Florida State football once again racked up over 400 offensive yards, riding a second-half surge to secure a 34-14 victory over the Virginia Tech Hokies in the Seminoles’ final home game of the season.
FSU trailed just once in the win, a 7-3 deficit that was quickly erased and flipped into a double-digit lead that was only briefly erased by a fourth quarter touchdown from the Hokies.
The win puts the Seminoles in prime position to secure bowl eligibility after previously dropping five of its last six games, though it will require FSU winning on the road for the first time this season.
What takeaways are there from FSU’s victory? The Tomahawk Nation staff breaks it down below.
Who was your MVP from tonight’s win?
Jon Marchant: Duce Robinson. He’s awesome.
FrankDNole: One or both of the Desir twins. I was listening to music and I don’t remember which one is which, but either one or both are the MVP(S).
Jacob Smith: I have to second on Duce, I mean he’s been amazing this whole year and it really showed tonight.
NoleThruandThru: Everyone will say Duce, so I’ll give a shout out to Blake Nichelson. He hasn’t had a great year, but it was nice to see him recover a fumble and get a stop on 4th down late in the game.
Jordan Silversmith: I think all the answers will be for Duce Robinson and for good reason. He continues to be the lone bright spot in this strange season. He racked up another 100-yard game and is well on his way to being FSU’s first 1,000-yard WR this decade.
Perry Kostidakis: Duce, Duce, Duce — even with his penchant for bobbling balls that have no reason to be bouncing, the receiver continues to put up jaw dropping performances week in and week out for the Seminoles. He’s definitely an NFL talent and if he gets the grades he should absolutely go get his money, but if it’s borderline than FSU needs to do everything it can to retain him.
Was this the most complete game of football (offense, defense, special teams) that FSU has played this season?
Jon Marchant: No, that was the win vs Bama. Defense wasn’t good tonight, but they did come up big in some critical situations.
FrankDNole: No. Alabama was the most complete game, not including the scrub games.
Jacob Smith: I think this and the Alabama game are strong contenders for the title of that, maybe a slight edge goes to Alabama since it was a non-conference, Power 4 win.
NoleThruandThru: Bama and Wake Forest both edge tonight out but it was nice to see FSU handle an opponent they needed to handle, despite the ugly start.
Jordan Silversmith: I would still say Wake Forest. The Noles were sloppy in the first half and the defensive scheme made no sense. Happy to see the offense get back on track.
Perry Kostidakis: I almost want to say yes, just because we finally saw Florida State return kicks, but Jake Weinberg’s now missed at least one kick in the six games he’s attempted a field goal. He isn’t losing games for FSU (mainly because of how much else has gone wrong in the losses) but it’s something to be concerned about moving forward.
What was the biggest difference maker — play, stat, player, or drive — in FSU’s win tonight?
Jon Marchant: Robinson is an impact player, a plus matchup for FSU vs nearly all opponents. He consistently bails out this offense.
FrankDNole: While the pathetic ACCN focused on Duce, and he was definitely a difference maker in this game, Tommy C is the MVP despite 25% of his passes hitting the filthy sod of Bobby Bowden field in Doak Campbell Stadium. Seriously, WTF with the field conditions.
Jacob Smith: Tommy Castellanos has consistently proven he has not been the problem all season long, and tonight he showed that he is still one of the better quarterbacks in the ACC.
NoleThruandThru: Gotta give it to Duce here. He has a penchant for bobbling at the worst times, but he bailed out Castellanos on a couple of poor throws.
Jordan Silversmith: Maybe this is cheating, but the complementary football shown to start the second half. FSU put together a complete drive out of the break to go up by 10 before the defense forced a fumble with VT threatening.
Perry Kostidakis: Turnovers — Florida State came out on the winning end of the turnover margin, with its recovered fumble and interception cutting short promising Virginia Tech drives and keeping the scoreboard in the Seminoles’ favor.
Did FSU’s defense impress you, play to expectations or fail to meet them?
Jon Marchant: Failed to meet them, even though they only gave up 14 points. Virginia Tech is dreadful. This defense doesn’t do the fundamentals or details as well as you’d like.
FrankDNole: They adjusted in the second half, and the offense putting VT down multiple scores helped their cause. The tackling however, is still piss poor.
Jacob Smith: I think the defense definitely met expectations, playing Virginia Tech has never been a tough challenge for Florida State. The program has been absolutely suffering this season and so I think the defense while they deserve credit, could have played better in some regards.
NoleThruandThru: I’ll echo the weirdness of the schemes tonight- Virginia Tech going over 200 rushing yards is absurd. That said, it’s nice to see FSU forcing turnovers and holding up on 3rd and 4th downs. Kind of a wash but any kind of improvement is a welcome sight.
Jordan Silversmith: Allowing only 14 points is always an impressive number for a defense, but the game plan in the first half to not put more men in the box made no sense. They allowed 5.8 yards per rush and 238 rushing yards total. I’ll call it a draw.
Perry Kostidakis: I’m going with met expecations — only giving up 14 points is a nice touch, but allowing 363 yards on busted plays and missed tackles had the tinge of all of FSU’s defensive slip-ups this season.
What’s the most likely end-of-year scenario for FSU — 2-0, 1-1 or 0-2?
Jon Marchant: Who knows? This team is capable of winning or losing every week and you don’t know which you’ll get on any given night. For example, if they lose to NC State but beat UF, do you keep Norvell?
Jacob Smith: FSU is finishing 8-5 after winning [INSERT MID-TIER BOWL HERE]. Hang the banner.
NoleThruandThru: 0-2. Carter-Finley on a Friday night is a house of horrors and I’m not getting my hopes up, regardless of how much I despise Dave Doeren. I also just don’t see FSU beating UF. Lagway and Baugh will use it as a “contract” game to try and maximize their respective values on the portal market. 5-7 finish. Still can’t believe they lost to Stanford.
Jordan Silversmith: It’s impossible to predict and all are equally likely. NCSU and UF both might be dead after crushing losses today, but again, I have no idea.
Perry Kostidakis: I’m feeling 1-1 as the most likely, followed by 2-0 and then 0-2. Florida has managed to keep fighting after ridding itself of Billy Napier and while NC State looked hapless against Miami, playing inside the confines of Carter Finley Stadium is scary on Saturday, let alone awkwardly placed on a Friday.