It's the Florida State Football Film Review. Every week we break down the result of the previous Florida State game. Who really played well for the Seminoles against USF? Which players played poorly? Where did the coaches do well, and when did they screw up?
All analyzed plays will eventually appear in the Florida State Film Review section of the website. We do not analyze plays in garbage time.
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Observations
- FSU had a run/pass ratio (called plays, so sacks counted as passing plays and not rushes) of 2/1 in the relevant period.
- Florida State did a good job of putting USF in conflict with personnel and formation, specifically with trips from gun and with its two tight sets.
- South Florida’s defensive ends were poor and the defense overplayed many of FSU’s runs, allowing for cutbacks. Perhaps they saw FSU not hit cutbacks against Louisville?
- FSU still did not use Deondre Francois’ all that much n the run game and seemed to do little RPO post-snap. Some of this may be because USF dictated the option pre-snap and FSU did not need to. Most of Francois’ designed runs were on QB sweeps.
- FSU’s receivers and tight ends blocked so much better against USF after having one of their worst blocking games ever against Louisville. Ryan Izzo threw big blocks all day and Mavin Saunders also blocked well. It’s encouraging to see FSU throwing it up to Auden Tate more.
- Dalvin Cook hit the hole with more authority than in previous games. He doesn’t look completely like himself when it comes to some of the downfield moves and still seems to be throwing his left shoulder/chest at defenders.
- Deondre Francois seemed to make good decisions with the football, though he had very few tough ones to make and also made some poor throws. He also had a costly fumble. He did a good job as a runner, though he needs to get down and not take as many big shots.
- The offensive line also played better against USF than it did Louisville. Left tackle Rod Johnson was very good, right tackle Brock Ruble was an upgrade (not dominant, but assignment sound). Center Alec Eberle showed the effects of the ankle injury suffered in practice, and freshman right guard Landon Dickerson had some good moments but also some freshman mental mistakes. The runs were better on the edge than from guard to guard, and that’s something that should improve.
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| D-D | AT | Form | Play | Analysis |
| 1-10 | at Fs25 | FLORIDA STATE drive start at 14:43. | ||
| 1-10 | at Fs25 | 12 | Dalvin Cook rush for 75 yards to the USF0, 1ST DOWN FS, TOUCHDOWN, clock 14:31, Ricky Aguayo kick attempt good. | Double wing look, really nice blocks by Johnson, Are and Eberle. Saunders' doesn't maintain block but gets enough as Cook races by. This is a huge hole. But it's a TD because WRs blocked (Wilson, Rudolph). Cook barely even touched. |
| Florida State 7, USF 7 | ||||
| 1-G | at Fs35 | PENALTY FS unsportsmanlike conduct (Dalvin Cook) 15 yards to the FS20. | ||
| Drive: 1 plays, 75 yards, TOP 00:12 | ||||
| 1-10 | at Fs24 | FLORIDA STATE drive start at 11:49. | ||
| 1-10 | at Fs24 | 11 gun | Deondre Francois pass complete to Kermit Whitfield for no gain to the FS24, Jesus Wilson for no gain to the FS24 (ABRAHAM, Devin), PENALTY USF personal foul (ABRAHAM, Devin) 15 yards to the FS39, 1ST DOWN FS. | Great play call. Timing, sequence, influence, field spot. FSU just hit USF with a run off left to the boundary and this reverse bump pass is smart because it is incomplete if dropped as opposed to handed off. Unfortunately Ryan Izzo does not block the first man he sees when pulling, causing Wilson to take a much wider angle. Most other blocks were good. |
