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FSU toughened up in the fourth.
Every week we break down the result of the previous game. Who really played well for the Seminoles against Notre Dame? Which players played poorly? Where did the coaches do well, and when did they screw up?
Read to find out. Note: there are certain schematic and tendency things we do not discuss in these reviews out of respect for our sources, the school and coaching staff.
For other quarters, visit the film review section (All quarters up by tonight).
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| D-D | at | Form | Play | Analysis |
| 1-10 | at Fs38 | 425 | GOLSON SH pass complete to KOYACK for 6 yards to the FS32 (Goldman, E.), clock 14:44. | Shovel pass back after jet motion is a pretty nifty play by Notre Dame. FSU understandably caught off guard. |
| 2-4 | at Fs32 | 425 | GOLSON WS pass complete to BROWN, C. for 3 yards to the FS29 (Andrews, N.), PENALTY ND holding 10 yards to the FS39, clock 14:05. | Bubble, well defended by FSU, receiver totally tackles the corner, flagged. |
| 2-11 | at Fs39 | 2nd and 11. | ||
| 2-11 | at Fs39 | 326 | GOLSON sideline pass complete to PROSISE for 9 yards to the FS30, out-of-bounds (Ramsey, J.), clock 13:44. | Blitz, Golson scrambles, good job to get open and great throw by Golson. Coverage was not bad. |
| 3-2 | at Fs30 | 425 | FOLSTON rush over right guard for 2 yards to the FS28, 1ST DOWN ND (Edwards, M.;Smith, Terr.), clock 13:25. | Power, DL gets driven back. |
| 1-10 | at Fs28 | 425 | GOLSON crossing pass incomplete to ROBINSON, C., clock 13:04. | 6-man blitz, Golson has to get ball out quick, assume downfield coverage is good, Golson misfires but Williams had good coverage and this would have been short gainer, at most. |
| 2-10 | at Fs28 | 425 | FOLSTON rush over right tackle for 4 yards to the FS24 (Goldman, E.;Casher, C.), clock 12:49. | With corner blitzing, Casher needs to squeeze this gap more as Mitchell got wiped out by a double team. Mitchell isn't healthy and it shows, but his backups are terrible so there's not another option. |
| 3-6 | at Fs24 | 425 | GOLSON sacked for loss of 5 yards to the FS29 (Casher, C.), clock 12:04. | Another blitz, Andrews and Goldman get good pressure, Casher cleans up. |
| 4-11 | at Fs29 | BRINDZA field goal attempt from 46 GOOD, clock 11:40. | ||
| Notre Dame 27, Florida State 24 | Holding the Irish to a field goal is good there, especially on the short field. | |||
| Drive: 10 plays, 29 yards, TOP 04:01 | ||||
| BRINDZA kickoff 65 yards to the FS0, touchback. | ||||
| 1-10 | at Fs25 | FLORIDA STATE drive start at 11:40. | ||
| 1-10 | at Fs25 | 11 gun | Winston, J. post pass complete to Rudolph, T. for 15 yards to the FS40, 1ST DOWN FS (RIGGS), clock 11:29. | Notre Dame keeps bringing big blitzes, FSU picks it up farly well except for one rusher, and when you blitz six there are only give men with which to cover. Winston does take a shot. Winston hits the skinny post to Rudolph. |
| 1-10 | at Fs40 | 21 gun | Winston, J. crossing pass complete to Wilson, J. for 11 yards to the ND49, 1ST DOWN FS (SCHMIDT, J.), clock 11:09. | Play action, think they're trying to hit O'Leary, but Irish are not in blitz and cover down playsize, so Winston turns and finds Wilson backside with an absolute strike. |
| 1-10 | at Nd49 | 11 gun | Winston, J. sideline pass complete to Greene, R. for 7 yards to the ND42 (RIGGS), clock 10:35. | Another big Notre Dame blitz, doesn't really matter whether it is picked up or not because Greene sees off coverage and the ball is coming at him two steps before he stops. That's chemistry and football smarts from 5 and 80. |
| 2-3 | at Nd42 | 11 gun | Winston, J. sideline pass incomplete to Wilson, J. (LUKE), clock 10:15. | Irish don't blitz, FSU in quick game w/ cut blocks, Winston fires a bit high, good coverage. |
