FSU football head coach Mike Norvell talks about Boston College’s preparations
FSU football head coach Mike Norvell talks about training and preparing for Boston College
Amid loud boos and groans, Florida State’s football team lost its first home game against Boston College, falling to 0-2 for the first time since 2021.
The Eagles won 28-13 as quarterback Thomas Castellanos and the Boston College offense dominated despite another lackluster performance from the Seminoles defense.
This defeat ended the Seminoles’ nine-game home winning streak.
FSU quarterback DJ Uiagalelei struggled to get going, and his fans called for him to be substituted more than once Monday night at Doak Campbell Stadium, with chants of “We want Brock” filling the air.
Brock Glenn is the Seminoles’ backup redshirt freshman quarterback who appeared in five games last year and started in the ACC Championship Game and the Orange Bowl.
Uiagalelei completed 21 of 42 passes, one touchdown and one interception. Castellanos completed 10 of 16 passes, two touchdowns and had 85 rushing yards on 19 carries, scoring one touchdown.
Boston College scored twice in the second quarter, with Castellanos running once and throwing once, the first of which came after a 14-play, 71-yard run that took 9:18 off the clock.
The Eagles were 172 to 8 yards faster than FSU at times in the first half.
A late comeback kickoff came when Uiagalelei found wide receiver Kentron Poitier, who scored and cut the deficit to 21-13. However, the defense’s inability to get a stop allowed Boston College to score on a short run by running back Kye Robichaux, making it 28-13, which was the final score.
Here are three takeaways from FSU’s 28-13 loss to Boston College.
Leaderless FSU offense, DJ Uiagalelei can’t crack Boston College defense
After an uninspiring offensive performance against Georgia Tech in Week Zero, FSU’s offense was hoping for an answer against Boston College.
Instead, it was a leaderless performance as the Seminoles failed to create explosive plays for long stretches.
Uiagalelei struggled because he missed shots, threw too far and too short, and failed to consistently find receivers. When he did find his target, he dropped it too often.
The running game played no role with only 16 carries for 21 yards compared to Boston College’s 52 carries for 263 yards.
Late in the first half, the Seminoles went on a 13-play, 70-yard run that brought the ball to the 4-yard line and to the door of the end zone. After three consecutive incomplete passes, one deflected and two passes that were too far, FSU settled for a field goal instead and finished the first half without a touchdown.
The momentum and inability to find the end zone characterized the offensive performance against Boston College.
The second half didn’t go much better. The first drive ended with an interception by Uiagalelei as FSU attempted a fourth down on their own 45.
Poitier’s touchdown drive started poorly, but a trick play on third down gave the Seminoles some momentum. The wide receiver then caught a ball, broke through three tackles by the Eagles defenders and got into the end zone.
Aside from its only touchdown drive of the game, FSU punted three times and lost the ball once on down in the second half.
Weak defense cannot contain run
Entering the game against Boston College, defensive coordinator Adam Fuller knew his team needed to better defend the running game.
Despite knowing this fact, the Seminoles failed to execute on Fuller’s desire for a better run defense. The Eagles ran for 263 yards and scored two runs on the ground, with former FSU player Treshaun Ward being a thorn in the defense’s side.
Ward rushed for 77 yards on 12 runs and added 61 yards for a touchdown on three catches.
Even when Boston College took to the air, the team was successful: It gained 106 yards and was able to break free from coverage several times during the game.
There was a stretch in the first half where Ward ran the same route on three different third-down plays and was completely free each time. A dropped pass on the first route and a no-throw by Castellanos on the second were the warning signs that a big play could happen.
That big moment actually happened. A 42-yard catch-and-run by Ward on third down gave the Eagles a touchdown four plays later.
The Eagles averaged 5.4 yards per play, including 10.6 yards per pass reception and 5.1 yards per run.
FSU’s inability to stop a run allowed the Eagles to do whatever they wanted, similar to how Georgia Tech controlled the game against the Seminoles in Week Zero.
It is the second game in a row in which the Seminoles defense suffered from poor tackling, missed assignments and slow reactions as they were unable to keep up with their opponent’s running game.
Ineffective game plan and inability to make changes cost the Seminoles
A run-heavy offense struggled to find gaps and create scoring opportunities for the Seminoles in Week Zero against Georgia Tech, and a pass-first approach in Week One left Doak Campbell Stadium angry.
Uiagalelei had trouble finding his receivers early in the game. The Seminoles threw the ball 21 times in the first half while running just six times. At times, fans booed and chanted “We want Brock” before the ball was even snapped, and those chants grew even louder when the play resulted in an incomplete pass.
While the pass-first approach didn’t seem to work as Boston College was prepared with deep coverage packages, Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell continued to let Uiagalelei throw the football. FSU finished the game with just 16 running attempts, a handful of which came from Uiagalelei’s running attempts as the offensive line offered him little protection.
It was a stark contrast to the Georgia Tech game, where Norvell continued to push for running the football. With no changes to the game plan, Boston College was able to predict the Seminoles’ game more than once.
Defensively, the Seminoles struggled with tackling, and while they were better at setting edges, the unit struggled with runs up the middle. There were too many moments where defenders were caught off guard and couldn’t stop a surging Boston College running back.
The game plan remained the same on both sides of the football through all four quarters and the inability to change it led to defeat.
Liam Rooney covers Florida State University athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Reach him via email at [email protected] or on Twitter at @__liamrooney
