What went right, what went wrong on offense for FSU vs. Syracuse

Tallahassee FL- There were some down moments, like multiple failed 4th down conversions, but Florida State (6-0, 4-0 ACC) moved the ball as well as they had against any team and showed just how high the ceiling is for them.

Keon Coleman is him — a future NFL star and a Top-15 pick. This game is exactly what the Seminoles were hoping for with Johnny Wilson out with an injury.

But beyond that, the running game continues to improve and the offense is improving over the last two weeks in a very encouraging way.

What Went Right

Prior to being taken out of the game the first-team offense gained 466 total yards, averaged almost 7 yards per play, and just under 6 yards per rushing attempt. The team did not convert all of their opportunities (more on that later...) but they moved the ball as well as they have all season.

The best off-season moves the Seminoles made were bringing in Keon Coleman and Jaheim Bell and they were a huge reason why the ‘Noles won. They combined for 227 total yards, the ‘Noles next leading receiver finished with 23 yards.

Coleman got the spotlight today and deservedly so, he had a highlight of the day with a one-handed catch and then had a great double-move for a touchdown.

Even though it was not offense, he looked special today as a punt returner and had two returns that were one tackle away from going for six.

But Bell was excellent today as well, he finished the game with 4 catches for 87 yards with an impressive 39-yard catch and run. After playing 7 snaps last Saturday, seemingly dealing with an injury, he looked fine on Saturday.

The running game got back on track as well and built on the momentum that they showed against Virginia Tech. Both Lawrance Toafili and Trey Benson finished with 70+ yards on the day and the team averaged 5.9 yards per carry.

We also saw some young players like Hykeem Williams and Cziah Holmes be able to show their talent off and put some good play on film.

What Went Wrong

The Seminoles did a lot of good things in the first half. But Mike Norvell had some questionable playcalling and the Seminoles are continuing to show that they are not doing a good enough job to protect Jordan Travis.

Mike Norvell could have taken a field goal twice and put the ‘Noles up 23 -3 at the half and they did not convert.

It was the right call to go for it, as we would have and should have praised Norvell if they converted. But the play calls were not smart for the situations they were in.

Jordan Travis was visibly frustrated after the botched 4th and 1 direct snap to Jaheim Bell. Throughout the game, he was more critical and showed negative emotions more than we have ever seen.

Jordan needs to be better as his deep and intermediate accuracy are not as good as we have seen from him in the past. But we also know he has been dealing with injuries all season long.

The offensive line has been injured and has had trouble getting a consistent group together but the pass protection has just a few moments where they have put Travis in a dangerous situation.

Overall they have been better and shown improvement, but if this team wants to be a true contender they need to get to bowl season with Jordan Travis as healthy as he can be.

This team ran away with the game but they need to do a better job of being able to close out drives, and halves.

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Florida State Passing:

Jordan Travis: 23-37, 284 yards, 1 TD

Tate Rodemaker: 2-2, 60 yards, 1 TD

Florida State Rushing:

Lawrance Toafili: 7 carries, 93 yards, 1 TD

Trey Benson: 14 carries, 74 yards

Caziah Holmes: 2 carries, 11 yards

Deuce Spann: 1 carry, 1 yard

Jaheim Bell: 1 carry, 0 yards

Team: 1 carry, -2 yards

Jordan Travis: 7 carries, -5 yards, 2 TDs

Florida State Receiving:

Keon Coleman: 9 receptions, 140 yards, 1 TD

Jaheim Bell: 4 receptions, 87 yards

Destyn Hill: 3 receptions, 10 yards

Darion Williamson: 2 receptions, 23 yards

Markestson Douglas: 2 receptions, 5 yards

Hykeem Williams: 1 reception, 44 yards, 1 TD

Caziah Holmes: 1 reception, 16 yards

Lawrance Toafili: 1 reception, 11 yards

Trey Benson: 1 reception, 6 yards

Kyle Morlock: 1 reception, 2 yards