FSU football: 5 critical situations that doomed FSU against Clemson

RALEIGH, NC - OCTOBER 08: Head coach Mike Norvell of the Florida State Seminoles speaks with Jordan Travis #13 during the first half of their game against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Carter-Finley Stadium on October 8, 2022 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC - OCTOBER 08: Head coach Mike Norvell of the Florida State Seminoles speaks with Jordan Travis #13 during the first half of their game against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Carter-Finley Stadium on October 8, 2022 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

This FSU football team is right where I thought they’d be after seven games. The crazy thing is this team could easily be 6-1 if they didn’t have many lapses in key situations or turn the ball over.

The good news is they have beaten the teams they should have beaten, but against good teams, their margin of error remains really low, and the only thing that will help that is better players.

We saw it play out in real time Saturday night against Clemson. Clemson capitalized nearly every time they had an opportunity to score points.

They converted critical third downs and a fourth down in the game. If you looked at the numbers, they’d fool you. The FSU offense averaged 6.05 yards per play. They were 7 of 13 on third downs and only had three penalties for 17 yards.

The FSU defense held Clemson to 5.52 yards per play but somehow gave up 34 points. That’s where the situational play in the game becomes a factor.

The FSU defense didn’t play great, but it was the FSU offense that failed once again to make the plays when they counted. Here are five critical situations that cost the Noles big time Saturday night.