| 3-3 | at Nd42 | 11 gun | Winston, J. slant pass complete to Rudolph, T. for 16 yards to the ND26, 1ST DOWN FS (RIGGS), clock 10:02. | This is the play of the game from Winston. Notre Dame finally gets a blitzer free in the second half, right up the gut (blown assignment, line needs to shift this and the back may need to check), Winston somewhat off balance, side-arms a strike to Rudolph. Ridiculous play. |
| 1-10 | at Nd26 | 22 | Williams, K. rush over left guard for 6 yards to the ND20 (BLANKENSHIP), clock 09:32. | I don't think Notre Dame expected FSU to go double tights here. Inside zone, nice blocks and good, physical running. |
| 2-4 | at Nd20 | 22 | Williams, K. rush over right guard for 2 yards to the ND18 (REDFIELD;SCHMIDT, J.), clock 09:00. | IZ, this time Notre Dame is ready for the look. Not sure I agree with the cut here. |
| 3-2 | at Nd18 | 11 gun | Winston, J. flag pass complete to Greene, R. for 15 yards to the ND3, 1ST DOWN FS, clock 08:36. | This is an incredible throw and catch. FSU rolls the pocket to give Winston a run-pass option, and Notre Dame covers the short. But the corner is open and Winston sticks it, as Greene makes a great sliding catch. |
| 1-G | at Nd03 | 23 | Williams, K. rush over left end for 2 yards to the ND1 (SCHMIDT, J.), clock 07:56. | This is just straight power football, with Mario Edwards, Jr. lead blocking. |
| 2-G | at Nd01 | 23 | Williams, K. rush up middle for 1 yard to the ND0, TOUCHDOWN, clock 07:39. | Basically the same play, flipped, blast blocking and Karlos Williams dives in. I'm convinced Fisher would have run it four times down here if necessary. |
| Aguayo, R. kick attempt good. | ||||
| Florida State 31, Notre Dame 27 | ||||
| Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:01 | ||||
| Aguayo, R. kickoff 65 yards to the ND0, touchback. | ||||
| 1-10 | at Nd25 | NOTRE DAME drive start at 07:39. | ||
| 1-10 | at Nd25 | PENALTY ND personal foul (MATUSKA) 13 yards to the ND12. | ||
| 1-10 | at Nd12 | 425 | FOLSTON rush over left guard for 4 yards to the ND16 (Williams, P.J.;Smith, Terr.), clock 07:20. | Notre Dame gets good push, but Thomas must fill quicker to stop this a year sooner. |
| 2-6 | at Nd16 | 416 | GOLSON slant pass complete to ROBINSON, C. for 23 yards to the ND39, 1ST DOWN ND (Hunter, T.), clock 06:57. | This is an incredible throw by Golson, though likely ill-advised. No idea how this slant was not picked off. |
| 1-10 | at Nd39 | 425 | FOLSTON rush over right guard for 20 yards to the FS41, 1ST DOWN ND (Andrews, N.), clock 06:34. | Thomas and Goldman seem to have this gapped but they don't get off their blocks, credit Notre Dame, and this is a nice run. |
| 1-10 | at Fs41 | Timeout Notre Dame, clock 06:11. | ||
| 1-10 | at Fs41 | 425 | FOLSTON rush over right tackle for 2 yards to the FS39 (Goldman, E.), clock 05:56. | Power play, good fills. |
| 2-8 | at Fs39 | 416 | GOLSON deep pass incomplete to ROBINSON, C., clock 05:33. | FSU brings blitz into play action, Goldman forces a quick throw which is off target. |
| 3-8 | at Fs39 | 326 | GOLSON deep pass incomplete to KOYACK, QB hurry by Andrews, N., PENALTY ND pass interference declined, clock 05:22. | FSU brings blitz, gets there, and yet, Nate Andrews has two shots to sack Golson and he cannot. Credit Golson for getting out of it twice, and smart play by the tight end to interfere with the DB who would have likely intercepted this. |
| 4-8 | at Fs39 | Timeout Florida State, clock 05:22. | ||
| 4-8 | at Fs39 | BRINDZA punt 32 yards to the FS7, downed. | Missing the sack gave Notre Dame a better chance to pin FSU deep there. | |
| Drive: 6 plays, 36 yards, TOP 02:27 | ||||
| 1-10 | at Fs07 | FLORIDA STATE drive start at 05:12. | ||
