Posted by NoleCC

By Bill Kristoph

The Maryland Terrapins upset the Florida State Seminoles on Saturday night, 20-17. The Terrapins gained nearly 400 yards on offense after barely averaging over 100 for their previous three games. Sophomore QB Joel Statham looked like a seasoned veteran, as he picked apart a tired Seminoles’ defense. FSU kicker, Xavier Beitia, missed 3 field goals from outside of 40 yards, and Wyatt Sexton was benched in the second half of the game in favor of Chris Rix.’,'Once again the Seminoles started slowly on the road. The Maryland Terrapins scored the first 3 points of the game on a Nick Novak field goal. FSU answered with Xavier Beitia’s only field goal of the game. After one quarter of play the situation looked shaky for the ‘Noles, but it didn’t look like something they wouldn’t overcome.

The second quarter brought 10 more Terrapin points, on another Novak field goal and a Joel Statham 1 yard touchdown run. The Seminole defense was on the field far too long, and started to look tired at times. It foreshadowed the second half for the ‘Noles which ended up being “more of the same.” Incidentally, the first half was par for the course for the Seminoles on the road, who have struggled in road games all season.

Seminole defensive back Antonio Cromartie (a local product out of Lincoln high school) picked off a Statham pass early in the 3rd quarter and “took it to the house” for a 40 yard touchdown, seemingly keeping FSU in the game. Give the Terrapins some credit though, as they immediately answered with a 72 yard touchdown pass (screen pass actually) from Statham to Allen. The Terps took that commanding 20-10 lead into the 4th quarter.

Late in the third, Chris Rix was put into the game, in a poor attempt to spark the Seminole offense. Chris did complete the only offensive TD of the game for the ‘Noles, a 4th quarter toss to Stovall, but was inconsistent with his throws, managing only 8-21.

Armchair coach thoughts:
Xavier Beitia is not a big game kicker. The 22 yarder against Wake Forest was wishful thinking.

The FSU Offensive Coaching staff needs to wake up and stop being vanilla. FSU is talented, but let’s break out some plays that might fool an opposing defense, or at least keep them honest.

Wyatt Sexton should not have been pulled from the game, but you will hear more about that from me during the week in a separate article.

Conclusion:
Congratulations to the Terrapins who frustrated the Seminoles all day. By forcing a bunch of three-and-outs, the Terps faced a tired Seminole defense, and that was the right formula for beating FSU. The Terps are a program that is having an off year, and will be competitive again next year. For the ‘Noles, the National Championship is gone. The ACC Title is gone. A quarterback controversy brews. The ‘Noles don’t have a reliable kicker or offensive coaching staff. The only question remaining is: How far will the ‘Noles drop in the polls this week?