A Tough Day for Florida State’s Defense: Key Plays That Broke the Seminoles Against Georgia Tech
A Tough Day for Florida State’s Defense: Key Plays That Broke the Seminoles Against Georgia Tech
Saturday was a frustrating day for the Florida State defense. With all the off-season hype surrounding this unit, I was among those who bought into the potential. If I’m being honest, I still believe the foundation is there for a strong defense, but there are significant areas that need improvement. Some star players failed to rise to the occasion, while others stepped up and may see more reps against Boston College on Labor Day. In this article, we’ll break down the key plays that I believe were pivotal in the Seminoles' loss last Saturday. While there were certainly other moments, these plays stand out as the difference between a win and a loss for FSU.
Q2 | 3rd and 5 | 10:27
Florida State’s heavy reliance on man coverage isn’t inherently problematic, but their frequent use of Cover 5 (2-man) in passing situations was questionable given Georgia Tech’s limited vertical threat. On this play, GT sends a receiver in motion pre-snap, triggering a switch in FSU’s coverage. The corner picks up the motioning receiver, while the Nickel, sprinting across the field in man coverage, is left to adjust to a last-second switch to an underneath route. Unfortunately, he slips, allowing an easy completion on a mesh concept for a crucial GT first down. This play extended a drive that eventually led to a touchdown. GT identified this switching issue and tried to exploit it again later, but GT’s quarterback wasn’t able to deliver a key throw.
The coverage on this play was different (Cover 1 Rat), but the result was the same: the Nickel, chasing the motion receiver, struggled to readjust on the fly.
Q3 | 2nd and 10 | 5:09
After stopping Georgia Tech on a first down quarterback run, FSU had them behind the sticks. The Seminoles likely intended to bring a 5-man pressure with Cover 0 (man-to-man with a post safety) behind it. However, after a GT motion, FSU mistakenly rushes six defenders while playing single high, leaving no one to cover the slot receiver who had motioned. The result? An easy pitch and catch for GT and another first down, extending a scoring drive. FSU had options: they could have brought 6 and played blitz coverage (straight man-to-man with no post safety), brought 5 and played Cover 0, or brought 6 with some form of zone “Hot Coverage” behind it. Unfortunately, they chose none of these options and paid the price.
Q3 | 1st and 10 | 3:38
The next sequence of downs was crucial. On first down, Georgia Tech attempted a play-action pass off the counter run scheme that had been effective all night.
Related Content: Florida State’s Defensive Struggles Against Georgia Tech’s Counter Game
Florida State called a corner blitz off receiver motion, a great decision, and ran what appeared to be cloud Cover 3 behind it. However, the Seminoles couldn’t get to the quarterback, and no one covered the flat, allowing GT to complete a 7-yard pass. This missed opportunity set the stage for what came next.
On the following play, FSU finally defended the counter read perfectly, forcing a fumble on the exchange. Unfortunately, the Seminoles failed to recover the loose ball. The biggest mistake came from a player trying to scoop the ball in traffic instead of simply falling on it—a costly error that denied the offense an extra drive.
This left Georgia Tech with a 3rd and 12. Had FSU sacked the quarterback on first down, GT would have faced a 3rd and 18+ situation. Regardless, on 3rd and 12, you’d expect FSU to pressure a quarterback who struggles with the passing game. Instead, they opted to sit back in Cover 5 (2-man under) rather than applying pressure. With little threat of a deep pass, a sticks coverage would have been more effective. However, the Seminoles stuck with Cover 5, and despite generating slight pressure, the GT quarterback had enough time to drop back, hitch, and throw a crosser for a first down. The safeties, playing too deep, were unable to make a play, and this key first down led to a GT touchdown, putting them up 21-14.
Q4 | 2nd and 6 | 3:38
Georgia Tech was able to run out the final 6+ minutes of the game in the fourth quarter, ultimately securing the win with a field goal. There were two key plays early in this sequence where the Seminoles could have made a stop.
On 2nd and 6, GT ran a counter read, and the quarterback kept the ball. The linebacker (#9) did his job by taking the dive, leaving the safety (#12) to handle the quarterback. However, the safety took a poor angle and couldn’t recover in time. Additionally, the corner failed to set the edge on a crack replace, missing an opportunity to make the play. Ultimately, this play should’ve resulted in a TFL (tackle for loss)
The next play was, in my opinion, the back breaker. On 3rd and 7, Florida State brought Nickel pressure and played Cover 1. This time, they didn’t switch, and it cost them. The interior linebacker was matched against the running back, forcing him to chase to the field. With the safety buzzing down, a switch would have been ideal, but it likely wasn’t in their rules. Georgia Tech had done an excellent job all night of moving players to put FSU at a disadvantage in man coverage. This was a perfect moment for a zone pressure, but it wasn’t in the cards.
Recently, the “sexy” pressures in the game have been 5-man pressures with “spot” coverage behind. (Diagram below)
Conclusion
The Seminole defense left much to be desired on Saturday afternoon, but if they had made a few of these critical plays, they likely would have won the game. While it’s easy to be discouraged—and I am—sometimes a tough early loss can galvanize a team. Hopefully, this game serves as a learning experience for the defense, and they’ll be better prepared to make these plays moving forward after reviewing the tape.