Florida State forced four turnovers and committed none of its own, yet still walked away with a 27-24 loss to SMU. The difference? Explosive plays. The Mustangs repeatedly found big gains, exposing a defense that couldn’t get off the field.
A power outage delayed the much-anticipated Monday night matchup between No. 19 SMU and Florida State, and it may have been better for the Seminoles if the lights at Doak Campbell Stadium had stayed off, as the Mustangs handed Mike Norvell’s program yet another disappointing 27-24 loss.
Now, with the loss and a bye week ahead, Alabama waiting on the other side, Norvell’s future looks bleak, to say the least, and he will face even more questions about his future in Tallahassee.
The Noles trailed 17-10 at halftime before ultimately falling by three points. The one bright spot was Florida State’s ability to win the turnover battle, but despite forcing four turnovers and committing none of its own, the Noles still could not capitalize.
Before the game, only one of the previous 40 teams had lost a game despite posting a plus-four turnover margin; Florida State is now the second.
“We’re definitely glad to be 1-0, but we made it harder than we had to,” Lashlee said. “We made it harder than it had to be.”
One reason Florida State couldn’t secure the win, even with SMU continually giving the Seminoles opportunities, was that Tony White’s defense struggled to limit explosive plays.
In the first half, Florida State allowed SMU offense 178 yards on passing plays of 15-plus yards. The longest play of the first half was a 64-yard pass to Jalen Hale, while a 50-yard pass to Jalen Copper went for a touchdown.
SMU also found success on the ground, with the Noles’ defense allowing two runs of 10 or more yards for 37 yards.
The Noles’ defense improved in the second half, doing a better job of limiting SMU’s big plays, but eventually the Mustangs broke through at the worst possible time. In the fourth quarter, with the game tied 17-17, SMU faced a third down when Jennings connected with Yannick Smith for a 79-yard touchdown, giving the Mustangs a 24-17 lead.
Then, in a tie game late in the fourth quarter, SMU’s ability to hit big plays, coupled with Florida State’s inability to get off the field, cost the Seminoles once again. On third-and-10 from its own 39-yard line, SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings found Dramekco Green for 29 yards, setting up the game-winning field goal a few plays later.
SMU’s ability to hit big plays was a big part of the story, as the Mustangs gained 304 yards on just eight passing plays of 15 or more yards. By comparison, Florida State finished the game with 324 total yards, including just 125 through the air. SMU also added 60 rushing yards on plays of 10 or more yards.
SMU’s 11 chunk plays accounted for 384 yards, more than Florida State’s 324 total yards, showing just how much the Seminoles struggled to limit explosive plays.
Florida State won the turnover battle, but ultimately, when you can’t get off the field, go 2-for-15 on third down and get out gained by 80 yards on chunk plays, it becomes difficult to win. The fact that Florida State was still in the game late in the fourth quarter was almost miraculous.
After another disappointing performance, the Seminoles are once again heading back to the drawing board, searching for answers. Two games into the season, fans are already asking when Norvell’s time in Tallahassee will end.
