FSU football defeated the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday night by a score of 16-6 to capture its first ACC Championship since 2014.
The Seminoles had their fair share of struggles with true freshman quarterback Brock Glenn as the starting signal caller, but Florida State found a way to secure the victory no matter the cost.
As I alluded to in a previous article, the defensive performance from last night’s contest was considered elite. Defensive coordinator Adam Fuller and his unit did everything they had to do to keep the Seminoles within reach.
Overall, the college football media can continue to downplay what the Seminoles did offensively with their third-string quarterback and how they aren’t one of the four most deserving teams, but the fact remains that Florida State should be in the College Football Playoff when the committee has their final rankings revealed on Sunday afternoon.
Before they release the rankings, let’s go over four impact players from the Seminoles’ victory on Saturday.
Lawrance Toafili
How could I write an impact player article without including redshirt junior running back Lawrance Toafili? The Seminoles’ offense struggled at times to move the football, but the coaching staff seemed to have success when they utilized the talent back in the Wildcat (WildToa?) formation. He had ten rushing attempts for 118 yards and one touchdown. A pivotal moment in the contest happened in the third quarter. Florida State was tied at 3 with Louisville, and they were needing a spark offensively.
The Saint Petersburg (FL) native took a direct snap for 73 yards on the first play of the offensive drive, which set up Florida State’s offense at the 2-yard line. On the next play, Toafili punched it in to give the Seminoles a 10-3 lead. After the game, he was named ACC Championship Game MVP for his performance.
There seems to be so much discussion about redshirt junior running back Trey Benson (and for good reason), and Lawrance Toafili feels like a forgotten piece. However, he showcased on Saturday night that he is a talented piece and will step up when the Seminoles need him the most.
DT Braden Fiske
The Florida State defense had a high level of success on Saturday night where they continuously neutralized Louisville’s offensive attack. One of the players who played his absolute heart out was redshirt senior defensive tackle Braden Fiske. The former Western Michigan transfer came to Tallahassee because he saw the vision of what head football coach Mike Norvell had in place for this program. Defensive tackles coach Odell Haggins also has a track record for developing defensive linemen.
Fiske played like a man possessed versus the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday night where he recorded nine total tackles (4.5 tackles for loss) and three sacks. He made redshirt senior quarterback Jack Plummer and that offense uncomfortable all night long. The Cardinals’ offense was only able to muster 77 rushing yards as Fiske was taking on double teams with regularity. This was a statement game by the veteran as he made sure that his football team could be included in the College Football Playoff.
DE Jared Verse
Florida State redshirt junior defensive end Jared Verse is starting to heat up when it matters most. The former Albany transfer announced his intentions this offseason that he would be returning to Tallahassee for the 2023 season. Verse was classified as a potential first-round selection in the NFL Draft, but he elected to return to Florida State due to them having unfinished business. Earlier this season, fans were questioning why the talented defensive end did not have much production.
However, it was known that he was taking on several double (and even triple) teams from opposing offenses. With that, Verse did not lose faith in himself as he continued to put his head down and work relentlessly for this football team. In the Seminoles’ 16-6 victory over Louisville, he recorded six total tackles (three tackles for loss) and two sacks. Left tackle Willie Tyler III is probably still having nightmares from getting pushed into quarterback Jack Plummer’s lap by Jared Verse.
DE Patrick Payton
Do you see a trend here? The defensive line for Florida State played absolute lights out versus this Louisville Cardinals’ offense that was scoring 30 points per game. Redshirt sophomore defensive end Patrick Payton entered the 2023 season becoming the lone starter alongside the talented Jared Verse after Derrick McLendon II transferred to Colorado this offseason. This was a prime opportunity to showcase what the Miami (FL) native was all about.
During the 2023 season, Payton has been notorious for batting the football down at the line of scrimmage. The utilization of that skill set has forced opposing offenses to be mindful of throwing the football when the pocket collapses. Not to mention that Payton had a phenomenal performance where he recorded seven total tackles (two tackles for loss) and one sack. Defensive ends coach John Papuchis has developed something special with the former four-star prospect. Coming into the program, he was considered a project that needed to add more weight to his frame. However, the narrative has changed as Payton is emerging as one of the up-and-coming defensive end stars for this football team.