With a rivalry game against Florida on deck, the Seminoles could have come out sloppy on the road against Syracuse.
That didn’t happen. The Seminoles came out on fire, with a dominant blocking effort, and a defensive line that consistently got after the quarterback to take a 14-0 lead. FSU cruised to a 45-14 victory.
The Seminoles never looked back. Florida State RB Dalvin Cook set the all-time rushing record for the Seminoles in the first quarter, en route to rushing for 228 yards on 28 carries, including four touchdowns. On many of the runs, he was not touched until he was well into defensive backfield of the Orange, as the offensive line overwhelmed Syracuse’s young defensive line.
Florida State had 654 yard of offense on the day.
Florida State opened up a 21-0 lead, but Syracuse cut it to 21-7 at the half thanks to hitting a hail mary of 46 yards.
The explosive play was the weapon of choice. Before FSU pulled its starters, it had 12 passes of 15+ yards and 15 rushes of 10+ yards.
The Seminoles could have easily scored 60 points if not for four turnovers, including an interception, and three lost fumbles.
Florida State’s defense held Syracuse’s offense to less than four yards/play before pulling the starters. Syracuse clearly missed its starting quarterback, who was out with a head injury. On the day the Seminoles had double-digit tackles for loss, and eight sacks. Cornerback Tarvarus McFadden notched his eight interception, leading the nation.
Florida State moves to 8-3 on the season, while Syracuse goes to 4-7. The Seminoles have Florida on deck.