| 1-10 | at Fs39 | 11 gun | Deondre Francois pass complete to Auden Tate for 39 yards to the USF22, 1ST DOWN FS (NICHOLS, Deatri). | This is an out-and-up and Tate badly beats his defender. The pass protection is great, but the throw is poor and it ends up a 39-yard catch as opposed to a touchdown. Great adjustment on the ball by Tate. |
| 1-10 | at Usf22 | 12 | Dalvin Cook rush for 9 yards to the USF13 (HECTOR, Bruce). | Double wing again. IZ right. This is good blocking by FSU but also bad defense by USF as the linebackers badly overrun the play to the side the defensive line was already slanting. Cook is not touched until he is five yards downfield. |
| 2-1 | at Usf13 | 12 | Dalvin Cook rush for 13 yards to the USF0, 1ST DOWN FS, TOUCHDOWN, clock 10:22, Ricky Aguayo kick attempt good. | More double wing look. IZ to the right, everyone blocks great (Are needs to keep moving feet but this is a nice cutoff), Cook hits the LOS with 2015-level aggression and scores easily. Total team blocking effort, including WR and TE. |
| Florida State 14, USF 14 | ||||
| Drive: 4 plays, 76 yards, TOP 01:27 | ||||
| 1-10 | at Fs50 | FLORIDA STATE drive start at 08:43. | ||
| 1-10 | at Fs50 | 10 gun | Deondre Francois pass complete to Dalvin Cook for 27 yards to the USF23, 1ST DOWN FS (THOMAS, Jaymon). | FSU has trips field and back to the trips side, USF's alignment here is off and FSU has called a play to take advantage of this defensive response: a screen to Cook. That USF slanted heavily to the boundary also helps. Great blocking from FSU and there is no way the backside backer can cover Cook once backer to the field is picked off by Wilson. |
| 1-10 | at Usf23 | 12 | Jacques Patrick rush for 5 yards to the USF18 (JACKSON, LaDar;BRONSON, Kevin). | Inside zone again, Patrick is patient and the blocking is awesome. USF once again is too aggressive and gets out of its gaps defensively making the blocks even easier. |
| 2-5 | at Usf18 | 12 gun | Jacques Patrick rush for 9 yards to the USF9, 1ST DOWN FS (GODWIN, Nate). | Very well executed counter play. Johnson nice slide step, good down blocks from Eberle/Dickerson, Izzo and the receivers block very well, too. Ruble didn't whiff but could have been better. |
| 1-G | at Usf09 | 12 gun | Deondre Francois rush for 8 yards to the USF1 (ABRAHAM, Devin). | Trips to field, back to field is usually a QB sweep from FSU if defense does not adjust. Tremendous block by Rod Johnson and everyone seems real intent on being physical. |
| 2-G | at Usf01 | 32 | Freddie Stevenson rush for 1 yard to the USF0, TOUCHDOWN, clock 06:11, Ricky Aguayo kick attempt good. | Belly |
| Florida State 21, USF 14 | ||||
| Drive: 5 plays, 50 yards, TOP 02:32 | ||||
| 1-10 | at Fs36 | FLORIDA STATE drive start at 04:36. | ||
| 1-10 | at Fs36 | 21 | Dalvin Cook rush for 9 yards to the FS45 (LIVINGSTONE, K;THOMAS, Jaymon). | Twins to the field, inside zone with counter action, excellent block by Stevenson and Phillips. Rudolph might get called for a BITB here. Cook doesn't do anything special just gets available yards. |
| 2-1 | at Fs45 | 21 | Freddie Stevenson rush for 13 yards to the USF42, 1ST DOWN FS (FULLWODD, Tajee). | Same set, hang to Stevenson on backside with back pitch action to front. Strong block from Izzo. |
| 1-10 | at Usf42 | 12 | Dalvin Cook rush for loss of 2 yards to the USF44 (SANCHEZ, Auggie). | Counter from Florida State with two pullers. Dalvin Cook probably needs to hit this faster but this is a great play by the USF LB. |
| 2-12 | at Usf44 | Timeout Florida State, clock 02:42. | ||
