WATCH: Mike Norvell and the Florida State football team head to Doak Campbell Stadium
Less than two hours before kickoff, Mike Norvell and the Florida State football team reached the end of the Legacy Walk.
This story has been updated to add new information.
A game that began with some boos and groans ended with cheers as the Florida State football team earned its first win of the season on Saturday.
With their 14-9 win over Cal at Doak Campbell Stadium, the Seminoles (1-3) ended their four-game losing streak that stretches back to the Orange Bowl loss to Georgia.
FSU earned its first conference win, while Cal (3-1) lost its ACC debut.
The Seminoles led 7-6 at halftime after their offense improved, rushing for 208 yards in the first half.
However, two attacks by the Seminoles that led to a possible victory ended in turnovers.
A second-quarter interception by DJ Uiagalelei on a third-and-long attempt nullified any chance of a field goal. The decision to go for it on fourth down in the final minute of the first half proved costly, as the Seminoles failed to convert what was roughly a 48-yard field goal had FSU kicked.
Cal ended the half with a 23-second field goal drive to cut the deficit to one.
Uiagalelei was 12-19 for 104 yards and an interception at halftime. He led a scoring drive that Lawrance Toafili capped with a two-yard run.
Toafili managed 69 rushing yards on 14 attempts in the first half and also scored a touchdown.
In the second half, FSU was primarily defensive, while the offense struggled to get going until late.
A 36-yard touchdown throw from Uigalalelei to Ja’Khi Douglas in the fourth quarter gave FSU a 14-9 lead. The Seminoles never relinquished the lead and earned a hard-fought victory.
Here are three takeaways from FSU’s 14-9 win over Cal.
Lawrance Toafili shines, FSU’s offense struggles to maintain momentum
Toafili was the bright spot in an inconsistent offensive performance.
The Seminoles set a season record with 132 rushing yards, most of which came from Toafili.
He finished the game with 80 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. Kam Davis was the second-leading runner, scoring 25 yards on seven carries.
Uiagalelei made some impressive shots at times and at times it felt like he was close to winning the game. However, some of the same inconsistencies were present here as well, and bad passes, sacks and drops slowed the offense at times.
FSU totaled 208 yards of offense in the first half, but finished the game with 284 yards as the offense could not maintain rhythm for the rest of the game.
But at the crucial moment, Uiagalelei threw the 36-yard touchdown to Douglas, making his best throw as a Seminole, to secure the win.
Patrick Payton and Joshua Farmer led the Seminoles’ best defensive performance
Patrick Payton recorded three sacks and five tackles, leading arguably the Seminoles’ best defensive effort of the season. Along with Payton, Joshua Farmer had his second straight successful game, recording four tackles and a sack.
FSU finished the game with seven sacks.
Cal scored nine points on three field goals. FSU allowed Golden Bears running back Jaydn Ott 76 yards, but he was unable to pose a real threat to the defense.
Quarterback Fernando Mendoza threw for 303 yards and was intercepted once by Edwin Joseph. The secondary allowed some chunk plays, but a strong red zone defense kept Cal out of the end zone.
Shyhiem Brown was the team’s top tackle with 11 tackles.
The Seminoles’ defense silenced a Cal offense that averaged about 28 points per game, and in the second half, it gave FSU a chance to win with several red zone stops and key plays.
In the fourth quarter, the FSU defense held Cal out of the end zone on its final drive and secured the win with a third-and-four stop. Marvin Jones Jr. forced a fumble on his third sack and Darrell Jackson sacked Mendoza on fourth down to end the game.
Problems and inconsistencies still present on the third attempt
The Seminoles continue to struggle on third down. Despite improvement on both sides of the football, cash-down situations continue to prove difficult.
The offense started hot, converting 4 of 6 third down attempts, but finished the game 7 of 16 third down attempts.
Although Uiagalelei made his 36-yard touchdown throw to Douglas on a third attempt in the fourth quarter, inconsistencies in this area slowed the offensive performance.
There were numerous three-and-outs that slowed the momentum of the Seminoles’ defense.
While this was probably the Seminoles’ best defensive performance of the year, the unit still made some lapses that have occurred too often this season.
There were still problems with building up the lead, so Cal was able to score some runs in the crucial moments through its running game.
Cal’s first drive of the second half included three third downs where the Seminoles could have left the field, but the Golden Bears converted all of them. The defense was bailed out by a missed field goal, preserving FSU’s 7-6 lead at the time.
In the fourth quarter, Mendoza ran 26 yards for a first down. The Golden Bears converted a 4th-and-13 attempt later in the drive, setting up the final push into the end zone that FSU eventually stopped.
FSU did enough to win, but some of the problems remain.
Liam Rooney covers Florida State University athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Reach him via email at [email protected] or on Twitter at @__liamrooney
