Posted by NoleCC

By Bill Kristoph

After losing to Virginia last weekend, FSU was expected to come out and look very sharp against ACC doormat Duke. Instead of putting the ACC on notice that FSU is ready to run the rest of the ACC schedule and make it to the inaugural ACC Championship game, the Seminoles showed that they still might struggle against worthy opponents. The final score, 55-24, was a blowout, but those that were able to watch the game know that FSU looked like it was in a fog many times.

On offense the young guys showed that FSU has a bright offensive future. Greg Carr is quickly becoming the star of the show. His 6 receptions, 3 of them for touchdowns, led all Seminole receivers and leaves #89 among the nations leaders in receiving TD’s. Antone Smith picked up 2 touchdowns of his own, and had a beautiful 45 yard touchdown run early in the 4th quarter. Smith looked to be wrapped up for a 5+ yard loss, but broke a couple of tackles and streaked down the left sideline.

Drew Weatherford had another outstanding effort. I say it every week, he is FSU’s best option at quarterback. The Seminole offense follows him as their leader. He continually moved the ball down the field, blowing away any thoughts of an upset by the Blue Devils. Xavier Lee, looked good late in the game, but as it always seems to be the case, struggled during his early appearances. Until those problems are resolved, Seminoles fans should stop talking about any quarterback controversy. In overall good news, 14 different players had receptions against Duke.

The Seminole Defense looked very good for 90% of the plays. The other 10% was a big problem. Duke running back, Ronnie Drummer, had a TD and 123 yards rushing. At times, he made the Seminole defense look silly. The Duke kick return team seemed to gain 40 yards on each kickoff, which only contributed to making the ‘Noles look tired, distracted and not “up” for this game. On positive; Kyler Hall who deserves lots of credit. For a guy that never seemed to take a good angle when he was younger, now Hall always seems to create turnovers or be around them to recover.

On one other note, Gary Cismesia booted an impressive 49 yard Field Goal.

The Seminoles defense needs to wake up if FSU wants to play for the ACC title. For a unit that graded out to an A for the first four game, they have played C-like for the last three. The offense should continue to improve each week, especially if Drew Weatherford is protected from the pass rush. And, be sure to get the ball to Greg Carr. He is the definition of difference-maker.

Up next for the Seminoles is Maryland @ 3:30PM next Saturday.