| 2-12 | at Usf44 | 10 gun | Deondre Francois pass complete to Travis Rudolph for 14 yards to the USF30, 1ST DOWN FS (FULLWODD, Tajee). | Excellent pass protection from the offensive line and Deondre Francois hits Rudolph. Good adjustment to ball by Rudolph. |
| 1-10 | at Usf30 | 10 gun | Deondre Francois pass complete to Dalvin Cook for 11 yards to the USF19, 1ST DOWN FS (HARRIS, Nigel). | Swing screen by FSU to Cook. Exellent blocking. Cook looks to be avoiding contact with injured shoulder here, awkwardly. |
| 1-10 | at Usf19 | 12 | Jacques Patrick rush for 4 yards to the USF15 (HOGGINS, Ronnie;FULLWODD, Tajee). | Stretch left, walked up LB gets past Eberle (very tough look to run this against), all other blocks are excellent, Patrick good vision to cut this back. |
| 2-6 | at Usf15 | 21 gun | Deondre Francois rush for 2 yards to the USF13, out-of-bounds. | Play action shot coming here, Dickerson is beat on pass rush (looks like he thinks he has help but does not) and Stevenson does not pick up rusher, either. Excellent scramble by Francois. Bummer because man was wide open in end zone. |
| 3-4 | at Usf13 | Timeout USF, clock 00:32. | ||
| 3-4 | at Usf13 | 10 gun | Deondre Francois pass complete to Jesus Wilson for 13 yards to the USF0, 1ST DOWN FS, TOUCHDOWN, clock 00:25, PENALTY USF holding declined, Ricky Aguayo kick attempt good. | Beautiful pass protection by OL and Patrick, plenty of space and time for Francois to throw against a 6-man blitz. Good job to not leave the pocket and hit Wilson on the whip out. |
| Florida State 28, USF 14 | ||||
| Drive: 8 plays, 64 yards, TOP 04:11 | ||||
| 1-10 | at Fs15 | FLORIDA STATE drive start at 14:10. | ||
| 1-10 | at Fs15 | 10 gun | Deondre Francois pass incomplete to Kermit Whitfield. | Trips. Play action (does not look like RPO because blocking is all pass sets as opposed to aggressive downfield). Good job of handling the blitz by OL. Bad throw by Francois. |
| 2-10 | at Fs15 | 10 gun | Dalvin Cook rush for 6 yards to the FS21 (FULLWODD, Tajee). | If this is zone read, it's correctly done by Francois. Excellent double team and climb from Ruble and Izzo. Eberle doesn't really block anyone. Cook doesn't do anything special just gets blocked yards. |
| 3-4 | at Fs21 | 10 gun | Deondre Francois pass incomplete to Travis Rudolph. | All slants, pass protection not great, throw inaccurate, perhaps pass interference. |
| Drive: 3 plays, 6 yards, TOP 01:07 | ||||
| 1-10 | at Fs18 | FLORIDA STATE drive start at 11:13. | ||
| 1-10 | at Fs18 | Timeout Florida State, clock 11:13. | ||
| 1-10 | at Fs18 | 10 gun | Deondre Francois pass incomplete to Dalvin Cook. | Trips look again, another flare screen to Cook. Very good blocking on edge, bad throw by Francois. |
| 2-10 | at Fs18 | 21 | Dalvin Cook rush for 17 yards to the FS35, 1ST DOWN FS (ABRAHAM, Devin). | Inside zone with counter pivot action again, again USF flows hard to first movement creating easy blocks which are all made. Cook takes a big shot on his right shoulder (the shoulder he had surgery on in offseason that doesn't look healthy). |
| 1-10 | at Fs35 | PENALTY FS unsportsmanlike conduct (Alec Eberle) 15 yards to the FS20, 1ST DOWN FS. | Dumb penalty by Eberle. | |
| 1-10 | at Fs20 | 10 gun | Dalvin Cook rush for 13 yards to the FS33, 1ST DOWN FS (WARD, Johnny). | More trips look. Zone read look again (if it's actually a read, Francois made the right read). Eberle needs to not give as much ground here but does make the block. Great block by Kareem Are in space. Cook takes another shot to his shoulder. |
| 1-10 | at Fs33 | 10 gun | Deondre Francois pass complete to Kermit Whitfield for 8 yards to the FS41 (BROWN, Juwuan;ABRAHAM, Devin). | More trips look, RPO, Francois pulls the zone read and flips it out. Correct read. Excellent job by the USF defender to get up after an OK block by FSU. |
