Football is a team game. There are ebbs and flows within the game, but good teams find ways to complement one another. FSU isn’t a good team, and doesn’t play complementary football well.
The FSU defense had two stops against Virginia to start the game, and the FSU offense wasted both opportunities to put up points to take the life out of the crowd on the road. The FSU offense turned the ball over twice, and UVA scored touchdowns on both possessions. While it hurts the offense turned the ball over, there isn’t a rule that says you can’t get a stop on defense in those situations.
Similarly, the FSU offense scored a field goal on its first possession against Miami to take a 3-0 lead, and the FSU defense responded by forcing a punt, giving the offense a chance to expand the lead. However, they again wasted the opportunity, and Miami scored on its next possession to take a 7-3 lead and never looked back.
The FSU defense had the opportunity to force a punt to start the second half in the Virginia and Miami games, and allowed touchdowns. The FSU offense has the opportunity to expand on its 21-14 lead to start the third quarter against Pitt, and wasted the opportunity.
These situations don’t seem big at the time, but often it’s the difference between winning and losing in close games. All three FSU losses have been by a touchdown or less, but have had multiple opportunities in every game to seize control and go take the win like they did in the Alabama game.
A team that’s together understands the importance of these situations, and good coaches prepare them for those situations. Whatever the staff is doing at FSU isn’t working. How about making the other team respond to the adversity you put them in, instead of always responding?
FSU played that way in the Alabama game and look at the result, but that hasn’t been the case the past few weeks. The inability to play complementary football is frustating to FSU fans:
FSU just fucking refuses to play complimentary football
— Aspiring Greenskeeper for the Sod Cemetary (@hoochie_nole) October 11, 2025
Take Mike norvell fsu tenure in. I think he coaches hard but i don’t think he knows what true talent is on the field nor what complementary ball is ….
— LO_DaJuiceman (@MoneyJuicee) October 7, 2025
It's a problem that reared its ugly head in every game last season. The defense usually played well enough to keep FSU in games, but the offense was so bad they eventually folded. This year, the offense is much improved, and the defense can't stop anyone with a pulse. If they could get it together, they'd actually win a few football games. Again, it's not a talent problem, it's a execution and decision making problem. Here's a prime example:
I know Tony White mad pic.twitter.com/zgPIAnISeH
— Grant Speaks (@GrantSpeaks1) October 11, 2025
It's third and forever in the video above and Blake Nichelson (No. 20) is spying the quarterback. Listen, you learn how to spy someone well before you get to college, but why does Nichelson decide to pursue without even having a gap to shoot, and allow the quarterback to run for forever for the third down conversion? Tony White made a good call on defense, but are they coaching him to spy like that or allowing it? It's unacceptable.
I point this out on defense, because that's where the majority of the issues lie with this team when the offense isn't turning it over. If they can't get it together against Stanford this week, there's no hope.