5 questions, 5 answers: Takeaways from FSU’s dominant win over Virginia

· Yahoo Sports

Florida State (3-2, 1-1 ACC) shook off an early slump to dominate the Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday, scoring 38 unanswered points in a 38-7 win.

Quarterback Ashton Daniels set a program record with five rushing touchdowns, the highest single-game total in school history, while the defense wreaked havoc from whistle-to-whistle, sacking Virginia quarterback Beau Pribula 10 times while holding the Cavaliers to 3-15 on third down and 0-4 on fourth.

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What are the biggest takeaways from the win? The Tomahawk Nation staff breaks it down below.

What was the most impressive part of FSU’s win?

  • LastNoleofKrypton: The defensive performance, to shut down that running game and dominate that veteran offensive line in such a manner, very impressive performance.
  • Tim Scribble: It has to be the defense. We knew the offense was better than average but double-digit sacks? Just seven points? I would have never predicted that. Kudos to Tony White, saved from the CW for at least one week.
  • Curt Weiler: Has to be the pass rush. They couldn’t get pressure against an FCS team last week and had double-digit sacks this week? Truly unbelievable.
  • Tony Morris: The D-Line, if you told me pre-game that they would have 10 sacks, I’d ask if you were okay mentally and physically.
  • Jacob Smith: Ashton Daniels. Plain and simple. I have no other words. He was simply electric.
  • Jon Marchant: The defense. They looked like a very different unit for the majority of the game from what we’ve seen in the last two seasons.
  • Jordan Silversmith: I think a lot will go with FSU’s defensive front and I have to agree. FSU came into the day with seven sacks and ended the day with 17 — an insane 10-sack performance. I’m not totally shocked that the offense found a way to run the ball when Daniels got involved, but I can’t believe the defense got going like this.
  • Matt Minnick: Like others have said, the DL. Play like that all season and FSU is 4-1 at worst. Maybe 5-0. Kevin Wynn is a massive difference maker.
  • FrankDNole: The defense. They did what they should have been doing all season, bringing 4 or 5 every play. Doesn’t matter what you call it, a 3-3-5 or 4-3 (I think I saw 4 down linemen on quite a few snaps), but bring the freaking pressure every play.
  • Perry Kostidakis: To me, it was the fact that FSU didn’t crumble after that first quarter. Virginia’s scoring drive saw FSU exhibit some symptoms of a team that was ready to quit but instead, it was the lone successful Cavaliers series in a game that saw the Seminoles play complete football in the first time in a long time.

Where did FSU improve the most?

  • LastNoleofKrypton: Quarterback, he still held on to it too long early but making decisive decisions to run the ball clearly opened things up.
  • Tim: His decision making on the quarterback reads. Not sure if it was planned/coached but the decisions to keep made a major difference.
  • Curt: Defense as a whole. That side of the ball wasn’t doing anything particularly well through the first four games of the season. Did everything well today. 10 sacks. 3-of-15 on third downs. Only gave up 205 yards of offense. Probably the best performance from an FSU defense since the 2023 ACC championship game.
  • Tony: Making reads, the option plays were huge and actually produced yards rather than our usual inside zone esque runs.
  • Jacob: DEFENSE!! Finally a performance we can feel proud of. How long has it been? 3 years?
  • Jon: Pass rush. Better play up front and some well executed blitzes from other levels was effective.
  • Jordan: Run defense. Considering how CAU dominated time of possession last week and Alabama took the game over on the ground, to see UVA finish with 0.9 YPC is night and day from what we’ve seen.
  • Matt: Adjusting the play calling. Daniels isn’t a strong processor at game speed. This is obvious. Finally, after the first quarter today, we saw an offensive staff that decided to accept that and simplify things to where he had one read. Give him one read and he can make plays with his arm and feet.
  • FrankDNole: Norvell finally deciding to use Daniels’ legs. There was no reason to wait until the fifth game to make it a bigger part of the game plan, especially with the OLine issues.
  • Perry: The front seven. Consistent pressure had Beau Pribula uncomfortable all day, leading to multiple poor throws and 10 sacks (the most since 1989). Factor in the Cavaliers’ offensive line, which has over 160 starts among an extremely experienced unit, and it’s even more impressive.

Outside of Ashton Daniels, who was Saturday’s MVP?

