Five Plays That Changed the Game for FSU During 66-13 Beatdown of Southern Mississippi
Doak Campbell Stadium roared to life with thunderous applause Saturday night. New LED lights and fresh coats of paint might have brought the second-largest continuous brick structure in the world into the modern age, but it was the return of the Florida State faithful, filled with eagerness and excitement, that brought life back to the empty coliseum.
Just like their home stadium, the Seminoles had a transformative offseason of their own. Following a statement-filled beatdown of the LSU Tigers in Week 1, the ‘Noles took to Bobby Bowden Field for a prime-time, home-opener matchup against the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles.
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Any fear of a “trap game” was quickly laid to rest, and before long — as the kids say — “everybody ate.” FSU cruised to a 66-13 victory over the visiting Golden Eagles, and they did so in entertaining fashion, finding success in every facet of the game: scores on offense, scores on defense, onside kicks, made field goals, hard hits, hurdles, and the list goes on.
Saturday night’s game was one large FSU highlight compilation, which made picking just five of them so very difficult. Nonetheless, let’s take a look at five heart-pounding, popcorn-tossing, war chant worthy plays from Saturday night’s thrashing of Southern Miss.
1. Keon Coleman Takes Flight
Despite a slow start for the Florida State wide receivers, the ‘Noles established a substantial lead behind the stellar play of quarterback Jordan Travis and a fierce run game from workhorse running back Trey Benson. On the flip side, DC Adam Fuller’s defensive line was terrorizing the Golden Eagles’ quarterback and forcing the Southern Miss offense off of the field.
With just under 7 minutes left to play in the first half, Southern Miss trailed 21-3 and their offense was going in the wrong direction. Dennis Briggs Jr. sacked quarterback Billy Wiles for a loss of three yards on 2nd & 10, Frank Gore Jr. was dragged down for a loss on third down, and the Eagles faced their third empty possession of the night. Following the punt, Florida State was set up on their own 35 yard line with nearly 6 minutes before the close of the half and their eyes set on scoring.
Florida State’s offense trotted back out, and it was indeed Travis who willed them down the field. The explosive quarterback kicked things off by rushing for a hard fought gain of one yard, but an unnecessary roughness penalty committed by a Southern Miss defender tagged some more yards onto the end of the run. The Golden Eagles were caught jumping offsides on the very next play, moving the ‘Noles into USM territory.
On 1st & 5 from the USM 44, Travis found Keon Coleman for a gain of 8 yards and another first down. The connection would be the first of many for the duo on this drive. However, the drive came to a screeching halt when FSU wide receiver Darion Williams got called for an offensive pass interference, forcing the Seminoles into a 1st & 25.
Before long, the ‘Noles faced a daunting 3rd & 14. Jordan Travis lined up in the shotgun flanked by Trey Benson with 3 receivers spread out to his left and a lone Keon Coleman to his right. Travis dropped back in the pocket, scanned the field and sailed a ball towards the right sideline. A wide open Coleman climbed the ladder to snag the ball and came down with it in bounds. The wide receiver turned up field, side-stepped the defender, broke the tackle, and took off running down the sideline. It wasn’t long before Coleman came face to face with the safety, who was standing still, waiting for his moment to sweep Coleman’s legs out from under him. Not to be deterred, the 6’4”, 215 pound Coleman took flight, leaped over the diving defender, landed on his feet and scampered down within the 10 yard line.
The move brought the crowd to their feet and stunned everyone in sight. Travis would reward Coleman for his stellar playmaking with a 6 yard TD reception on the very next play, further extending the Seminole lead. The Heisman candidate quarterback went 4/5 for 59 yards and a touchdown on the drive while his favorite target, Coleman, recorded 3 receptions for 48 yards and a TD (yes, Keon Coleman’s entire stat line came on just one drive). Jordan Travis would go on to finish with 15 completions on 29 attempts for 175 yards and 2 TDs on the night.
2. Trey Benson completes the hat trick on a 42 yard TD run
The Southern Miss Golden Eagles received the kick to open up the second half, but the ‘Noles would be the first to strike. After a 3-play, -12-yard drive, and a punt for USM, the high-octane Seminole offense returned to the field and made quick work of the Eagle defense.
