Florida State is back in the win column for the fifth time this season, and the second under interim coach Rick Stockstill. The former Seminoles quarterback felt like it was a dream come true when he was named the temporary coach of the program, and he hasn't taken this opportunity lightly.
The Seminoles traveled to Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh to face off against the Panthers, and the result was a gritty game that was dominated by defense. Pittsburgh had to make a sudden change at quarterback after Holden Geriner was hospitalized for a leg injury, prompting Corey Dailey to make his second career start.
The quarterback change certainly threw off the Pitt offense at times, and a costly interception took some wind out of the Panthers' sails. The loss is a tough one to swallow for the Panthers, with four total turnovers and just 10 points despite racking up 304 yards of total offense.
For Florida State, there is not much to do but enjoy the win after holding on and staying strong despite playing a tough defense.
Rick Stockstill is thriving despite the wild circumstances at Florida State
It may not be the most exciting or cohesive 2-0 start to an interim run that anyone has seen, but what Stockstill is doing right now in Tallahassee is impressive for a number of reasons. This team has dealt with numerous injuries, including many to core players, and the firings of three staff members, including coach Mike Norvell. That alone makes pulling a team together to garner a winning result increasingly difficult.
Then, you need to factor in the reality that a lot of players give up on the season nowadays when the team is losing or goes through a massive coaching change. Instead, Stockstill has managed to get the team to unite and perform under the circumstances, and he has done so without the help of some of the best players on the team, like Ousmane Kromah, Duce Robinson, and Quindarrius Jones.
Another big factor involves the staff surrounding Stockstill, as Florida State had bare bones left after making three big firings. Interim defensive coordinator Ernie Sims has very limited experience calling plays, but he has found some success working with the entire defense. Sudden staff changes rarely work out positively in the short term, but the Seminoles look better overall.
Change was certainly needed, but given the number of injuries and the support Norvell had, there was every reason to assume his firing would simply open the floodgates further. Rather, the team has arguably been playing better in the two games without Norvell as the coach, and the defense has looked better without Tony White as the defensive coordinator.
What is going with all of the injuries?
It has been a season to forget as far as injuries go, with what feels like every player hitting the injury report at some point over the course of this season. Florida State hasn't played with the fully healthy version of this roster once this season, and many other teams may be able to say that, but most other teams have not lost significant contributors like Blake Nichelson, Ousmane Kromah, Samuel Singleton Jr., and Duce Robinson.
The last thing Florida State needs this season is more excuses, but this team could potentially be far better at full strength with the guidance of Stockstill. If he has been able to win games with a severely banged-up roster, imagine what he could do with the full talent pool available?
Injuries are a part of the game, and they happen, but it is unfortunate that Florida State has seen so much erased this season because of injuries. Kromah was having an excellent year, and he may not be returning for another season with the Seminoles, which means his time in Tallahassee could have ended on a very unfortunate note.
The Ashton Daniels experiment did not work out for Florida State
With ten games as the starter under his belt now in Tallahassee, it is safe to say that the experiment of having Ashton Daniels run the offense did not fully pan out. There were some great moments, like his performances against Miami and Virginia, but there have been equally as many difficult moments that often hurt the team.
Daniels has racked up 2146 yards, 14 passing touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and 13 rushing touchdowns. Daniels has been an effective finisher, but he has struggled with accuracy issues and he has only had two games this season without an interception. The quarterback also failed to cross over the 200-yard passing mark four times this season, which is a relatively low benchmark considering he attempts 24 passes a game.
There have been tons of injuries and plenty of inconsistency up front as well, but the reality is that Daniels has struggled all season. Every time Daniels shows signs of growth, he also shows just as many signs of regression, and the offense could arguably be better with a slightly improved option at quarterback.
One of the biggest stories of the offseason is going to revolve around who the next starting quarterback of the program will be, because Florida State cannot afford to be limited by the position again.
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