  • LastNoleofKrypton: Chris Jones.
  • Tim: Ousmane Kromah. He’s just a workhorse and his abilities forced the defense to key on him, opening it up for Daniels.
  • Curt: Echoing the Chris Jones praise. Dude has had a few injury scares this year. FSU should be very glad none of those ended up being particularly bad as he’s a critical piece of this defense.
  • Tony: Wisner, he’s been criticized heavily for how much NIL FSU threw at him and it wasn’t even his fault, guy had a nagging injury and fell behind. He had a good game today and expect him to keep carrying the RB2 load while Sam’s out.
  • Jacob: I have to second with LastNoleofKrypton, Chris Jones. His jersey was not too tight.
  • Jon: Mike Norvell for his adjustments in how he called plays for Daniels that simplified things for his QB and in doing so allowed Daniels to use what strengths he does have.
  • Jordan: Kevin Wynn. FSU’s defense has been crying out for a powerful NT and he delivered. He finished with three tackles, one sack, and one TFL as he pushed back the UVA offensive line the whole day. Don’t know why he hasn’t played more, but that won’t be a problem moving forward.
  • Matt: Mike Norvell. Look, I rail on the guy as much as anyone. The final 3 quarters were the best play calling and overall schematic strategy since 2022.
  • FrankDNole: Kromah, without a doubt.
  • Perry: I’m with Jon — Norvell’s playcalling elevated the FSU offense from boom-or-bust to consistent boom with how many wrinkles he threw into today’s game plan. I do have to give props to Micahi Danzy too, who was the driving force behind multiple scoring drives on Saturday.

Do you believe in the Seminoles’ defensive turnaround?

  • LastNoleofKrypton: Not yet.
  • Tim: I’m not a buyer… yet. Virginia dropped passes and wide open receivers were missed. But I can’t ignore the defensive line disruption against one of the most experienced offensive lines in the nation. But I need to see it again before I start to believe.
  • Curt: I’ll have to see a bit of a larger sample size to really believe. And if it regresses next week, it just gets that much more frustrating now that they have shown what they are capable of.
  • Tony: Yes, it just takes a couple games to be on a “streak”. I believe they can turn it around despite the challenging schedule ahead.
  • Jacob: Against Clemson? If they can handle Miami, I’d lean no. If Miami blows them out, this might be a momentum building win.
  • Jon: No, not yet. They need to do this more than once for it to be real.
  • Jordan: After saying all that, no. They do not have enough depth and still are not disciplined to avoid making stupid mistakes or penalties. Beau Pribula missed a ton of throws and against a better QB, those will be completed.
  • Matt: Not yet. It was one game, at home, against a QB who couldn’t beat you with his feet. I still don’t believe FSU can keep Miami under 30.
  • FrankDNole: No, not yet. I think the 5th-6th-7th-year players on their offensive line, while experienced, are at UVA for a reason. That does not mean FSU could not use them, though. Also, UVA missed on plenty of plays that would have made the game closer, like bad throws and dropped passes by wide open receivers.
  • Perry: Not to the degree that it balled out today, but I do think some regression to the mean is happening for Tony White’s side of the ball. As annoying as it is, they have been a few plays away (well, more than a few, and all pretty much on third down) from at least being serviceable. If there can be some nice balance found between today’s domination and the SMU/Alabama fiascos, then the floor of the season can rise up.

What’s your hottest take from the win?

  • LastNoleofKrypton: Playing like that means you should finish at least 8-4.
  • Tim: That the defensive performance is fool’s gold. The only touchdown was a complete breakdown and Virginia missed opportunities. But I’d love to be proven wrong.
  • Curt: After seeing this performance, FSU should be 4-1 with a win over either SMU or Bama. Waited way too long to reach its potential.
  • Tony: FSU is a lock for a bowl game…
  • Jacob: Ashton Daniels, while he’s not winning the Heisman, could be a Davey O’Brien winner.
  • Jon: Daniels could be a serviceable starting QB with the right kind of plays built around what he can do.
  • Jordan: I’m not sure if this is hot or not but this win will be forgotten about by November. I do not want to be negative today, but I’m not sure this means anything more than quieting the noise for one week.
  • Matt: FSU can make a bowl game? Is that a hot take? Clemson, BC, and NCSU are all winnable. Louisville looks beatable too and Pitt just lost their QB for the season. If Mike can find a way to win a road game for the first time since 2023, a bowl game is there for the taking.
  • FrankDNole: Tony White deserves 3/4 of a spiked baseball.
  • Perry: There’s a real chance that FSU doesn’t dip below .500 again this season, something that legitimately felt out of reach following last week’s snoozer of a win over Central Arkansas. It’ll take Florida State actually winning a road game for the first time in three years, but if the offense can maintain its pace and if the defense has figured out even 80% of its woes, then FSU could finish the year 8-4.

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