FSU football was a -13.5 betting favorite going into Saturday night’s contest against the Virginia Tech Hokies. FSU won the game 34-14, and the winning margin should have been larger.
That’s all to say, Virginia Tech isn’t a good football team, and that’s something we pointed out when we provided reasons why FSU was such a large betting favorite earlier in the week.
We want to provide kudos to the Florida State fans who showed up for the game. It was military appreciation night, and the crowd could be heard on TV, and the stands looked relatively full. The fans showing up like that were surprising after how FSU lost against Clemson last week. The fans showing up in that fashion probably helped Mike Norvell keep his job a little longer, along with winning the game.
The stat lines for the game make it seem closer than it was, and neither team punted once. That’s not necessarily a good thing for Tony White and the FSU defense. However, they did enough to keep the Hokies off the scoreboard for the most part. Here are my takeaways from the game.
FSU Special Teams
Aside from the missed field goal by Jake Weinberg in the first quarter, FSU's special teams was a bright spot against Virginia Tech. Weinberg missed a 34-yard chip shot, but rebounded to make a 26-yard and a 34-yard field goal.
As we mentioned, FSU didn’t punt a single time during the game, and Virginia Tech didn’t return any kickoff, which has become the norm with Jake Weinberg's kickoffs. However, we finally saw some life in FSU kickoff returns Saturday night.
Jaylin Lucas had two strong kickoff returns in the second half. He opened the third quarter with a 37-yard return to set the Noles up with excellent field position on their 37-yard line. The Noles went on to score a touchdown on that possession.
The second kickoff return that Lucas had went for 39 yards and set FSU up with excellent field position for the second time. FSU only had six kickoff returns all season, averaging 21 yards per return.
FSU Run Defense Was Suspect
The FSU rush defense hadn’t been bad for the most part going into the Virginia Tech game, but that wasn’t the case on Saturday night. FSU was lucky that Virginia Tech isn’t a good passing team.
That’s something that was a given going into the game, but FSU still struggled to stop the run.
Virginia Tech rushed for 238 yards on 41 rushing attempts. They averaged 5.8 yards per rush and were eight of 12 on third downs for 20 first downs.
Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones had 79 rushing yards on 18 carries, and running back Marcellous Hawkins had 101 rushing yards on 12 carries.
Virginia Tech looked like the more physical running team in the first half, and the biggest difference in the second half was that FSU extended its lead to two possessions, which limited the Hokie offense.
FSU only had one sack and four tackles for a loss, though they did force two turnovers, including a fumble recovery!
FSU Running Back Rotation
What in the world were Mike Norvell and Gus Malzahn thinking with the running back rotations on Saturday night? Samuel Singleton and Ousmane Kromah eventually led the team in rushing attempts, but the earlier rotations were dumb.
It makes it incredibly difficult to get into any type of rhythm with so many changes. Thomas Castellanos had seven rush attempts, but five more players had at least two rushing attempts in the game.
Singleton and Kromah are the two best running back options, and should be the two guys featured the most early. We know Castellanos will get his touches running the ball, but all of the subbing is useless.
It would seem the best option is to use Singleton and Kromah early and let the other guys come in if FSU has a lead or later in the game. Jaylin Lucas getting a touch here or there is fine, just keep Micahi Danzy at receiver so the guys can get into a nice offensive rhythm.
Thomas Castellanos Formula Works Like A Charm
We noted the FSU offense operates at its peak when Thomas Castellanos has between 15-25 pass attempts. When Castellanos throws the ball 25+ times, it’s usually not a recipe for success for the FSU offense.
Castellanos attempted 24 pass attempts, but it should have been close to 21 with the number of drops FSU receivers had in the game. Duce Robinson had two drops, and Micahi Danzy had one.
If those were completed, Castellanos’ stat line looks much better than the end product. We noted that Castellanos looked much quicker, especially in the second half, for whatever reason.
As we noted in this offseason piece, Castellanos will provide his frustrations as a passer, while creating excitement for his ability to extend plays. We saw both aspects on Saturday night, and Castellanos had several inaccuracies because of poor footwork. It’s the gift and the curse that FSU fans have to live with each week.
He was more good than bad on Saturday night and managed to avoid turning the ball over for a change. The FSU offense averaged 6.07 yards per play against the Hokies.
Duce Robinson With Third Straight 100-yard Game
FSU wide receiver Duce Robinson entered Saturday’s game with 43 receptions for 813 receiving yards. He had back-to-back 100-yard receiving games and added another with his performance on Saturday night.
Robinson finished the Virginia Tech game with six receptions for 134 yards and a touchdown. He averaged 22.3 yards per reception and could have had more on his stat line if he hadn’t dropped a touchdown pass on back-to-back plays in the first half.
Robinson’s struggles in the red zone have been consistent all season. He either drops passes or bobbles passes that have cost him at least three more touchdowns this season.
It’s frustrating because he’s excellent overall and was nearly the entire passing attack against the Hokies by himself. Robinson has double the amount of receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns as all other FSU receivers.
He’ll have another terrible defense to feast on next week when the Noles travel to play NC State. Robinson should be the first FSU receiver to surpass 1,000 receiving yards since Tamorrion Terry in 2019.