FSU football: 3 takeaways from ‘Noles loss against NC State
By Kelvin Hunt
FSU football let a golden opportunity slip between their fingers Saturday night against No. 14 NC State.
The Noles took a 17-3 lead into halftime, only to be held scoreless in the second half and lose 19-17. It felt eerily similar to the 2012 game on the same field when Jimbo Fisher’s team took a 16-0 lead into halftime to lose 17-16.
In both instances, FSU dominated the first half, only to look like a completely different team in the second half. I think one part of that was the loss of starting running back Treshaun Ward, who left the game in the first half with an apparent arm/shoulder injury.
FSU fumbled some major opportunities to put NC State away in the first half with wide receivers dropping passes. The Malik McClain drop in the first half was a sure touchdown that went right through his hands.
We can’t blame the loss on one play, but that would have made it 14-3, and FSU eventually tacked on another touchdown and field goal before halftime.
NC State’s offense couldn’t do much, and I doubt they would have come back from a 24-3 deficit. It’s a loss that stings because it’s another game lost that could have been massive for the program.
It’s a game they should have won but gave it away. Here are my three takeaways.