| 1-10 | at Fs07 | 22 | Cook, D. rush over right guard for loss of 5 yards to the FS2 (DAY), clock 04:56. | FSU had been throwing well on first down against Notre Dame this half, an had run the ball better on later downs. Now it tries to run counter to the weakside, which is honestly a smart call here. It's a relatively safe play, yet it has a chance to go for a potential first down as well, especially with Dalvin Cook's quickness. FSU has the numbers it wants for it to work, too, and FSU had been a very good "4-minute offense" team this year. But there's a problem: center Ryan Hoefeld badly misses his down block and his man knifes into the backfield for a huge TFL. Step needs to be flatter. |
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| 2-15 | at Fs02 | PENALTY ND substitution infraction 5 yards to the FS7, clock 04:33. | ||
| 2-10 | at Fs07 | 11 gun | Cook, D. rush right for loss of 3 yards to the FS4 (JONES, J.), clock 03:57. | Notre Dame hits FSU with a gap blitz here on this run play with a puller. Jimbo Fisher said he was worried that FSU would have had to throw deep since the defense would be squatting on short routes, and that means there was increased possibility of getting a holding call in the end zone. Even so, I'd still throw the football here because Jameis Winston is the guy throwing. Also, I'd like to see WInston throw the bubble here. |
| 3-13 | at Fs04 | 22 | Cook, D. rush over left end for 6 yards to the FS10 (SCHMIDT, J.), PENALTY FS holding declined, clock 03:24. | This is to get some punting room. Sheldon Day for Notre Dame was incredible this series with his penetration. |
| 4-7 | at Fs10 | Beatty, C. punt 39 yards to the FS49, fair catch by RIGGS. | Good punt to not allow a return. | |
| Drive: 3 plays, 3 yards, TOP 02:19 | ||||
| 1-10 | at Fs49 | NOTRE DAME drive start at 02:53. | ||
| 1-10 | at Fs49 | 416 | GOLSON slant pass incomplete to KOYACK (Smith, Terr.), clock 02:48. | Excellent coverage by Terrance Smith. Notre Dame was trying to isolate the tight end underneath with deep clearout routes over the top. This was one of many balls that could have been picked after it was tipped up in the air. Really is a tough bounce. |
| 2-10 | at Fs49 | 416 | GOLSON WS pass complete to FULLER for loss of 2 yards to the ND49 (Walker, D.), clock 02:31. | FSU brings a blitz up the gut, Notre Dame throws the bubble, Jalen Ramsey is quickly over there and then the cavalry arrives. |
| 3-12 | at Nd49 | 326 | GOLSON sacked for loss of 6 yards to the ND43 (Smith, Terr.), clock 01:52. | Interesting package here. 44, 90, 15 across, 21 standing up, and they bring the three down plus Terrance Smith, with Andrews in what looks like a Green Dog or a spy. Smith shoots the B gap, the back doesn't pick him up well enough, and the sack is made. |
| 4-18 | at Nd43 | 326 | GOLSON sideline pass complete to ROBINSON, C. for 20 yards to the FS37, 1ST DOWN ND (Darby, R.), clock 01:18. | Jimbo said FSU is playing 2-trap here, which is a cover-2 variant (Herbstreit said FSU was in man-to-man but that's wrong). It's a 5-man blitz with 2 defenders in deep coverage and four in intermediate coverage. Unfortunately, in trying not to show the blitz too early, Nate Andrews actually arrives a bit late, and, with the help of some holding, Golson is able to scramble out of the pocket, which creates scramble rules, which really nullify coverage principles (this is why keeping a mobile QB in the pocket is so important). This is not a bad coverage or call, especially because it guards well against the possibiity of the wheel route, which is something a team definitely might try in a 4th & 18 situation. Ultimately, the blitz is designed to make the QB get rid of the ball before he wants to, but it did not work, and when it doesn't work, the secondary is at a disadvantage. Williams is certainly not supposed to follow the WR across the field when playing 2-trap. I think you can argue that either Darby or Ramsey were supposed to be there as an underneath defender, but ultimately, a play that takes that long really comes down to scramble. I also wonder if the defensive backs should have been quite so deep initially. |