On the second play from scrimmage, running back Trey Benson received a toss from Jordan Travis and began working his way up the right side of the field. Benson surged into the second level of the defense with relative ease and dosed two would-be tacklers as he crossed the first down marker. The back immediately turned heel and ran towards the left side of the field into open space. Behind a physical block by Keon Coleman, Trey Benson took off down the left sideline and beat the last remaining defender in a foot race to cross the goal line.
Benson’s 42-yard touchdown run gave the ever-dangerous running back three rushing touchdowns for the game, and he would officially finish the night with 9 carries for 79 yards and those 3 TDs.
3. Jarrian Jones's "Pick Six" puts the defense on the board
By the looks of things, this game was well in hand following Benson’s emphatic touchdown run, but there were still 28 minutes of game time left on the board. The Golden Eagle offense, with just 72 total yards at this moment in the game, returned to the field in hopes of finding some sort of rhythm. Instead, it would be the Seminole defense adding insult to injury.
Three plays into the drive, USM quarterback Billy Wiles dropped back to pass on 3rd & 8. Under immense pressure from the threat of a rushing Jared Verse, Wiles lofted a ball into the center of the field, but it found the wrong target. FSU defensive back Jarrion Jones was draped all over Wiles’ intended target, and he jumped the route in time to intercept the pass. With the ball in hand, Jones had nothing but green grass and an end zone in front of him. The veteran defensive back threw his hands up as he crossed the goal line as if to say, “Are you not entertained?” The Florida State defense was on the board and Norvell’s ‘Noles were up big, 45-3.
Jones’s interception for a touchdown further slammed the door on the Eagles and rubbed salt in the wound of an already lopsided affair. FSU’s defensive unit put together an impressive performance. They held the USM offense to 258 total yards, 3.7 yards per rush, 4.5 yards per pass, 3 for 13 on third down; forced 1 interception; and scored the one touchdown.
4. Markeston Douglas takes it 42 yards to the house for a TD
With the game well in hand, the day was done for the starters on the Florida State offense. Instead, quarterback Tate Rodemaker and the rest of the second unit lined up to close out the remainder of the game in their place. Simply running out the clock, however, was not in the cards.
On the first play from scrimmage for the unit, Rodemaker connected with tight end Markeston Douglas on a routine out route. Rather than stepping out of bounds for a five yard gain, Douglas turned upfield. The 6-foot-4, 285-pound tight end brushed off a tackle, bulldozed through a second arm tackle, and followed his blockers (running back Rodney Hill and wide receiver Deuce Spann) all the way into the end zone for a touchdown.
One play. 42 yards. One touchdown, and yet another light show in Doak Campbell Stadium.
5. Brock Glenn flashes in collegiate debut
Tate Rodemaker, Rodney Hill, and Vandrevius Jacobs combined to tag on another score the Seminoles, which prompted Mike Norvell to usher his third-string offense back onto the field. The decision would give highly touted newcomer, quarterback Brock Glenn, the opportunity to make his collegiate debut in front of his home crowd, and he did not disappoint.
Glenn and the FSU offense set up shop from their own 28 yard line. On first down, Glenn dropped back to pass, but quickly bailed on a collapsing pocket and took off running. He took off towards the left sideline, following an aggressive block by fellow freshman, wide receiver Hykeem Williams. The young quarterback briefly cut the ball back inside before being pushed out by a Southern Miss defender.
On his first play ever, Brock Glenn scrambled for a 34-yard gain deep into USM territory. Two plays later, Caziah Holmes would take a handoff 40 for a touchdown, and the ‘Noles would finally finish their scoring the night.
The new LED lights on Doak Campbell Stadium were put to good use on Saturday night as the Seminoles proceeded to put on a scoring display against the visiting Golden Eagles. Florida State faithful were treated to a showcase of talent all across the FSU roster, and the 'Noles continued to showcase why they're one of the most threatening teams in college football this season.
Mike Norvell and his squad will look to build upon Saturday night's success as they prepare to open up conference play against the Boston College Eagles on Saturday. In the meantime, put the Keon Coleman hurdle on an infinite loop, sit back, and enjoy.
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