To pull off an upset over the defending national champions you must play close to perfect football. The Florida State Seminoles had their chances on Saturday evening against Clemson, but missed too many opportunities to get the victory. Despite 2 dropped passes that could’ve been touchdowns and a botched fumble recovery, the Noles found themselves trailing just 17-14 in the 4th quarter. Florida State looked to really be in business after recovering a Kelly Bryant fumble, but their dreams were dashed on the very next play. James Blackman was intercepted by Van Joseph and then the Tigers stuck the dagger in the Noles’ hearts. Travis Etienne ran in his 2nd touchdown of the game with just over 3 minutes to play to put Clemson up by 10. The Tigers added a touchdown in the final minute to make the final score of 31-14 look a lot better than how close the game actually was.
Death Valley is notoriously one of the toughest places to play in all of college football. That was certainly the case for Florida State in the 1st half. The Noles’ defense had some shining moments, but the Tigers’ defense shined brighter. FSU couldn’t even manage 50 yards of total offense in the 1st 30 minutes. That put their own defense in a tough situation facing the explosiveness that Clemson has on that side of the ball. Kelly Bryant opened up the scoring with his 10th rushing touchdown of the season after James Blackman fumbled after taking a huge hit from Tre Lamar. Brian Burns was the best player for the Noles in the 1st half. He kept the Tigers from extending the lead when he forced a fumble at his own 3-yard line. That play really only delayed the inevitable. The Seminole offense couldn’t move the ball and the Tigers got the ball right back in good field position.
Travis Etienne took advantage of that momentum shift. The running back ran it right through the gut of the FSU defense for a 28-yard touchdown run. Close to halftime, Burns made what looked like it would be another drive-ending play. He forced his 2nd fumble, but FSU looked to scoop and score. That extra time allowed a Tiger to dive on the loose ball. That heads up play allowed Clemson to tack on a field goal and take a 17-0 lead into the locker room.
The Seminoles entered the 3rd quarter not having scored in that frame all season long. They had a promising 1st drive, but their struggles continued when Auden Tate dropped a slightly ovethrown Blackman pass on 4th down. The FSU defense continued to play with enough grit to keep themselves in the ball game. Burns showed up big again when he put an end to a Clemson drive with a big sack of Bryant on 3rd down. The offense finally backed up that performance. FSU got help from a few pass interference penalties, but went 90 yards in just 7 plays. Jaques Patrick’s 3-yard touchdown run capped the drive and made it a 10-point game.
FSU’s 2nd half success continued in the 3rd quarter. The defensive line continued to get to Bryant and then the offense made another big play. This time a receiver would actually help Blackman out. Ryan Izzo hauled in his 1st catch of the game and then rumbled down the field for a 60-yard touchdown run. Ricky Agauyo’s extra point made it a 3-point game less than halfway into the quarter. FSU was really in business after a Kelly Bryant fumble got them the ball right back. Blackman and company couldn’t answer. The FSU quarterback was intercepted by Van Smith on the very next play. It took Etienne a few tries after to get in the endzone, but he did on the 2nd try. His 2nd touchdown run of the game put Clemson back in control with a little over 3 minutes to play. Adam Choice added a touchdown in the final minute that certainly made some degenerates very happy as the 17-point victory allowed the Tigers to cover the spread.
With the loss the Seminoles dropped to 3-6. They now must win their final 3 games to become bowl eligible. The 1st of those games comes next Saturday at home against Delaware State. Kickoff is scheduled for Noon up in Tallahassee.