Every week we break down the result of the previous game. Who really played well for the Seminoles against The Clemson? 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 (they will be up by 2 ET Tuesday).
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| D-D | Yard | Form | Play | Comment |
| 1-10 | at Cu35 | FS ball on FS35. | ||
| Aguayo, R. kickoff 65 yards to the CU0, touchback. | Fisher said coaches want Aguayo to kick ball through end zone on opening drive to see how the opponent wants to set the return. | |||
| 1-10 | at Cu25 | STOUDT at QB for Clemson. | ||
| 1-10 | at Cu25 | 4-2-5 | STOUDT deep pass incomplete to LEGGETT, QB hurry by Edwards, M., clock 14:56. | Play action wheel route to the H-back. Terrance Smith is in man coverage and a couple steps behind, but Stoudt throws it out of bounds. Mario Edwards comes completely unblocked and get the QB on the ground on the first snap. |
| 2-10 | at Cu25 | 4-2-5 | STOUDT WS pass complete to PEAKE for 5 yards to the CU30, out-of-bounds (Ramsey, J.), clock 14:36. | Bubble screen to the field. Ramsey and Hunter engage and play leverage, but getting off the block faster would have resulted in a shorter gain. |
| 3-5 | at Cu30 | 4-2-5 | STOUDT SH pass complete to DAVIDSON for 3 yards to the CU33, out-of-bounds (Hunter, T.), clock 14:18. | Jet sweep to the field. Nate Andrews takes a false step towards the inside of the blockers before getting outside. If he maintains outside leverage he likely drops this play for a loss. Pretty good angle by Hunter to minimize the gain. |
| 4-2 | at Cu33 | PINION punt 41 yards to the FS26, fair catch by Greene, R.. | ||
| Drive: 3 plays, 8 yards, TOP 01:11 | Great start for the D. Really overwhelming the Clemson offensive line to start the game. | |||
| 1-10 | at Fs26 | FLORIDA STATE drive start at 13:49. | ||
| 1-10 | at Fs26 | Maguire, S. at QB for Florida State. | ||
| 1-10 | at Fs26 | 21 Bunch | Williams, K. rush TL for loss of 4 yards to the FS22 (ANTHONY), clock 13:28. | Toss sweep to the bunch side. FSU is getting too predictable by formation with this run. Can't recall FSU throwing from this formation since week 1. There's a missed assignment on this run as Cam Erving doesn't block the middle linebacker Stephone Anthony and he's able to make the tackle for loss. |
| 2-14 | at Fs22 | 21 | Maguire, S. MR pass incomplete to O'Leary, N. (ANTHONY), clock 13:08. | Play action boot pass is really well defended by Clemson. All the receivers are blanketed and Maguire throws it at O'Leary's feet. |
| 3-14 | at Fs22 | 11 Gun | Maguire, S. deep pass incomplete to Greene, R., clock 13:02. | Can't really tell what the route is due to tight camera angles, but I'm guessing it's a curl. Maguire double clutches then throws high, dooming the play. Quick game must be thrown in rhythm. |
| 4-14 | at Fs22 | Beatty, C. punt 37 yards to the CU41, fair catch by HUMPHRIES. | ||
| Drive: 3 plays, minus 4 yards, TOP 00:53 | ||||
| 1-10 | at Cu41 | CLEMSON drive start at 12:56. | ||
| 1-10 | at Cu41 | 4-2-5 | STOUDT rush over right end for 14 yards to the FS45, 1ST DOWN CU, clock 12:43. | Fake jet sweep, QB sweep to the other side. FSU is in a two deep alignment and is very outnumbered at the point of attack. Nate Andrews, the safety to the play side, does not appear in the picture until the QB is ten yards downfield. |
| 1-10 | at Fs45 | 4-2-5 | STOUDT slant pass complete to SCOTT for 32 yards to the FS13, 1ST DOWN CU (Ramsey, J.;Smith, Terr.), clock 12:21. | Really nicely designed play by Clemson. At first glance it's just a WR screen to the trips side, but there's some disguise to it. The two inside receivers run a rub/switch combo at the begining of the play, influencing the defenders to play pass coverage. The outside receiver takes an upfield release before retreating back underneath the blocks of the inside receivers. They catch FSU blitzing Jalen Ramsey from the slot meaning the defense is outnumberd 3 to 2 to that side of the field. To top it off, Nate Andrews does not break down properly and loses his footing when trying to make the open field tackle. Neat play. |