| 2-2 | at Fs41 | 21 | Dalvin Cook rush for 45 yards to the USF14, 1ST DOWN FS (WARD, Johnny). | This is horrible luck for USF. Backer over backside C-gap blitzes play-side A-gap. The play is inside zone and Johnson, Are, Rudolph and Stevenson make good blocks. This hole is enormous. The way Cook finishes this run is weird, though. Doesn't look like 2015 Cook. |
| 1-10 | at Usf14 | 12 | Jacques Patrick rush for 11 yards to the USF3, 1ST DOWN FS (WILKINS, Mazzi). | More of this double wing look with compressed WR splits, too. Basically forces USF to play zone. I think this is outside zone, but Rod Johnson trips and Jacques Patrick cuts this run back and makes a nice physical play. Smart to over-pursue with how much USF was sprinting play-side. |
| 1-G | at Usf03 | 12 | Jacques Patrick rush for 2 yards to the USF1 (THOMAS, Danny;HECTOR, Bruce). | More inside zone from FSU. Patrick may need to cut this back outside the backside tight end, but I can't fault him for tough running down on the goal line. |
| 2-G | at Usf01 | Jacques Patrick rush for no gain to the USF1 (WARD, Johnny;LIVINGSTONE, K). | ||
| 3-G | at Usf01 | 32 | Deondre Francois sacked for loss of 7 yards to the USF8 (LOVE, Mike). | Play action, freshman guard Landon Dickerson gets beat as the blitzer is in his face before he expects it. |
| 4-G | at Usf08 | Ricky Aguayo field goal attempt from 25 GOOD, clock 07:04. | ||
| Florida State 31, USF 14 | ||||
| Drive: 10 plays, 74 yards, TOP 04:09 | Nice drive, but finishing in the red zone would be better. | |||
| 1-10 | at Fs47 | FLORIDA STATE drive start at 06:58. | ||
| 1-10 | at Fs47 | 12 | Deondre Francois sacked for loss of 5 yards to the FS42 (HECTOR, Bruce). | Play action, FSU looking for a deep shot and Kareem Are does not bluff run at all, allowing the defender to straight pass rush. |
| 2-15 | at Fs42 | 10 gun | Deondre Francois pass incomplete to Kermit Whitfield. | More trips, Francois throws a good screen pass and Whitfield drops it. |
| 3-15 | at Fs42 | 10 gun | Deondre Francois pass incomplete to Kermit Whitfield. | Pass protection is OK, Francois oddly decides to throw a 4-yard pass on long distance down, and the throw is bad. |
| 4-15 | at Fs42 | Logan Tyler punt 33 yards to the USF25, downed. | ||
| Drive: 3 plays, minus 5 yards, TOP 00:59 | ||||
| 1-10 | at Fs49 | FLORIDA STATE drive start at 04:15. | ||
| 1-10 | at Fs49 | 21 | Jacques Patrick rush for 22 yards to the USF29, 1ST DOWN FS (WARD, Johnny). | More of the split zone or IZ with counter pivot, whatever you want to call it. Excellent block by Freddie Stevenson and great tough running from Patrick. Good ove. |
| 1-10 | at Usf29 | 21 | Jacques Patrick rush for 3 yards to the USF26 (AWOLEKE, Daniel). | Poor block from Alec Eberle, whose ankle is clearly not right. Great toughness from Patrick. |
| 2-7 | at Usf26 | 21 gun | Deondre Francois pass complete to Jesus Wilson for 21 yards to the USF5, 1ST DOWN FS (ABRAHAM, Devin). | Play action, great pass blocking, nice throw from Francois to Wilson on the over route. Good read. |
| 1-G | at Usf05 | 21 gun | Freddie Stevenson rush for loss of 4 yards to the USF9 (LOVE, Mike). | OZ Sweep to Stevenson, this is a tough look to run against with the box so loaded. Something is amiss, and the offensive line turns someone totally loose. Might have been a missed call. |
| 2-G | at Usf09 | 10 gun | Deondre Francois pass complete to Dalvin Cook for 8 yards to the USF1 (WARD, Johnny;ABRAHAM, Devin). | Nice screen to Cook. I think the 2015 version of Cook manages to score on this, but still a nice play. Rod Johnson picks up a block in the open field. |
