FSU football: Clemson loss opportunity to respond to adversity (again)
By Kelvin Hunt
Unfortunately, we have read this book before when it comes to FSU football. Play hard with opportunities to beat a better team and come up short for a variety of reasons.
It happened in the Notre Dame game when FSU was the trending pick for the upset, and here we are nine weeks later in the same boat after a tough loss against Clemson. What happened the week following the loss to Notre Dame was inexcusable.
I don’t think FSU football played their best game, but they gave everything they had against Clemson. It’s tough to recover from giving your all and your all not being good enough. However, the response to the adversity after the Clemson loss is imperative. FSU has responded well to adversity for much of the year.
I don’t think anyone would have thought FSU would have had a fourth-quarter lead against Clemson after the Jacksonville State loss. However, there is no such thing as moral victories, and FSU can’t allow the hangover of the Clemson loss to result in another loss in week 10 or three consecutive losses, with Miami on deck after the NC State game.
NC State is a team they have the potential to beat, but they can’t play poorly and expect to win. They can’t feel sorry for themselves that some poor officiating helped Clemson seal the deal. The correct mindset?
Knowing they left plays on the field, making those calls null and void if they capitalized on the opportunities they had earlier in the game.
It’s continuing the climb and improving each week. They need to learn from their mistakes against Clemson and make adjustments for NC State. The passion and will to win are there, and I’m proud of their effort.
However, this isn’t the week to let up off the gas or get complacent. If they do, the progress we think they’ve made loses some merit, and that would be a shame considering how much work they have put in.