Five Plays That Changed the Game as FSU Survives Boston College's Upset Bid
“Survive and advance” is typically a phrase reserved for March Madness, but it was a major theme across college football on Saturday. From coast to coast, heavy favorites and national contenders alike struggled against opponents they presumed to be inferior. Alabama survived against USF; Georgia rallied in the second half past South Carolina; Colorado outlasted Colorado State in overtime; and the third-ranked Florida State Seminoles barely escaped Chestnut Hill with a win.
Mike Norvell and the Seminoles went into their ACC opener against Boston College as heavy favorites, burdened with the expectation of a blowout. What transpired, however, was a close contest that saw the ‘Noles limping their way out of Alumni Stadium with a two-point victory and more questions than answers.
READ MORE: Mike Norvell Provides an Update on FSU Quarterback Jordan Travis' Arm Injury
The hype train may have slowed down a tad following Saturday’s contest, but for Florida State, it’s still just one more tally in the win column and another broken rock. Norvell and his squad remain undefeated and their goals for a national title, a conference title, and an undefeated season are still alive, for the time being. FSU will have to regroup quickly if they wish to accomplish their lofty goals because the road ahead remains an arduous one and a date with conference-rival Clemson looms large.
Before shifting focus over to next week’s matchup in Death Valley, let’s take a look at five plays that affected Saturday afternoon’s nail-biting face-off between the Eagles and the Seminoles.
1. Jordan Travis returns from injury and finds Preston Daniel for a TD
The first half of Saturday’s ACC showdown was a back-and-forth one between BC and FSU. Behind the play of quarterback Thomas Castellanos, the Eagles came out striking with a 7-play, 75-yard drive for a touchdown to open up the game. Florida State responded with a field goal, and from then on, the two teams traded blows for a large majority of the half. Eventually, the ‘Noles took their first lead on a 2-yard from from running back Trey Benson, but that lead came at a price.
Before the end of the first half, quarterback Jordan Travis went down with an apparent left arm injury, and a shadow of doubt was cast over the Seminole football team’s future aspirations. For a moment, it appeared as though the ‘Noles would have to try and survive BC’s upset bid without their leading man.
When the Florida State offense eventually returned to the field following the break, it was Travis who lined up under center, and he wasted no time moving the ball down the field. On the second play from scrimmage, Travis connected with wide receiver Johnny Wilson on a 44-yard pitch and catch over the middle. The quarterback then found tight end Jaheim Bell on consecutive plays for a total gain of 12 yards and a fresh set of downs within the BC 5-yard line.
On 1st & Goal, Travis faked the handoff to Benson, shuffled back quickly, and delivered a strike to a wide-open Preston Daniel in the end zone for a touchdown. Jordan Travis went 4/4 for 60 yards and a touchdown on the drive, and the Florida State offense seemingly found their groove. At the beginning of the second half, it appeared as though Florida State was ready to deliver the blowout that many expected.
2. DJ Lundy intercepts BC quarterback Thomas Castellanos
Following Florida State’s drive to begin the second half, the Boston College offense returned to the field in hopes of keeping up with the Seminoles. Quarterback Thomas Castellanos was terrorizing FSU’s defense all game long, having both rushed and passed for 100 yards in the first half alone. The Eagles would have to rely on their leading man to keep up the trend if they wished to erase the 14-point deficit they found themselves in.
Trailing 24-10, Boston College took over at their own 25-yard line. Castellanos snapped the ball on 1st & 10, faked the handoff, and began rolling right. Three members of Florida State’s defensive line were not fooled by the fake and barreled toward the unprotected quarterback. Under duress, Castellanos desperately heaved the ball over the middle before Jared Verse and company could bring him down. The quarterback’s pass was thrown well behind its intended target and was well on its way to falling incomplete if not for an acrobatic adjustment by FSU linebacker DJ Lundy, who sprawled out to reel the ball in for an interception.
Two plays later, Lundy — lined up at the fullback — capitalized on his own turnover and ran the ball in for a touchdown. With the score, Lundy became the first FSU player to record an interception and a rushing touchdown in the same game since 1959.
3. Lawrance Toafili's fumble leads to a scoop 'n score
Despite a 21-point deficit late in the third, the Boston College Eagles were undeterred. Castellanos continued to play like a man possessed as he ran circles around the Florida State defense. On one drive, BC faced a 4th &1, a long 3rd & 17 deep within their own territory, and a 3rd & 3 en route to yet another Castellanos touchdown to cut into the Seminole lead. Florida State’s Benson mishandled a squib kick on the ensuing kickoff, and Boston College was beginning to arrest momentum away from the ‘Noles. Although the drive that immediately followed the recovery yielded no points, BC was well within striking distance at 31-16 and more than ready to capitalize given the opportunity.