| 3-G | at Usf01 | Timeout Florida State, clock 01:23. | ||
| 3-G | at Usf01 | 32 | Freddie Stevenson rush for 1 yard to the USF0, TOUCHDOWN, clock 01:18, Ricky Aguayo kick attempt good. | Belly to Stevenson with some nice fake pitch action to create angles. |
| Florida State 38, USF 14 | ||||
| Drive: 6 plays, 51 yards, TOP 02:57 | ||||
| 1-10 | at Fs25 | FLORIDA STATE drive start at 15:00. | ||
| 1-10 | at Fs25 | 10 gun | Dalvin Cook rush for 2 yards to the FS27 (THOMAS, Jaymon). | ZR, correct give, blocking is fine but USF's safety plays this beautifully and the cutback lane was about impossible. |
| 2-8 | at Fs27 | 11 gun | Dalvin Cook rush for 6 yards to the FS33 (SANCHEZ, Auggie). | Orbit motion to trips holds backers. Well blocked, USF overpursues,Cook seems to hit this cutback sort of hesitantly and I think he could have had the first down with more aggressive running. |
| 3-2 | at Fs33 | 11 gun | Deondre Francois rush for 17 yards to the 50 yardline, 1ST DOWN FS (JACKSON, Vincen). | Motion to trips, USF doesn't adjust enough, angles for QB sweep are easy. Nice run. Francois should slide here after getting first down. |
| 1-10 | at Fs50 | 11 gun | Dalvin Cook rush for 3 yards to the USF47 (SENAT, Deadrin). | Counter, decent first down run. USF clearly flying to stop the run. Dickerson should probably peel quicker to the backer. |
| 2-7 | at Usf47 | 11 gun | Deondre Francois sacked for loss of 5 yards to the FS48 (SANCHEZ, Auggie), fumble by Deondre Francois recovered by USF SANCHEZ, Auggie at FS48, SANCHEZ, Auggie for no gain to the FS48. | Straight dropback pass. Dickerson gets beat because he doesn't move his feet. Other pass blocks are strong. Francois must have better ball security here. Errors by freshman OL and freshman QB. |
| Drive: 5 plays, 23 yards, TOP 03:12 | ||||
| 1-10 | at Fs05 | FLORIDA STATE drive start at 11:40. | ||
| 1-10 | at Fs05 | 21 | Dalvin Cook rush for 5 yards to the FS10 (JACKSON, Vincen). | Inside zone, USF covers down and there are no clear lanes. Good job by Cook to get what he can on first down. |
| 2-5 | at Fs10 | 12 gun | Deondre Francois rush for 18 yards to the FS28, 1ST DOWN FS (ABRAHAM, Devin). | Again, FSU has angles and checks to QB sweep. Great block by Rod Johnson. Awesome. Francois should get down after picking up first. Unnecessary hit taken up 24 points. |
| 1-10 | at Fs28 | 12 | Dalvin Cook rush for 4 yards to the FS32 (HARRIS, Nigel;SENAT, Deadrin). | Inside zone, very well played by USF. FSU still gets four. Nice bounce cut by Cook. If Are's man doesn't spin off this probably breaks huge because there is a seam. |
| 2-6 | at Fs32 | 12 | Deondre Francois pass complete to Mavin Saunders for 12 yards to the FS44, 1ST DOWN FS (SANCHEZ, Auggie;JACKSON, Vincen). | Quick game, pass pro is good, Francois hits Saunders on time. Nice pass play. |
| 1-10 | at Fs44 | 12 | Dalvin Cook rush for 15 yards to the USF41, 1ST DOWN FS, out-of-bounds (BRONSON, Kevin). | OZ, tremendous blocks by Johnson and Izzo spring this. Cook finally makes someone miss and gets eight extra yards. |
| 1-10 | at Usf41 | 12 | Jacques Patrick rush for 27 yards to the USF14, 1ST DOWN FS (THOMAS, Jaymon). | OZ, great blocks again by Izzo, Johnson, Are and Patrick is running really hard. |
| 1-10 | at Usf14 | 12 | Jacques Patrick rush for 8 yards to the USF6, out-of-bounds. | OZ (same play again), great block by Johnson, Patrick again running hard. |
| 2-2 | at Usf06 | 12 | Jacques Patrick rush for 3 yards to the USF3, 1ST DOWN FS (CHERRY, Cecil). | IZ, good tough running picks up the first down. Not dancing, just pounding. |
| 1-G | at Usf03 | 21 | Freddie Stevenson rush for 1 yard to the USF2 (FULLWODD, Tajee). | USF is ready for this belly (wham) play and the DT does a good job to beat the snap. |
