FSU football handed the Syracuse Orange their worst loss of the year in primetime Saturday night.
It was a 38-3 beatdown and could have been by whatever score FSU wanted if Mike Norvell didn’t put the backups in during the third quarter.
Syracuse has nothing offensively, and it was FSU getting in their own way on a couple of series that prevented the blowout from happening sooner.
FSU hasn’t dismantled opponents like this since the 2016 season.
In thinking, who would win a game between the 2016 team and the 2022 team? I thought FSU would cover the touchdown spread whether Syracuse starting QB Garrett Shrader played or not.
However, when I saw him jogging in the pre-game, I could tell he wasn’t 100 percent on that ankle, and the first play of the game indicated that even more.
I’ve mentioned in some recaps already, but the way they dismantled Syracuse on the road after destroying Miami on the road last year is the sign of a very good team.
Credit the coaching staff and the players for their business-like approach since the bye-week. I can finally legitimately put FSU ahead of Syracuse in my ACC Power Rankings like I’ve wanted to for the past few weeks.
Here are my five takeaways from the game.
Great Depth Being Built
One of the great things that made FSU so great under Bobby Bowden and a couple of years under Jimbo Fisher was their ability to build quality depth in the program.
FSU would take care of business early and allow backups the opportunity to play meaningful minutes.
The Syracuse game was the fifth game this season where we’ve seen the backups come in the game with about a quarter and a half left to contribute. Jordan Travis and most starters exited the game in the third quarter.
I didn’t see the offensive production from the second unit that I wanted, but I was encouraged that the defense avoided allowing any points scored to make it two straight weeks they haven’t allowed a touchdown.
It was great to see players like Sam McCall make a couple of tackles. In fact, no defensive player had more than four tackles in the game because so many guys got into the game.
Those players getting reps also allows starters to save themselves a bit from the game’s physical demands. It should also help decrease the dropoff in play if starters have to exit the game as we move forward.
Defense Playing Best We’ve Seen Under Fuller
I’ve been beating the drum for Adam Fuller for a while now, and it feels good to be proven right despite haters attempting to pull random stats to fit a narrative.
I’ve never said he was an elite defensive coordinator, but many of the things that have taken place over the past two years have been a result of the offense not showing up.
I challenge anyone to find an FSU game in the past two years where the offense played and the defense didn’t.
If so, it’s few and far between. The Syracuse game was the second consecutive where they didn’t allow 100 pass yards or a touchdown. Syracuse only had 76 total yards when the fourth quarter started.
I wrote about the defense and their lack of turnovers a couple of weeks ago. One thing I pointed out? The likelihood of the defense gaining takeaways if the offense shows up and gets a big lead. Well, what has happened in the last two games?
FSU has gotten a big lead and had at least one takeaway. They held Syracuse to 1 of 11 on third-down conversions, and were the more physical team. They even had some well-timed blitzes that got home.
Special Teams Were Special
Special teams played a big role in the win over Miami, and that trend continued Saturday. Ryan Fitzgerald made a 40-yard field goal after dealing with multiple penalties and Syracuse calling a timeout in an attempt to ice him.
Fitzgerald missed a 51-yarder, which fell about a yard short, but would have been right down the middle had he made it. He did have one miscue on a kickoff out of bounds.
Punt returner Mycah Pittman had five punt returns for 35 yards, with a long of 14 yards. However, maybe more impressively has been the play of FSU punter Alex Mastromanno.
Mastromanno punted three times against Miami and pinned them inside the 20 each time. It was like an instant replay because he did the same thing against Syracuse.
He pinned them at the Syracuse 7, 5, and 8-yard lines while averaging 40.3 yards per punt. The Orange didn’t have any punt or kickoff returns in the game.
All of this was huge in forcing an offense that wasn’t explosive to execute, which they failed to do.
Trey Benson Is RB 1
Treshaun Ward began the season as RB one, averaging about 12 carries per game, with Trey Benson and Lawrance Toafili getting some carries at times.
However, Ward got injured in the NC State game and has been out of action since, which has allowed Trey Benson and Lawrance Toafili more opportunities.
Both players have shined in different ways, but it’s been Benson who has taken advantage of Ward’s injury the most. He has assumed the position of RB one over the past couple of games. Benson has rushed for over 100 yards in all three games after the bye week.
He’s gotten better each week, going from 111, 128 to 163 rushing yards Saturday night. He averaged over nine yards per rush and has a great shot of attaining his goal of 1,000 rushing yards this season.
Ward returned to action Saturday night in a limited role and fumbled(recovered by FSU), which didn’t help his cause for staying on the field.
Benson is running with confidence we didn’t see earlier this year, and a physicality that makes defenders think twice about tackling him.
Also, credit to the FSU offensive line for providing lanes and Benson the opportunity to receive the ball without having to dodge defenders in the backfield.
This FSU running game is special and will only improve as Benson continues to attain confidence and experience.
FSU Is Playing Like a Top 15 Team
FSU football entered the week ranked No. 23 in the College Football Playoff rankings. It was the first time they appeared in that ranking since the 2016 season.
However, most advanced metrics had FSU between No. 15-20 going into the Syracuse game. I think it’s safe to say that performance should catapult them into the top 15 (advanced metrics-wise).
No. 18 Texas, No. No. 16 NC State, No. 17 Tulane, and No. 21 Illinois lost. Those teams losing should place FSU well inside the top 20. However, when I look at the top 15 teams, there are not many that I wouldn’t give FSU a real shot at defeating on a neutral field.
They already beat the No. 7 team in LSU. Georgia is likely the only clear-cut team that would be heavily favored against the Noles.
That’s a far cry from last year and the days when Clemson was nearly three-touchdown betting favorites.
This team has a real chance to finish top 15 with wins over Louisiana and Florida remaining in the regular season.