Florida State Football begins recovery after tough loss
Florida State fans were disappointed by a 63-20 loss against Louisville
A football season that began with a miracle comeback has been temporarily derailed with a tough loss last weekend to the Louisville Cardinals. Florida State fans were left heartbroken as the game slipped through their hands early. The Cardinals began with multiple dangerous drives and the Florida State defense couldn’t respond the way they did against Ole Miss. When all was said and done, Louisville made a huge statement.
One question a lot of fans are asking is whether or not the Seminoles have a chance to rally into the College Football Playoff discussion. Being in the playoffs would mean they’d have to win every game from here until the end of the season. It would likely also have to correspond with Louisville losing to Clemson and one other ACC team. Anything can happen, but as of now it seems like a long shot for FSU to make it into the nation’s coveted playoff.
What went wrong
The most noticeable thing missing from the first two games was the injury sustained to Derwin James last Saturday. Most spectators didn’t realize just how much of an impact Derwin has on holding our defense together. While most of the Florida State offense was silenced by Louisville, Jacques Patrick and Jonathan Vickers were able to put together some impressive runs. When looking for highlights in this game, very few players in Garnet and Gold were able to impress this Saturday afternoon – however, that didn’t stop Tarvarus McFadden from snagging an impressive interception.
Something that surprised the country most in this game was the lack of big plays coming from the team’s three main contributors: Deondre Francois, Dalvin Cook and Travis Rudolph. Francois was unable to match his efforts in the first two games, but this doesn’t mean his talent is a lost cause. Look for Francois to continue growing in a way similar to University of Miami’s Brad Kaaya. Though the heart and soul of this team has been temporarily deflated, it would be shocking if Florida State doesn’t work hard to finish out the season. Our trust still lies in Jimbo Fisher, and faith is all that is left in the Seminole Nation. The real story today was unfortunately how explosive Louisville can be both with the ball in their hands and on defense.
Moving Forward
After the loss, Walker vowed to work harder and hold this team together. He wants the fans at home to know: “You will never see somebody out-hustle, run to the ball, lead, out-work me from now on. … I promise, I promise, Nole Nation, I promise you you’re going to see a different team. A different identity. God bless.” With Demarcus Walker as a leader, look for things to trend back in the right direction for the FSU men.
Going forward, the Seminoles are still poised for a great season. Coach Fisher will work his magic on Deondre Francois and reconstruct what we saw in the season opener. Both Dalvin Cook and Travis Rudolph will bounce back this week when they march downstate to face USF. With Derwin James out for multiple weeks, Demarcus Walker has done his part to lead this defense.
Jimbo Fisher will certainly be challenged by this step back, but don’t be surprised if we see a completely different team when they face the Clemson Tigers later on in the season.