FSU turns focus to ACC title game after win at UF

Special to the Outlook

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Now that the FSU football team has completed the regular season without a loss in 12 games, coach Mike Norvell is optimistic about a clean sweep when they play for the ACC championship.

“It’s another step,” Norvell said after the Seminoles rallied to a 24-15 win over the Florida Gators last Saturday. “I know we will have a great week or preparation and we are going to do everything in our power to put ourselves in the best spot to have a chance to bring home an ACC championship.”

FSU will face Louisville Saturday for the ACC championship in Charlotte, North Carolina. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. It is the Seminoles’ sixth trip to the ACC title game and the first since 2014.

In last Saturday game against UF, running back Trey Benson scored three touchdowns.

Florida built a 12-0 lead midway through the second quarter before the Seminoles outscored UF 24-3 over the remainder of the game.

FSU fought poor field possession and few offensive opportunities over most of the first half when the Noles managed just three offensive plays the entire first quarter.

The defense finished with six quarterback sacks and 11 tackles for loss. The offense eventually settled in and the offense had a chance to put a drive together, as the Noles took control of the game.

Tate Rodemaker completed 12 of 25 passes attempts for 134 yards in his first start of the season in place of Jordan Travis. 

“There are some things he is going to learn from,” Norvell said of the outing by Rodemaker. “He was on point with what he needed to see. Just the efficiency of that and that’s one of those things we all have to be better. 

“You will never see him go up and down. He is always going to be the same. He will always do the things necessary in the moment. He was what we needed tonight.

Johnny Wilson led all FSU receivers with six catches for 64 yards and Jaheim Bell had three for 38. But it was the patient and explosive running of Benson that broke the game open.  He finished with 95 yards on 19 carries and had TD runs of 1, 36 and 26 yards.

Defensive back Shyheim Brown led all FSU tacklers with eight stops and he also had a pass break up and a quarterback hurry, but it was Jared Verse who dominated UF’s offensive front, recording six tackles, 2.5 quarterback sacks and three tackles for loss.

Max Brown, who was also starting his first game of the season in place of UF’s injured quarterback Graham Mertz, completed nine of 16 passes for 86 yards and an interception. Montrell Johnson led Florida in rushing with 107 yards on 18 carries.

Florida took the opening kickoff and drove to the FSU 30 leaning heavily on its running game with Brown at quarterback, who did complete all three of his passes on their first possession. But a 48-yard field goal attempt slid to the right and the first quarter came to an end with no score and the Seminoles having only had one offensive possession.

UF got on the scoreboard first following a call that turned a quarterback sack into a first and goal for the Gators who scored on a Johnson five-yard run for a 7-0 lead with 14:31 left in the second quarter. 

The call was obviously disturbing to Norvell.

“I’ve got strong feelings on how terrible that was but that was their perspective and it is what it is,” he said.

 The eventual UF score capped a 13-play, 70-yard drive that burned 7:04 off the game clock.

The Gators got the ball with great field position on their next possession and went up 10-0 on a 35-yard field goal with 10:21 to go in the second quarter.

Florida stretched its lead to 12-0 with a safety on a quarterback sack with 5:08 left when the rush caught up with Rodemaker in the end zone on a third and seven from the nine-yard line.

Florida State overcame poor field position again on its final possession of the first half with a momentum-turning 10-play, 90-yard drive that cut UF’s lead to 12-7 with 26 seconds left before halftime when Benson powered in from the one.