Florida State is officially writing a new chapter on the football field after firing coach Mike Norvell last week, and the first page will include a detailed excerpt on the resilience of the team. The Seminoles traveled up to Chestnut Hill to take on Boston College, and while the Eagles may not have the toughest squad, bouncing back six days after three coaches were fired and playing confidently is difficult.
Interim coach Rick Stockstill made plenty of changes to the team heading into the game, including giving bigger roles to multiple underclassmen. The season is still not lost yet, with the Seminoles needing to continue their winning ways to secure a bowl appearance for the first time in three years.
Stockstill could be just the man to get Florida State back on track while he holds onto the interim tag, but he won't be able to do it without continued success from his young players, who played a big part in the win.
Amari Thomas needs to be the new starting running back after beating Boston College
After his two-touchdown performance against Boston College, it might be safe to say that Thomas needs to become the new starter, even if he is a freshman with limited experience. Thomas looked confident when running the football and picked his spots well when trying to run through opposing defenders.
Thomas finished the game with an average of 5.2 yards per carry, outperforming his teammate and current starter, Tre Wisner. The veteran Texas transfer has 25 carries for 101 yards and no scores since officially taking over the starting role against Clemson. Wisner left that game early, but his production hasn't been as explosive as Thomas.
Wisner is certainly still a talented running back and should remain a big part of the offense, but given the differences in running style and production, Thomas should be getting the bulk of the carries for the final three games.
Jasen Lopez could become the deep threat that the offense needs, and Devin Carter is close behind
Just when Florida State needed a receiver to step up after Duce Robinson's ACL tear, Lopez came in against Boston College and did his best to replicate what Robinson does so well. Quarterback Ashton Daniels and Robinson had a growing connection down the field, with the two often meeting up for big gains. The big question directly after Robinson went down was who would be able to take over his role, and the Seminoles might have an answer.
At 6-foot tall, Lopez doesn't have nearly the same catching radius and size as Robinson, which puts a bit more pressure on Daniels to deliver a perfect pass. However, Lopez makes up for the lack of size with great speed and an ability to create separation off the line. Lopez didn't have an insane performance against Boston College by any measure, but there were flashes where the receiver looked poised to fill the void Robinson left.
Lopez wasn't the only freshman receiver to make an impact, either, as Devin Carter hit the field to return kicks. Micahi Danzy and Jayvan Boggs are still significant parts of the offense, but it seems like just a matter of time before Carter is catching passes from Daniels.
Florida State might have found a new answer to the offensive line issues in Sandman Thompson
There have been a few constants this season for Florida State, like the consistent success of Kromah when he was healthy and Gabe Panikowski knocking down every kick. However, there have also been some negative constants, like the consistent injury scares and the lack of true solutions for when a player goes down or fails to perform.
The offensive line has been the latter, with coach Mike Norvell taking weeks to decide on a final starting line that still is not up to par with the top of the ACC. It can be a crushing blow when the offensive line struggles to perform, but it hurts even more when players who are finally starting to click suffer injuries.
Starters Xavier Chaplin and Bradyn Welch-Joiner both suffered injuries against Boston College, but Chaplin was ultimately able to return. Welch-Joiner had an aircast applied and needed to use the cart to exit the field, so it is safe to say he will spend the remainder of the season recovering.
Someone needed to take the place of Welch-Joiner, and likely needs to do so moving forward as well, and that man was Chavez "Sandman" Thompson. It's a pretty intimidating name, and Thompson made an impact right from the jump when he came in to relieve Welch-Joiner. His success was great to see, and it is also a positive sign this late in the season.
It is the one reality nobody wants to talk about, but players are going to leave Florida State through the transfer portal at the end of the year. This is the time when young players can prove themselves and potentially stick around longer because they will have a solidified role to graduate into next season. If Thompson continues to play well, the next coach will need to find a way to hold onto him to avoid the same roster issue Norvell ran into this season.
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