from one of the top teams in the nation (at the time). It felt good to play spoiler, and the game was kinda a throwback in that way.

The reffing was inconsistent at best and became a factor in the enjoyment. The element ends up enhancing the game as you catch yourself yelling at the screen about the terrible targeting call and the missed late hit out of bounds. You really get all the feels of a typical ESPN classic where you still catch yourself smiling, yelling, and biting your nails as it comes down to the wire.

The missed opportunities to close out the game still get your blood boiling in that same way, especially the missed field goals and dumb penalties in the red zone.

UNC benefited from a couple of lucky bounces a few times and some key no calls, but as did we and, they got the yips when they couldn’t afford them.

The hometown crowd, even though it was reduced, really made themselves heard and you could tell that Sam Howell was rattled throughout the first half. The greater context of the pandemic makes it sweeter to have that small group affect the game.

Through this assignment, I have realized that there is a symbiotic relationship between fans and athletes. When, as fans, we give our best, the team returns that. When they feel good and win, we leave the game on cloud nine.

It sucks when you go back because you could see when Dotson suffered the injury that plagued him all season, and it also shows what that defense could have been. Kaindoh, Robinson, and Wilson all had good games. In a way, that bit was disappointing as it demonstrated what they could have provided for this squad.

The young linebackers did show their inexperience a few times, and it bit them in the butt. Some coverage lapses, lack of discipline, and poor tackling all became symptoms of the youth movement throughout the season. It was limited in the UNC game, but still present.

As a media consumer, this game was one of the best ones. Some good camera quality, best graphics packages, and best audio. This becomes less of a factor upon rewatching the most recent games. It’s also one of the only games with a reliable redistribution on Youtube as the recording technology has improved.

This game ranks so highly for me because it could be the start of another turnaround. A little bit of recency bias comes into play, but it is one of the best wins in the past few years.

3 out of 5  footballs.