The Florida State Seminoles (0-3, 0-2 ACC) hosted the Memphis Tigers (3-0, 0-0 AAC) on Saturday after losing their first two games of the year. It was a rough day for the ‘Noles in Tallahassee, who finished surprisingly despite being 6.5-point favorites. The final score was 20-12, and quarterback DJ Uiagalelei battled adversity all day, although receiver drops and turnovers didn’t exactly help him. He finished the game with 16 of 30 passes, 201 passing yards and one interception.
FSU had the first possession after Memphis failed to take the kickoff. Running back Roydell Williams fumbled in the Florida State red zone, giving the Tigers short field position. Memphis quarterback Seth Henigan was able to complete a pass to Koby Drake before the Seminole defense forced a field goal with tackles by Joshua Farmer and Marvin Jones, Jr. FSU trailed for the rest of the game.
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Penalties slowed Florida State’s second drive and forced the offense into a three-and-out. The ‘Nole defense stood firm as the teams exchanged possession. Running back Lawrance Toafili took the Seminoles to the halfway line with a 24-yard run, but couldn’t convert.
FSU defensive end Patrick Payton recorded a sack, but the defense suffered from injuries in the linebacker room that day. Both Justin Cryer and Cam Riley were taken out of the game early. Cryer eventually returned to the game while Riley returned to the locker room.
Uiagalelei continued to struggle on offense, throwing his second interception of the season to defensive back Tahj Ra-El. Memphis was able to advance into the red zone with a 40-yard pass to wide receiver Roc Taylor, and Greg Desrosiers Jr. gave the Tigers six points after the extra point, making the score 10-0.
Florida State continued to struggle as Memphis was able to march down the field with ease, but FSU’s defense held firm. FSU was able to get on the scoreboard with a 54-yard field goal from kicker Ryan Fitzgerald.
Wide receiver Lawayne McCoy botched his punt return, giving Memphis the ball in the red zone. After a fourth-down conversion, Memphis was able to take a two-possession lead with a 19-yard field goal from Caden Costa, increasing the score to 13-3 at the end of the first half.
With the first possession of the third quarter, Memphis continued to push the ball forward. Passes to Ja’Koby Banks and Anthony Landphere put the Tigers in good scoring position, and despite a lost-yard tackle by Farmer, Memphis was able to score another point as the game began to slip away from the Seminoles.
The biggest play for FSU was a 67-yard pass from Uiagalelei to Malik Benson, and the ‘Noles scored on a four-yard run by Roydell Williams. After a failed two-point conversion, Florida State still trailed 20-9.
When he returned to the game, Cryer bolstered the defense with an interception thrown by Henigan. Benson caught two balls in a row for 10 yards. Wide receiver Hykeem Williams kept the chains moving and put the ‘Noles in position to score. Fitzgerald closed the gap with a 35-yard field goal to make the score 20-12.
With a glimmer of hope late in the fourth quarter, the Tigers sealed the win with two sacks of Uiaglelei and forced a punt with two minutes left in the game. Memphis ended up wasting so much time that the Seminoles had no time to catch up.
Florida State hosts ACC opponent Cal on Saturday, September 21st.
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