Meanwhile, Florida State’s offense, which had produced a quick three-and-out on its prior drive, took over at their own 5-yard line with 13:23 remaining in the 4th. This time around, FSU utilized the legs of Travis, Benson, and Toafili, to move the ball out to their own 18 for a fresh set of downs. On 1st & 10, Travis dropped a pass to Lawrance Toafili in the flat. The running back was instantly met at the line of scrimmage by a BC defender, who wrestled the ball free for a fumble. The ball then bounced all the way to the FSU 8-yard line before BC defensive back Khari Johnson scooped it up and ran it the rest of the way for a touchdown. Boston College failed the 2-point conversion attempt, but the damage was done. In the blink of an eye, a 21-point FSU lead shrunk to just 9, and the Eagles weren’t finished yet.
4. FSU's defense is unable to wrangle Castellanos as BC drives 95 yards for a TD
Late in the fourth quarter, Florida State was struggling to establish any sort of rhythm on either side of the ball. Despite jumping out to a sizable lead early in the third quarter, the Florida State offense had to confront a strikingly different reality in the waning moments of the game: They were sputtering. Over the course of the three drives that followed their last score, Florida State ran 13 plays for a combined total of 21 yards that resulted in two punts and one fumble recovered for a touchdown.
The defense, meanwhile, had its hands full with a Boston College quarterback that was pushing the ball down the field with relative ease and slowly pulling his team back from the brink of a blowout. Defensive coordinator Adam Fuller’s group had no issues forcing the BC offense into unfavorable scenarios, but they repeatedly struggled to prevent the Eagles from converting when it mattered most. By the game’s end, Boston College had converted 42% of its third downs (8 of 19) and was 4 of 5 on fourth down conversion attempts. TLDR: The Florida State defense could not get off the field.
Fighting to maintain a 31-22 lead, the Florida State offense returned to the field at around the 10-minute mark in the fourth quarter, successfully stringing together a quality drive. Travis had found Bell, Wilson, and Hill for substantial gains through the air, and the ‘Noles quickly found themselves deep in BC territory. Keon Coleman rushed for two yards on 3rd & 2, but a manageable 4th & 1 at the BC 29 was of little concern to a Florida State offense hellbent on scoring. That was until Keon Coleman was penalized for offensive pass interference, and a manageable 4th & 1 had suddenly turned into a daunting 4th & 16 outside of field goal range. The drive had officially stalled, and the Seminoles were forced to come up empty yet again. Luckily for them, Alex Mastromanno delivered a beautiful punt that sailed 39 yards and bounced out at the BC 5-yard line.
Down at least two scores, the Eagles’ offense was pinned deep within its own territory, and a stop for the Seminoles on this drive would surely seal their fate. BC’s Castellanos was unable to connect with his receivers on first and second down. On 3rd & 10 from his own 5-yard line, the quarterback took a three-step drop into his own end zone. He scanned the field in an attempt to pass the ball, but the slightest miscommunication between two FSU linebackers gave the mobile quarterback just enough space to take off running.
Castellanos planted his foot in the ground and sprinted through the middle of the defense for a 13-yard gain and a first down. He immediately followed that up with two passes, one for 42 yards and another for 25 yards, to get down to the FSU 15-yard line. Two plays later, Castellanos ran the ball in for a touchdown. The BC offense drove 95 yards down the field (facing third down just twice on the drive), and with 5 minutes remaining in the game, a field goal would win it for the Eagles.
5. Kalen DeLoach sacks Castellanos to thwart BC's game-winning drive
Florida State’s offensive woes continued even after Boston College tightened the game up with a score. A quick 3-play, 7-yard drive forced the Seminoles to punt the ball back to the Eagles with exactly four minutes remaining in the contest. If Boston College were able to push the ball into Florida State territory, a field goal would give them the go-ahead score.
DJ Lundy and Renardo Green combined to sack the BC quarterback on second down, and the ‘Noles forced the Eagles into a 3rd & 20 with time winding down. Fiske got into the backfield on third down and gave chase, but Castellanos responded with a 28-yard pass of his own. Threatening around midfield, BC attempted to go back to the air on first and second down to no avail. With 3:05 left in the game, Castellanos dropped back to pass on 3rd & 10. FSU DB Azareye’h Thomas blitzed off the edge and burst into the backfield to disrupt the quarterback. Castellanos flushed left, but he was immediately met by linebacker Karen DeLoach, who provided enough contact to drag Castellanos’ knee to the ground for a sack.
DeLoach’s sack forced BC to punt the ball back to the Seminoles, who just had to run the clock out and survive. Coleman nearly turned the ball over on his punt return and FSU would not have secured a first down if not for a facemask penalty against the Eagles, but the ‘Noles survived nonetheless and escaped Chestnut Hill with a victory.
It was a forgettable day for the third-ranked team in the country, but the Seminoles were able to outlast a late push by the Eagles and avoid the "trap game" upset. Fluke performance or not, Florida State must now identify and correct its mistakes in the week leading up to a highly anticipated matchup against Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers.
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