| 1-10 | at Fs13 | 4-2-5 | STOUDT rush RO for 5 yards to the FS8 (Northrup, R.;Hunter, T.), clock 11:54. | Clemson has two H backs to the right side of the formation. They fake the jet sweep from left to right, then run QB power to that side, resulting in a significant numbers advantage at the point of attack. The linebackers should probably have shifted over a gap to the offense's right in reaction to the jet motion, but they don't resulting in the defense being both outnumbered and outflanked. Tyler Hunter comes up from the safety position to make the tackle. |
| 2-5 | at Fs08 | 4-2-5 | DAVIDSON rush over right guard for 2 yards to the FS6 (Walker, D.), clock 11:24. | Pretty standard power scheme. Good squeeze by Demarcus Walker and fill by Terrance Smith. Eddie Goldman tries to penetrate backside and ends up being sealed off from the play allowing a short gain. |
| 3-3 | at Fs06 | 4-2-5 | STOUDT sideline pass incomplete to LEGGETT, clock 11:06. | FSU is blitzing Terrance Smith and Nate Andrews does not see the H back leaking out to the flat until it is too late. Fortunately for FSU, Stoudt shortarms the throw and the receiver drops it. |
| 4-3 | at Fs06 | LAKIP field goal attempt from 23 MISSED - wide left, spot at FS20, clock 11:02. | ||
| Drive: 6 plays, 53 yards, TOP 01:54 | Better lucky than good sometimes. | |||
| 1-10 | at Fs20 | FLORIDA STATE drive start at 11:02. | ||
| 1-10 | at Fs20 | 21 Pony | Greene, R. rush reverse for loss of 2 yards to the FS18 (D. WILLIAMS), clock 10:42. | Reverse to Rashad Greene does not fool the defense at all. Clemson defensive end Corey Crawford shows great discipline in maintaining backside contain and allowing the pursuit to rally. That's the guy Clemson didn't have against UGA, and when Crawford's backup went down v. UGA, the Bulldogs feasted. FSU seems to be trying to play this game horizontally and Clemson is squatting on it. |
| 2-12 | at Fs18 | 21 Pony Twins | Maguire, S. ML pass complete to O'Leary, N. for 6 yards to the FS24 (GOODSON), clock 10:07. | Good job by Maguire of going through his progression here. O'Leary's drag route is the 2nd or 3rd option on this play. |
| 3-6 | at Fs24 | 11 Gun | Maguire, S. crossing pass complete to Wilson, J. for 14 yards to the FS38, 1ST DOWN FS (M. JENKINS), clock 09:33. | Clemson runs a loop with their DL and Tre Jackson chases it instead of handing it off, allowing a defender to come free at the QB. Nice job by Maguire of getting the slant off to Bobo Wilson with pressure in his face. Excellent catch by Wilson. He seems very comfortable working in traffic over the middle. |
| 1-10 | at Fs38 | Timeout Florida State, clock 09:09. | ||
| 1-10 | at Fs38 | 11 Pony | Maguire, S. WS pass incomplete to Whitfield, K., clock 09:06. | Kermit drops the receiver screen, but it doesn't matter as Christian Green completely whiffs on his block and the defender tackles Whitfield immediately. |
| 2-10 | at Fs38 | 11 | Maguire, S. screen pass complete to Williams, K. for 27 yards to the CU35, 1ST DOWN FS (CRAWFORD), clock 08:52. | Beautifully timed and executed screen. Jimbo is so good at knowing when to call these. Barron excellent job peeling back to get the backer. If Karlos Williams stays along the sideline he probably gets more. |
| 1-10 | at Cu35 | 21 | Pender, M. rush up middle for 3 yards to the CU32 (GOODSON;J. WATSON), clock 08:11. | Inside zone is actually blocked pretty well. Barron gets a good block at the second level. Pender makes a good initial cut, but there are several more yards to be had if he bends it back playside once he's through the hole. |
| 2-7 | at Cu32 | 21 Pony Twins | Maguire, S. ML pass incomplete to O'Leary, N., clock 07:50. | Same drag to O'Leary from earlier in the drive is even more open but Maguire misses on the throw. Maguire has double clutched on almost every attempt so far. Mostly good protection to this point. |
| 3-7 | at Cu32 | 11 Gun Trips | Maguire, S. middle pass incomplete to O'Leary, N., QB hurry by ANTHONY, clock 07:46. | Really bad effort by Barron on the MLB blitz by Stephone Anthony on this play. There's no disguise and Anthony telegraphs his blitz, Barron just doesn't get out of his stance quick enough and can only lunge at Anthony as he goes by. Maguire is locked on to O'Leary on this play, but the coverage appears to be excellent all the way around by Clemson. |
