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Florida State football grades vs. Duke: Offense remains a failure in disappointing loss

peter holland jr., tallahassee democrat
·6 min read

Just when Florida State football (1-6, 1-5 ACC) took one step forward, it again stumbled.

In a Friday night Atlantic Coast Conference showdown, the Seminoles lost to the Duke Blue Devils, 23-16. The defeat snapped the Seminoles' 22-game winning streak against Duke, and FSU remains a one-win team.

After returning from its bye week, FSU had an opportunity to turn around whatever was left of its season. And at first, it started to turn around, but the offense remained lackluster.

FSU was in a good position to pick up its first road win but was plagued by costly turnovers and another poorly offensive performance.

The Seminoles showed fight, and head coach Mike Norvell saw that in his players, yet they could not pull through and play a clean game in all three phases.

"I thought that, coming into this game, we were prepared," Norvell said in his opening statement. "We were ready, excited to see them play, and I am grateful for the fight that they showed throughout that game. They battled."

Here are the grades for Friday's loss.

Offense: F

FSU's offense continued to hold itself back and would lead to the same result.

It was a rough night for quarterback Brock Glenn. After committing three straight turnovers, including a pick-six, he was benched 10 minutes into the second quarter.

True freshman Luke Kromenhoek stepped in but couldn't do much due to a lack of pass protection and dropped passes from the wide receivers.

A couple of those drops could have been touchdown passes from both quarterbacks, which might have helped the Seminoles capture their second win of the year.

"Both those guys are young players who saw a quality defense that showed a lot of different looks, and it's just a great opportunity for them to build upon it and get better," Norvell said.

Both quarterbacks were combined 12-for-26 for 129 passing yards and two interceptions. Duke's defense also sacked both QBs six times. Presnap penalties also pushed the team back with two false starts and a delay of the game.

Florida State Seminoles quarterback Luke Kromenhoek (14) prepares to throw the football during the second half of the game on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Durham, North Carolina. The Blue Devils won 23-16.
Florida State Seminoles quarterback Luke Kromenhoek (14) prepares to throw the football during the second half of the game on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Durham, North Carolina. The Blue Devils won 23-16.

"I think when you look offensively, every time we seem to get a jump or a play, there be a setback from either a missed opportunity there with a pass that being dropped or we got pressure or ultimately wasn't able to execute," Norvell said.

The only positive offensively was that the Seminoles ran the football efficiently.

A team that was dead last in the country in rushing yards rushed a season-best 162 yards on the ground and averaged 4.4 yards a carry, which doubled the production it made all year.

Freshman running back Kam Davis, who didn't finish the game due to an injury sustained in the fourth quarter, led with 63 yards. Glenn added 47 yards on the ground.

Senior Ja'Khi Douglas was the leading receiver with four catches for 48 yards.

More: WATCH: FSU 's Justin Cryer, Ja'Khi Douglas talk about performance after loss to Duke

Defense: A

Oct 18, 2024; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Florida State Seminoles defensive back Fentrell Cypress II (23) tackles Duke Blue Devils wide receiver Javon Harvey (7) during the first half of the game at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images
Oct 18, 2024; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Florida State Seminoles defensive back Fentrell Cypress II (23) tackles Duke Blue Devils wide receiver Javon Harvey (7) during the first half of the game at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

The defense was lights out all night. Duke was held to 180 yards of offense, a season-low for the Blue Devils.

FSU's pass defense made its mark by making quarterback Maalik Murphy a non-factor. He only threw for 70 yards and completed 50 percent of his passes. While the Seminoles could not grab a sack, the pressure was there.

“I was really really pleased with the way our defense played,” Norvell said. “We had the one run just that we gave up on a misfit, but you saw the competition from the defensive backs. I thought the guys flew around and were disruptive."

Duke's wide receivers had no less than 20 yards and two catches the whole game. Cornerback Fentrell Cypress broke up a two downfield.

Linebacker Justin "Juice" Cryer was FSU's leading tackler with seven total and two tackles for loss. As a unit, FSU recorded six tackles for loss.

The third down stops were also an improvement. The Blue Devils were only 3 of 17 in third-down conversions.

Despite three offside calls, still lacking turnovers, and giving up big plays on the ground near the end of the fourth quarter, FSU did more than enough to put the offense in a good position to score enough points.

"We got to do our job, and our job as a defense is to create takeaways and we didn't do that tonight," Cryer said. "We played well as far as what the numbers were and how we played, I thought we played physically."

Special Teams B +

Oct 18, 2024; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Florida State Seminoles tight end Kyle Morlock (84) celebrates a down during the first half of the game against Duke Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images
Oct 18, 2024; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Florida State Seminoles tight end Kyle Morlock (84) celebrates a down during the first half of the game against Duke Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

The special teams were active and didn't disappoint.

All of FSU's 16 points went solely to special teams. It wasn't a perfect showing for the unit, but it, like the defense, kept the Seminoles in the game.

FSU running back Samuel Singleton Jr. made a game-changing play by returning 95 yards for a touchdown during kickoff at the start of the third quarter and having the Seminoles only trail 17-13 in the second half.

FSU kicker Ryan Fitzgerald, who didn't make any field-goal attempts in the last four games, went 3 of 4. The first attempt was blocked due to a bad snap by Mason Arnold and a bobbled hold by punter Alex Mastromanno. Fitzgerald is now 9 of 10 for the year but remains a 4 of 4 in 50-plus yards.

Mastromanno continued to make his case as an All-American punter by flipping the field. Three of his four punting attempts were netted for more than 50 yards. His longest was 53. His 48-yarder would set up a big hit by safety Conrad Hussey, putting Duke at its 8-yard line.

FSU boldly attempted a fake halfway through the first quarter on fourth-and-4. It would lead to a 31-yard run by tight end Kyle Morlock, setting the Seminoles in field-goal range.

Coaches: B -

Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell points prior to the first half of the game on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Durham, North Carolina.
Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell points prior to the first half of the game on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Durham, North Carolina.

The preparation and the play calling of Friday's game from Norvell and his coaching staff were there, but unfortunately, there was poor execution on offense.

Things were going well at the beginning of the first quarter when the Seminoles were running the football well and putting themselves in a scoring position. Then the turnovers came, leading Norvell to bench Glenn for Kromenhoek.

FSU was penalized nine times, giving away 65 yards of play, a disciplinary issue that the coaching staff must control. Game management on both sides has improved, but time possession remains an issue for Norvell's offense.

FSU football schedule 2024: TV channels, dates and start times

All times Eastern

* = ACC

Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football grades: Offense can't do anything in loss at Duke