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After just the first game of the 2024 college football regular season, No. 10 Florida State fell, leaving many around the country stunned by the outcome.
Georgia Tech was supposed to be better, sure, but no one quite expected them to beat the perennial ACC powerhouse in Week Zero. After all, improved or not, this was a program that had just secured its first winning season last year for the first time in five years. They were not supposed to beat last year's one-loss, playoff-snubbed Seminoles team.
Yet, that's exactly what transpired in Dublin, Ireland, this past Saturday. And even though it's just one game, where there was once hype for Florida State football to be at the top of the sport this season, now there's only speculation about what this team is really made of moving forward. Perhaps they are not what we thought they were.
In our first preseason power rankings, I placed the Seminoles at No. 12, two spots below where most other polls had them. That’s because I believed there was far more uncertainty with this year's roster than had been led on.
Again, it’s just one game, and it’s not a given they’ll continue on a downward trajectory, but there are some legitimate concerns moving forward with this team.
DJ Uiagalelei is the guy for Florida State, but by default
Florida State football coach Mike Norvell had to find an answer to replace Jordan Travis at quarterback this year. So, what did he do? He did what he’s done throughout most of his tenure in Tallahassee: reach into the transfer portal.
It’s not a bad strategy, as it’s what many coaches have done this and in prior seasons. Even Florida State’s archrival, the Miami Hurricanes, went to the portal this season to land Cam Ward, a player the Seminoles also pursued.
In the end, Norvell and the Seminoles ended up with former Clemson and Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei. Even though the former five-star recruit was one of the top transfers to enter the portal, there were undoubtedly question marks surrounding him that many worried would follow him to Florida State. So far, that seems to be the case.
It’s hard to say that Uiagalelei’s struggles against Georgia Tech were entirely on him (we’ll get to that), but he definitely didn’t play his best game. Uiagalelei failed to reach even 200 yards passing against the Yellow Jackets, and after the first half had -0.1 air yards. Then again, maybe that’s not too surprising considering he had three sub-200-yard games last year. However, in those games, he still managed at least 50 yards rushing in two of them, with one rushing touchdown. One of those games was against UC Davis, which most certainly can be overlooked.
On Saturday, Uiagalelei had just seven yards on six carries. The big-bodied quarterback—6-foot-4, 252 pounds—who was known for his dual-threat capabilities has yet to truly showcase that throughout his career. It definitely wasn’t there on Saturday.
Whether he improves and Norvell gets the best out of him like he did with Travis, Uiagalelei is and will continue to be the starting quarterback for this year’s team. What’s behind him are redshirt freshmen Brock Glenn and Michael Grant and true freshman Trever Jackson. Glenn, who made five appearances last season, would only see the field if things got truly disastrous.
Florida State's offensive line was abysmal against Georgia Tech
It may not matter who is behind center if the offensive line doesn’t show signs of improvement. The Yellow Jackets somehow only walked away with one sack but recorded one QB hit, seven hurries, and eight pressures against the Seminoles.
Among the players on the line, Alabama guard transfer Terrence Ferguson II was the most reliable in pass blocking, grading an 82.9, per Pro Football Focus. Three others fell below a grade of 70.0.
However, the real problem came in run blocking for Florida State. Despite Ferguson’s solid pass-blocking performance, his run blocking was atrocious, grading at 46.9. Though he was the worst of the group, not a single lineman graded in the 70s on the day.
With that being said, is it any wonder the Seminoles only mustered 98 yards on 31 carries? With players like Lawrance Toafili, Caziah Holmes, and Alabama transfer Roydell Williams, this was supposed to be the superior running back group in the ACC.
And who knows, they very well could be. But if they can’t get any run protection, this team simply won’t be able to run the football, which would then force the game into Uiagalelei’s hands—something Norvell likely doesn’t want to rely on.
Florida State's defensive line wasn't much better
Let’s face it—Florida State was just bad in the trenches. The defensive line doesn’t get a pass either. The Georgia Tech running game had a field day, with quarterback Haynes King looking like a star.
King went 11-for-16 with 146 yards passing, but it was clear the head coach’s message of “run the ball” was taken to heart. The Yellow Jackets racked up a total of 190 yards rushing on 36 attempts. Running back Jamal Haynes led the day with 11 carries for 75 yards and two touchdowns. King was second with 15 carries for 54 yards.
Just one Florida State defender had an overall defensive grade above 70 on Saturday—Oregon State transfer edge rusher Sione Lolohea, with a 74.0. His run defense graded at 75.4. The rest of the defense was horrendous, especially the defensive front.
Players who were supposed to be big additions from the portal, like Marvin Jones Jr., Darrell Jackson Jr., and Earl Little Jr., combined for three missed tackles and an average defensive grade of 49.06 and run defense grade of 53.2.
Again, it’s just one game, but Norvell is having to figure out that sometimes the transfer portal is a blessing, and other times it’s a curse. Many of his biggest acquisitions for this season have the potential to be busts.
*All stats provided by Pro Football Focus