| 4-7 | at Cu32 | Aguayo, R. field goal attempt from 50 GOOD, clock 07:40. | ||
| Florida State 3, Clemson 0 | ||||
| Drive: 9 plays, 48 yards, TOP 03:26 | Overall a good second drive to get Maguire some confidence. | |||
| Aguayo, R. kickoff 62 yards to the CU3, DAVIDSON return 13 yards to the CU16 (Stevenson, F.). | Good high kickoff, excellent job to get downfield and set the pin by Dalvin Cook. | |||
| 1-10 | at Cu16 | CLEMSON drive start at 07:36. | ||
| 1-10 | at Cu16 | 4-2-5 | STOUDT rush left for 4 yards to the CU20 (Edwards, M.), clock 07:22. | Pure zone read action with the jet motion receiver becoming a lead blocker when the QB pulls. Mario Edwards Jr and Reggie Northrup track him down on the sideline before he can turn the corner. 300 pound men are not supposed to move like this. |
| 2-6 | at Cu20 | 4-2-5 | GALLMAN rush left for 4 yards to the CU24 (Hollin, D.), clock 06:23. | Straight dive from the tail back, inside zone blocking. Desmond Hollin does a very nice job getting a stalemate and even walking the guard towards the back before disengaging and making the tackle. Derrick Mitchell is overly concerned with getting penetration and lets himself get walled off. Backup DTs in the game early on. Rotating quite a bit. |
| 3-2 | at Cu24 | 4-2-5 | Timeout Clemson, clock 06:15. | |
| 3-2 | at Cu24 | 4-2-5 | STOUDT rush over left tackle for 1 yard to the CU25 (Northrup, R.;Andrews, N.), clock 05:51. | Clemson is initially lined up with a stack WR alignment to the boundary and FSU has Demarcus Walker and PJ Williams lined up over them. The play is QB power that is defended beautifully. Mario Edwards recognizes the down blocks and attacks the hole, meeting the pulling guard on the other side of the line of scrimmage before he can get square. Demarcus Walker squeezes the H back trying to kick him out and there is absolutely nowhere for the QB to run. Great gap discipline. Northrup cleans it up with authority. |
| 4-1 | at Cu25 | PINION punt 49 yards to the FS26, fair catch by Greene, R.. | ||
| Drive: 3 plays, 9 yards, TOP 02:03 | ||||
| 1-10 | at Fs26 | FLORIDA STATE drive start at 05:33. | ||
| 1-10 | at Fs26 | 21 Bunch | Maguire, S. deep pass complete to Wilson, J. for 36 yards to the CU38, 1ST DOWN FS (R. SMITH), clock 05:21. | Flood concept vs Clemson's cover 3. With three receivers at different depths between the hash and the sideline, the defense is outnumbered and must pick which routes to defend. The deep third defender to the third jumps O'Leary's corner route. The deep middle defender reads the two vertical releases and tries to get over top of the vertical route but is too late to prevent the completion. If Maguire throws it when he first wants to instead of double clutching, this may go for 6. That's one of those errors many won't see, but the QB should and will be faulted for this 36-yard gain because Wilson had him beat (Bud saw from the press box). Protection very good. Fisher designed some shot plays to take advantage of Maguire's big arm and Maguire didn't take advantage of many even though Fisher's calls schemed them open. |
| 1-10 | at Cu38 | PENALTY FS false start (Matias, J.) 5 yards to the CU43, clock 05:11. | Senior. At home. | |
| 1-15 | at Cu43 | 21 Pony | Maguire, S. deep pass incomplete to Wilson, J., clock 04:50. | Clemson is bringing edge pressure from the boundary on this play. Freddie Stevenson hardly slows the blitzing linebacker down and Bobby Hart gets bullrushed back into Maguire's face. Maguire had time to get it off, but the pressure in his face is likely responsible for Maguire missing on the vertical route, but the coverage was very tight anyway. Credit Clemson for varying its blitz packages. |
| 2-15 | at Cu43 | 10 Gun Tight | Maguire, S. screen pass incomplete to Williams, K. (BARNES), clock 04:46. | Slip screen is set up well, but Clemson has a blitzer coming free who is able to get his arms up to deflect the pass. Matias tied up with him for too long. |
| 3-15 | at Cu43 | 11 Gun | Maguire, S. middle pass incomplete to Greene, R., QB hurry by ANTHONY, clock 04:42. | Another just awful effort from Barron on a middle linebacker blitz. They actually looped a DE in behind the MLB blitz assuming the center would be occupied by the MLB blitz but the blitz never has a chance to develop because Barron lets the first guy through. |
