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How FSU football grades out in worst loss in program history in Orange Bowl to Georgia
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- How FSU football grades out in worst loss in program history in Orange Bowl to Georgia
Florida State suffered its first loss of the season in Saturday's Orange Bowl , 63-3, to Georgia in front of 63,324 fans at Hard Rock Stadium.
It snapped FSU's undefeated season and a 19-game winning streak dating back to 2022. It was also the Seminoles ' worst loss in program history.
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There were some silver linings as a large corps of younger players got critical reps against the Bulldogs .
FSU was without 30 players either opting out or entering the NCAA transfer portal , and that proved to be too much for the Seminoles to overcome.
More precisely, FSU was without players who were responsible for 97% of its passing yards, 88% of its rushing yards and 84% of its receptions this season.
"First off, tonight was a very difficult night. It's been a very difficult month, to be honest with you," FSU head coach Mike Norvell said. "But I'm proud of this football team. I'm proud of the work they've put in, proud of what they've shown throughout the course of a season."
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"To do some of the things that they were able to accomplish, they overcame a lot of adversity, they fought, they worked, they invested on and off the field. It's a special group. It's a group that will be remembered."
Here are our grades from the Orange Bowl game.
Offense: C
Florida State quarterback Brock Glenn (11) participates in warmups ahead of the Orange Bowl NCAA college football game against Georgia, Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023, in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Freshman quarterback Brock Glenn showed a lot of growth after starting in the ACC Championship game, throwing the ball a lot more and attempting a handful of deep passes. He completed 9-of-26 passes for 139 yards.
"In the ACC Championship, I had some mistakes, and I went back and I reflected, and I tried to -- I did everything I could to go back and fix the things that I missed on or messed up on, tried to speed up my process," Glenn said. "I think there's a lot to learn from in this game, as well, that I'm going to go back and reflect, and I'm just thankful for these seniors and what they've done for this team."
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Wide receiver Kentron Poitier had a solid game as well, finishing with a career-tying 84 yards receiving on four receptions. His performance showed that he is ready to step into a starting role at wide receiver and backed up the stand-out Spring Showcase he had all the way back in May.
Outside of that, the offense struggled to close out in the red zone and get anything going. Georgia's defense limited FSU to just 209 yards of total offense, 185 yards in the first half. This is where we expected to see the mismatch as the Seminoles lost 16 offensive players since Dec. 3.
Georgia's defense picked off Glenn two times, forced three fumbles and recovered two.
On the plus side, a ton of younger and inexperienced players got a chance to start or log heavy minutes. It looks bad now, but it could set up FSU to be a bit ahead of the curve when spring camp rolls around.
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Defense: C-
Georgia Bulldogs running back Kendall Milton (2) rushes the ball against the Florida State Seminoles during the first half in the 2023 Orange Bowl on December 30, 2023, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
By the record books, this is FSU's worst loss in program history and the most points it allowed since falling to Louisville , 63-20, on Sept. 17, 2016.
There was a strong play by defensive end Patrick Payton , as he stripped Georgia quarterback Carson Beck of the ball around midfield early in the first quarter.
Outside of that, we saw FSU's defense really struggle for the first time this year.
The Seminoles' defense allowed 673 yards of offense, with 383 yards and 42 points coming in the first half alone. Beck went off, competing 13-of-18 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns. He'd exit the game in the second half for backup quarterback Gunner Stockton .
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The Bulldogs running game hit FSU's defense right in the mouth as it accumulated 372 yards and five touchdowns. Kendall Milton finished with 104 yards rushing on nine attempts and two touchdowns. Daijun Edwards finished with 62 yards rushing on seven attempts and two touchdowns.
Another silver lining was that defensive lineman Darrell Jackson played his first game with FSU after having his NCAA Hardship Wavier denied in the summer. He finished with three tackles.
Special teams: B
Kicking and punting were fine. Kicker Ryan Fitzgerald made a 22-yard field goal to improve to 19-of-21 on the year. Those ended up being FSU's lone points of the game. Punter Alex Mastromanno recorded 285 yards punting and six punts, averaging 47.5 yards per punt and a long of 55 yards.
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The pair has been clutch all season and kept their performance consistent tonight. The Seminoles had a disastrous moment on kickoff return as Deuce Spann fumbled the return, setting up Georgia at the FSU 17-yard line. In the next play, Georgia converted to make the game 28-3.
Spann finished with 50 return yards. Special teams could've finished with a higher grade, but the fumbled kickoff return bumps them down to a 'B'.
Coaching: B-
What can you do when you're on your third-string QB and have a total of 14 starters out?
Not much.
Ja'Khi Douglas was employed heavily in the first half in the wildcat offense and it worked for a bit.
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Head coach Mike Norvell and offensive coordinator Alex Atkins called what they could to get freshman Brock Glenn - in his second career start - going, but the Georgia defense was just too good.
"Even though tonight was a disappointing performance, we have a special, special foundation that's been laid, and there is an expectation, and I know how our guys will respond," Norvell said. "We have guys that were thrust into action tonight that really haven't got as much work. There was plenty opportunities for growth."
The one questionable decision from Norvell was to go for a field goal inside the 5-yard line in the second quarter. Sure, it got the Seminoles on the board, but it felt like FSU was already admitting defeat at that stage even down just 14-0. - Ehsan Kassim, Tallahassee Democrat
Overall: C
Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell reacts against the Georgia Bulldogs during the second half December 30, 2023, in the 2023 Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
This is what everyone expected what was going to happen and it happened.
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FSU was depleted of nearly its entire starting lineup and had to lean heavily on young and inexperienced players. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said it was not doing healthy opt-outs, and it paid off for them.
FSU was playing without 30 players and as a result, could not keep up with the Bulldogs. The Seminoles were 20-point underdogs and it was going to take a lot from this team to keep pace with Georgia.
This shouldn't take away from FSU's 13-0 season as this is not the same team. This program returned to the top of the college football world, won 13 straight games and won its first ACC Championship since 2014, with a true freshman quarterback starting. The legends and lore of FSU's 2023 season will not be forgotten.
As for this game, it's time to reset for next season. There's a lot of talent coming in through the Class of 2024 and the portal. Luke Kromenhoek, Camden Frier, BJ Gibson, Cai Bates and Charles Lester III are already practicing with the team, and Cam Ward or DJ Uiagalelei could be coming to Tallahassee very soon.
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This wasn't a representation of what FSU did this season and there are brighter days to come.
"We faced adversity tonight, obviously faced our challenges, obviously didn't play to the level to what we're capable of, but we're going to learn from it," Norvell said. "We're going to continue to move forward. And when it comes to bowl season, when it comes to choices that people make, obviously there's a lot of people out there that will have their opinion.
"But I do think that the expanded playoff and opportunities for teams that earn it to go compete for it all will definitely help."
FSU 2024 football schedule
Saturday, Aug. 24: vs. Georgia Tech , Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland
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Saturday, Sept. 14: vs. Memphis Tigers
Saturday, Nov. 9: at Notre Dame
Saturday, Nov. 23: vs. Charleston Southern
Saturday, Nov. 30: vs. Florida Gators
TBA
Duke
Clemson
At Miami
At SMU
Jack Williams covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at jwilliams@tallahassee.com or on X @jackgwilliams.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football report card: Grading Seminoles vs. Georgia in Orange Bowl
