Report Card: WCU @ FSU

I post goals for the game every week.  These goals are a good way to make sure that I don't have my evaluations jaded by emotion.  Keep in mind that I evaluate these things on a curve.  The opponent does matter.

What am I looking for from FSU against WCU?

70% passing We will be running wide open throughout this game. Can the new 'Noles QB hit these guys?

C+  As I spoke about below, Ponder did struggle some with his accuracy.  68% against an opponent of this caliber is acceptable, but not excellent.  The weather and first game jitters certainly had an impact here.

10 yards per pass There is no excuse for posting a number below this. In a game where the 'Noles are favored by 40, this is not a lot to ask.

B+ 25 throws for 271 yards is 10.8 per toss.  The 'Nole QB's don't get the "A" here because a lot of the yardage came on YAC, and they failed to connect on some deep balls

More after the jump...

No interceptions I don't want to see the other team catching any of our passes. That is Jeff Bowden style and we should not be seeing that right now.

A+  There were very few questionable throws.  Only one toss was even close to being picked (early in the second quarter on a difficult mid-level crossing route to Easterling)

6 Yards Per Carry Again, WCU is not a good team. This is a reachable goal.

A  The 'Noles rushed 32 times for almost 300 yards (299).  9.2 per carry far exceeds the goal.  Even without the long QB runs (52 and 25), the running backs put up an impressive 7.32 yard average.  No "A+" here, since the RB's failed to break a run over 40 yards.

90% of carries gain 2 or more yards This measures us not getting stuffed. I will have more on this at a later date.

C  6 rush attempts failed to net 2 yards.  Two of these were fumbles (Richardson and Jones).  Even without the fumbles, four of the 32 didn't go for 2+yards.  For this stat, I exclude plays which are considered successful without rushing for 2 yards (short yardage situations).

No fumbles Not fumbles lost, but rather, no fumbles.

D  I would give the 'Noles ball carriers an F here, but there is some excuse with the weather.  Both Richardson and Jones fumbled.

No more than 1 Holding Penalty As a unit, I will be happy if we hold this to one.

A+  Rick Trickett's boys did a great job of moving their feet to maintain proper position all night.  They aren't the best, but nobody will say they are lazy.

No more than 1 False Start Penalty There shouldn't be any crowd noise to deal with. These guys have waited a long time to play, let's see that the focus and concentration is there.

D  FSU had two on the first drive and also had an ilegal shift for not properly coming set after breaking the huddle.

No dumb timeouts Again, this would go a long way towards putting Jeff Bowden behind us.

B+ Only the 3rd team failed to line up correctly.  Jimbo was livid and let true freshman Avis Commack (Wide Reciever from jacksonville First Coash HS) know.

No major injuries This is the major goal.

C We don't know yet, but it doesn't look great for Carlton "TY" Jones.  The promising running back from Tampa really busted his ankle and was carted off the field.  Jones isn't a starter, but he was expected to be a signifcant contributor to this team.  This importance of this injury is magnified because the 'Noles don't have a lot of depth at RB.

No face mask penalties Facemask penalties often indicate someone has lazy feet or is out of position. We should not be out of position against WCU.

C FSU was penalized 15 yards on their second kickoff.  That isn't good, but kickoffs are one of the most out of control situations in the game and I can forgive ONE face mask penalty on a wet field in the home opener.

No more than one pass interference penalty Again, let's play the ball and use good footwork to get into position.

D  I was not pleased with the play of our secondary.  I would give this unit an "F" for this goal, but some of the throws this QB made put our DB's in weird spots.

7 Sacks I want to see the defensive line get pressure and FINISH. WCU will throw the ball 50 times in this game. 7 sacks is a 14% sack rate, which is what we need against a team of this caliber. We also want to see a fumble forced due to a blindside QB hit.

Incomplete.  I am throwing this goal out.  The WCU's scheme made it very hard for FSU to get sacks.  The ball was out of the QB's hands very quickly.  FSU recorded 5 sacks and that was decent considering the scheme they were up against.  I was happy that the DLine played with discipline.  it would have been very easy for them to play out of control and get gashed by misdirection.

No dropped interceptions There will be chances for picks in this game. Make them count.

F-  Considering who they were up against, the secondary played like garbage.  They botched multiple interception opportunities.

Cover for the Alumni (-40)

A+ 69-0 works.  This wasn't in doubt after the 3rd quarter, and older alumni went to bed early.

Shutout

A-  I would award an A here, but we got lucky that WCU missed a short field goal.  Still though, a shutout is worthy of praise.

50 points scored

A+  Even the young guys got in on the action as they finished their drive.  This goal is mostly to get us noticed when playing a bad opponent.  69 points makes people stop and think about FSU.