| 4-15 | at Cu43 | Timeout Clemson, clock 04:42. | ||
| 4-15 | at Cu43 | Beatty, C. punt 31 yards to the CU12, fair catch by HUMPHRIES. | ||
| Drive: 4 plays, 31 yards, TOP 00:58 | You cannot afford to get behind the chains with lack of focus penalties when you're playing a backup QB. Really good adjustment by Brent Venables to start bringing pressure. Maguire was starting to get comfortable and exploit Clemson's safeties. | |||
| 1-10 | at Cu12 | CLEMSON drive start at 04:35. | ||
| 1-10 | at Cu12 | D. WATSON at QB for Clemson. | ||
| 1-10 | at Cu12 | 4-2-5 | GALLMAN rush left for loss of 1 yard to the CU11 (Smith, Terr.), clock 04:20. | End around, Tyler Hunter sets the edge, Terrance Smith pursues well, good hustle by Goldman, Edwards, Jr. and Nile Lawrence-Stample and Darby. |
| 2-11 | at Cu11 | 4-2-5 | D. WATSON SH pass complete to DAVIDSON for 7 yards to the CU18 (Hunter, T.;Ramsey, J.), clock 03:30. | Jet sweep with two H backs out front. Hunter needs to react faster to prevent the receiver from turning the corner. |
| 3-4 | at Cu18 | 4-2-5 | D. WATSON sacked for loss of 2 yards to the CU16 (Edwards, M.), PENALTY CU personal foul off-setting, PENALTY FS personal foul off-setting, NO PLAY, clock 03:06. | Camera angle is too tight to see the routes or coverage. Disciplined pass rush around Watson. Edwards rushes outside, opening what appears to be a running lane, but he is able to disengage and wrap up Watson's feet when he tries to tuck it. Plus, Northrup is right there in a short zone/spy if the QB breaks free. Darby has to be smarter. Just take those hands to the face and get them off the field. |
| 3-4 | at Cu18 | 4-2-5 | D. WATSON rush QX for 13 yards to the CU31, out-of-bounds (Andrews, N.), PENALTY CU holding (GUILLERMO) 9 yards to the CU9, NO PLAY, clock 02:40. | Nearly identical play. FSU is in man coverage and turns a receiver completely loose underneath, but Watson is already tucking the ball. Edwards tries to make the same diving tackle but only gets a forearm on Watson this time. Trying too hard to get the sack? |
| 3-13 | at Cu09 | 4-2-5 | DAVIDSON rush draw play for 14 yards to the CU23, 1ST DOWN CU (Andrews, N.), clock 02:16. | Eddie Goldman and Demarcus Walker are in pure pass rush mode and get completely out of their rush lanes, allowing a huge hole for the back on the draw. Lamarcus Brutus, in the game for reasons that remain a mystery (though he's FSU's sixth man, we think), makes a laughable attempt at a tackle. Really inexcusable and immature play by the defense. Should have been expecting draw in this situation. |
| 1-10 | at Cu23 | 4-2-5 | D. WATSON deep out pass complete to M. WILLIAMS for 33 yards to the FS44, 1ST DOWN CU, out-of-bounds (Hunter, T.), clock 01:40. | Nile Lawrence-Stample is completely unblocked but Watson rolls out to buy time. The underneath coverage is caught watching the quarterback and the flat route, and loses track of the over route coming across the field, leaving him wide open on the sideline. |
| 1-10 | at Fs44 | 4-2-5 | D. WATSON WS pass complete to HUMPHRIES for 2 yards to the FS42 (Smith, Terr.), clock 01:05. | Similar middle screen from the first quarter but without the rub action. Terrance Smith reads it well and cuts underneath the blockers to make the tackle for a short gain. |
| 2-8 | at Fs42 | 4-2-5 | D. WATSON post pass complete to HOPPER for 24 yards to the FS18, 1ST DOWN CU (Williams, P.J.), clock 00:37. | Jalen Ramsey is too busy looking in the backfield and lets the slot receiver run right by him for an easy seam route completion. |
| 1-10 | at Fs18 | 4-2-5 | D. WATSON post pass incomplete to PEAKE, clock 00:12. | Good coverage on the vertical routes from the slot receivers. This may have been a busted play as Clemson has two receivers in the same area. |
| 2-10 | at Fs18 | 4-2-5 | D. WATSON rush right for 5 yards to the FS13 (Hollin, D.), clock 00:00. | Zone read keep by Watson is defended pretty well until Reggie Northrup just flat misses the tackle. Desmond Hollin unloads on Watson from behind. Big hit. |
| Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:48 | ||||
| Florida State 3, Clemson 0 |