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| 1-10 | at Fs37 | Timeout Notre Dame, clock 01:11. | ||
| 1-10 | at Fs37 | 416 | GOLSON deep pass incomplete to PROSISE, clock 01:05. | Good, disciplined rush, this is a small window to drop the seam route in and he overthrows it. |
| 2-10 | at Fs37 | 416 | GOLSON sideline pass complete to FULLER for 17 yards to the FS20, 1ST DOWN ND, out-of-bounds (Darby, R.), clock 00:59. | Want another example that Darby isn't healthy? Fuller is a good WR, and Darby is iobviously trying to not give up anything deep, but in my opinion a full speed Darby may be able to challenge this comeback better. |
| 1-10 | at Fs20 | 416 | GOLSON deep pass incomplete to ROBINSON, C. (Darby, R.), clock 00:53. | After getting burned with pressure on 4th & 18, and not bringing pressure the last two plays, FSU went back to the pressure that had given Notre Dame problems in the second half. It forced a slightly rushed throw from Golson that was defensed very well by Darby, who is giving up 5" inches to WR Robinson. |
| 2-10 | at Fs20 | 416 | GOLSON rush QX for 12 yards to the FS8, 1ST DOWN ND, clock 00:45. | FSU brings a similar pressure, and this scramble shows why FSU was so nervous about bringing pressure in the first half -- Golson is very dangerous with his legs. Man coverage so bobody is there to tackle him until 12 yards. Rush was good on the intensty, not as good on the discipline, but credit Golson there. |
| 1-G | at Fs08 | 425 | GOLSON screen pass complete to PROSISE for no gain to the FS8 (Brutus, L.). | Bubble to a strong receiver and Brutus is very quickly there to make the tackle for no gain. Big play in this drive. |
| 2-G | at Fs08 | Timeout Notre Dame, clock 00:26. | ||
| 2-G | at Fs08 | 416 | GOLSON slant pass incomplete to PROSISE, clock 00:21. | FSU brings pressure and mans up across the board, Jalen Ramsey has good coverage on the slant/post and this needs to be a perfect ball to score. It's not. Making the opponent execute difficult things is a good formula to win. Tyler Hunter was right there, too, for the hit. |
| 3-G | at Fs08 | 416 | GOLSON sideline pass complete to PROSISE for 6 yards to the FS2 (Ramsey, J.), clock 00:17. | More blitzing from FSU, Golson goes to his hot route. This isn't a pick play, but it's almost a great rub for Notre Dame. Ramsey works over top, doesn't get picked, and is able to keep the defender out of the end zone at the 3-ish. |
| 4-G | at Fs02 | 425 | GOLSON sideline pass complete to ROBINSON, C. for 2 yards to the FS0, clock 00:13, PENALTY ND pass interference (PROSISE) 16 yards to the FS18, NO PLAY, clock 00:13. | It's a blown coverage because Darby needs to stay outside and cover the flat (this is why Ramsey gets so mad, I think), but it's also an obvious pick. No attempt is made by Notre Dame to run a route. If Notre Dame sells this at all, or even pretends to run a route, it likley works. Darby does get fooled by the jab step of Fuller, I think. |
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| 4-G | at Fs18 | Timeout Florida State, clock 00:13. | ||
| 4-G | at Fs18 | 416 | GOLSON deep pass intercepted by Pugh, J. at the FS0, Pugh, J. return 0 yards to the FS0, touchback. | Good pressure forces the wild pass. |
| Drive: 12 plays, 31 yards, TOP 02:47 | Great defense played in the fourh quater overall, even with a few mistakes. | |||
| 1-10 | at Fs20 | FLORIDA STATE drive start at 00:06. | ||
| 1-10 | at Fs20 | PENALTY FS personal foul (Smith, Terr.) 10 yards to the FS10. | ||
| 1-20 | at Fs10 | 1st and 10. | ||
| 1-10 | at Fs10 | TEAM rush for loss of 3 yards to the FS7. | ||
| 2-13 | at Fs07 | End of game, clock 00:00. |