GEORGIA TECH UPSETS NO. 10 FSU IN CFB OPENER ???????? pic.twitter.com/N3UOfgZcvb
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 24, 2024
In the first hours of the new college football season, we’ve already witnessed a shocking upset.
Little more than two weeks ago, the Associated Press released their annual top twenty-five programs in college football. At the time, only Miami (19) and Florida State (10) made the list, with Florida and UCF being snubbed entirely. Ahead of the Seminole’s trip to Dublin, Ireland, both expectations and hopeful anticipation for the new-look D.J. Uiagalelei led Florida State offense are sky-high. In choosing the successor of Jordan Travis’ undefeated season last year, Coach Mike Novell found the perfect candidate on paper. DJ looks like the prototypical senior-year field general, with the experience of now leading his third power five football program. However, these intangibles failed to translate into a win during DJ’s first start for FSU.
In the end, a well-balance fight between two equally-matched teams ended with a walk-off, 44-yard Georgia Tech field goal. An overly conservative offensive game plan, with a questionable defensive performance proved troublesome for Novell’s team on Saturday.
In his press conference following the game, Norvell acknowledged some solid plays Uiagalelei made during the game and said he showed the ability to “deliver” in crucial moments. Norvell also noted that the Seminoles offense needs to be more “explosive” in order to find success in 2024.
“I thought that was a really great job there in that fourth quarter drive. Had some fourth-down calls, had some tougher situations, and I thought he delivered that moment. There’s a couple of drives in the third quarter, there’s some opportunities that we’re going to be able to grow from and at the end of the day we have to be more explosive.”
Florida State is still firmly atop ACC for now, but the conversation about how much that position is actually worth continues. This opportunity to regain control of the narrative has been lost completely.
Our full 2024 schedule
????: https://t.co/uiE7a8GRPq#NoleFamily | #KeepCLIMBing pic.twitter.com/dbUfRxMwl1
— FSU Football (@FSUFootball) January 25, 2024
Florida State’s next five games provide an opportunity to adjust, and better-tailor their offense around DJ Uiagalelei and his skillset. However, perhaps even more consequential will be if, and how Novell manages to fix the defensive deficiencies that GT exposed.
Three straight home games will see the Seminoles welcome Boston College, and new conference opponents Memphis, Cal and SMU. None of these programs have performed competitively in their recent years, so FSU should have a clear path to three wins. That’s the easiest part of FSU’s schedule. Their first real test will come during the first week in October, when the starting quarterback’s former team, the Clemson Tigers, arrive in Tallahassee. Should they overcome this challenge, the four win ‘Noles will face down Duke, a stacked Miami Hurricanes team, UNC, Notre Dame and Charleston-Southern.
Most importantly, the Florida Gators come to Doak Campbell Stadium, Nov. 30th.
