What went right, what went wrong on offense for FSU vs. Miami: Analysis, breakdown

The Seminoles’ 322 total yards second-lowest in a game this season

• By
  
  Ben_Meyerson
  
• on November 11, 2023 10:00 pm

It was an up-and-down game on offense for Florida State in its win over Miami, racking up 125 yards in the first quarter but only a single yard in the second, but once they regained momentum in the second half, they put the game away.

The game was a little close for comfort but in the end, Jordan Travis and the offense put away the Hurricanes and are on a three-game win streak vs Miami.

Florida State put up 322 yards of offense — its second-lowest output of the season (311 vs. Clemson) — and won just 27-20, failing to cover a pregame spread of 14.5. There weren’t many big plays for the Seminoles, who averaged 5.2 yards per play, but there were some timely and clutch ones that helped secure the win for FSU.

What Went Right

The ‘Noles had a great start on offense, running the ball well with Trey Benson and getting their tight ends involved.

The offense put up 125 total yards in the first quarter and averaged 6 yards per play.

They did a fantastic job getting in favorable situations, and easy third downs so they could make it easier in those conversion situations.

The offensive line was struggling and in a mismatch in this game and Mike Norvell accounted for that using more screens to keep them out of trouble.

After a good start that cooled off at the end of the first half, they went to their key playmakers and found success.

Trey Benson had an excellent run in the third quarter to take the lead back from Miami. Once Benson got going in the second half the Seminoles were able to control the game and keep Miami out of reach, for the most part.

Jordan Travis made some great running plays throughout the game, especially in the second half. But his 7-yard run near the goalline was vintage Jordan Travis.

Jordan Travis was great in this game, last season he had more flashy plays but this year he has done such a good job of protecting the football. In this game his ball placement was good, and outside of the near safety, his mobility was a huge asset for the offense.

Keon Coleman had another great sequence to add to his highlight reel. His huge return set up the Seminoles offense in the red zone and then he had an incredible catch while getting fouled to secure a touchdown.

Johnny Wilson had some key possession receptions throughout the game, he finished the game with 5 receptions for 82 yards. Each catch he had on Saturday night was so important for this offense.

Overall, while the offense did stall at times they were able to put their foot on the gas pedal in the third quarter and keep the game out of the Hurricanes reach.

This offense is not perfect, but at times it looks like one of the best offenses in the country. Consistency is the biggest issue, but the ceiling of the offense is very very high.

What Went Wrong

The Seminole’s offensive line struggled throughout the game against a stout Mami front. Mike Norvell did a good job scheming around that, but you still saw Miami take advantage of that mismatch.

The second quarter was the quarter from hell for this offense. They struggled to run the ball, could not get their stud receivers involved, and stalled out. They finished with 1 total yard.

The offense was excellent in getting positive plays early, but that flipped in that quarter.

They had too many negative plays, bad execution, and some costly penalties that all added up to the worst offensive quarter all season.

Even though they were able to run the ball on the first few drives, as an offense they averaged 1.3 yards per rush attempt in that first half.

They had two punts and allowed the Hurricanes offense to grab momentum of the game.

The ‘Noles also had some bad drops throughout the game that killed drives, the Seminoles had opportunities to put the game out of reach which resulted in drops.

The offense has stalled like they did at different points this season, ultimately it did not cost them the game but they could have put Miami away much earlier in this game.

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