| 2-G | at Usf02 | 12 gun | Jacques Patrick rush for 2 yards to the USF0, TOUCHDOWN, clock 07:07, Ricky Aguayo kick attempt good. | Looks like ZR and if so Francois should perhaps keep. But it didn't matter here because the left side of the line (Johnson, Are) and Izzo just dominate USF at the point of attack. Patrick scores but I'd bet he was graded down for dancing as opposed to racing to the corner. |
| Florida State 45, USF 14 | ||||
| Drive: 10 plays, 95 yards, TOP 04:33 | ||||
| 1-10 | at Usf39 | FLORIDA STATE drive start at 05:57. | ||
| 1-10 | at Usf39 | 12 | Deondre Francois pass incomplete. | Pass protection is fine, Auden Tate runs a go but the route is supposed to be an out, which Francois throws |
| 2-10 | at Usf39 | 12 | Dalvin Cook rush for loss of 1 yard to the USF40 (HECTOR, Bruce). | USF seems to be expecting the zone run left here (probably because FSU ran it four times on previous drive) and the DT cuts under Kareem Are and Izzo gets driven into the backfield. |
| 3-11 | at Usf40 | 11 gun | Deondre Francois pass incomplete to Auden Tate. | Awesome blitz pickup by Jacques Patrick and the offensive line. Francois takes a deep attempt to Tate who was probably interfered with, no call. Throw just long. |
| Drive: 3 plays, minus 1 yards, TOP 00:57 | ||||
| 1-10 | at Fs34 | FLORIDA STATE drive start at 03:22. | ||
| 1-10 | at Fs34 | 10 gun | Dalvin Cook rush for 9 yards to the FS43 (BRONSON, Kevin). | ZR, Ruble/Dickerson mishandle the defensive end but the other blocks are so good and Cook makes a nice jump cut. |
| 2-1 | at Fs43 | 21 | Dalvin Cook rush for 6 yards to the FS49, 1ST DOWN FS (BRONSON, Kevin;FULLWODD, Tajee). | IZ, great blocks by Dickerson, Are, Eberle. No hesitation from Cook. |
| 1-10 | at Fs49 | 21 | Dalvin Cook rush for 8 yards to the USF43. | Split zone, USF overpursues so hard on the counter pivot that Dickerson is left with nobody to block and actually runs into Cook way downfield. |
| 2-2 | at Usf43 | Timeout Florida State, clock 01:31. | ||
| 2-2 | at Usf43 | 21 | Dalvin Cook rush for 4 yards to the USF39, 1ST DOWN FS (GODWIN, Nate;SENAT, Deadrin). | OZ, good physical blocking and no-nonsense running. Cook might have been able to bounce this for a bigger gain but gets the first. |
| 1-10 | at Usf39 | 12 | Dalvin Cook rush for loss of 2 yards to the USF41 (HOGGINS, Ronnie). | OZ, USF hits this with a nice corner blitz. Sometimes the opponent just has a good play call. Izzo doesn't handle it well, rest of blocks were solid. |
| 2-12 | at Usf41 | 11 gun | Deondre Francois pass complete to Dalvin Cook for 16 yards to the USF25, 1ST DOWN FS (FULLWODD, Tajee). | Play action boot, flip to Cook who gets upfield quickly. |
| 1-10 | at Usf25 | Start of 4th quarter, clock 15:00. | ||
| 1-10 | at Usf25 | 21 | Jacques Patrick rush for 3 yards to the USF22 (SENAT, Deadrin). | IZ, tough running from Patrick but Stevenson whiffs on his block otherwise this could have gone long. |
| 2-7 | at Usf22 | 21 gun | Deondre Francois pass incomplete to Jesus Wilson (HOGGINS, Ronnie). | Play action, good pass blocking, throw is fine and reasonably on time, Wilson must hold on to the ball through contact. |
| 3-7 | at Usf22 | Timeout Florida State, clock 14:21. | ||
| 3-7 | at Usf22 | 21 gun | Dalvin Cook rush for 4 yards to the USF18 (SENAT, Deadrin;SANCHEZ, Auggie). | ZR, correct give, strange miscommunication between Eberle/Dickerson lets a DL go free which changes Cook's arc. This is also a bit of a give up play. |
| 4-3 | at Usf18 | Ricky Aguayo field goal attempt from 35 GOOD, clock 13:33. | ||
| Florida State 48, USF 21 |
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