FSU football: Fans react to Noles last second win over Syracuse

FSU football struggled all day on both sides of the ball but did enough to win 33-30 on a last-second field goal by Ryan Fitzgerald.

It wasn’t a pretty win, but the Noles showed a lot of character in continuing to fight despite several self-inflicted wounds. Jordan Travis led the way on offense with 113 rushing yards and 22 of 32 for 131 yards through the air. Travis connected for a touchdown with Keyshawn Helton and ran for another. Jashaun Corbin had another strong day, rushing for a touchdown and 65 yards on 14 carries. Tight end Camren McDonald had a strong day receiving with five receptions for 41 yards and a touchdown.

The defense struggled to contain an offense that had been one-dimensional all season. Syracuse continued to stay one-dimensional, rushing the ball 40 times to just 23 passes. However, they had 239 rushing yards, and their quarterback led the team with 137 yards and three rushing touchdowns.

Syracuse played the game without their leading wide receiver and punter, with the latter becoming a factor. Their replacement punter shanked a couple of punts, giving the Noles good field position in which they converted into touchdowns.

Fan Reaction

Special teams for the Noles were awful as they allowed big runs on kickoff returns. Ontaria Wilson muffed a punt that swung momentum to the Orange when the Noles had gotten the defense off the field.

A missed block by Camren McDonald led to a spectacular interception by a Syracuse defensive back. The Noles showed some grit and found ways to convert some third downs to keep drives alive. They got a lucky bounce on a backward pass that Andrew Parchment scooped and ran in for a touchdown as well.

The defense looked awful at times, but I have to give credit for holding Syracuse to a game-tying field goal after the interception I mentioned with 3:19 remaining.

The offense went three-and-out, and Syracuse had an opportunity to score on their last drive, but the ‘Noles defense forced a punt which allowed the final Nole drive to end with the game-winning field goal as time expired.

Thoughts

I agree with the Tweet above. The Noles should have won this game by two scores, but they found a way to win and that’s all that matters at this point. I’ll be back in the morning with more!