1) The Florida State Seminoles must play to win.
Last night, the Seminoles played not to lose. This strategy was big before last year in the Jimbo Fisher era, especially on the road. The Seminoles would play not to lose. Now, I love Jimbo Fisher, and think he is a blessing for Florida State, but this team needs to play to win and not play timid. My one criticism of Jimbo in the past has been that he does not always go for the throat away from home. There was no evidence of this type of play last year, but yesterday, it happened. I love Roberto Aguayo as much as anybody, but there were two 4th and less than 2 yards in the 1st quarter when Oklahoma State was on the ropes. Go for the throat in those situations. We punted one and kicked a field goal in the other. Don't give them a chance for life, just go for the throat.
2) We miss Bryan Stork. I have heard that FSU misses a lot of guys, but the biggest loss to me, appears to be Bryan Stork. There were some blocking assignments missed last night despite our veteran offensive line. Those types of mistakes cannot happen again. FSU struggled with pressure more than any other time in the Jimbo Fisher era. This veteran group needs to tighten up and it needs to start with Barron. He must play much better. We struggled to get any push up the middle.
3) The Noles must run the ball better. The running game was not too great last night. Eventhough, the offensive line apparently had the flu, we have got to get a push with our talent up there. Karlos Williams was largely ineffective and he was supposed to start a Heisman campaign last night. That did not happen as he averaged less than 3 yards per carry. Mario Pender looked great though in limited carries. 3 carries for 31 yards and a touchdown is good use in limited opportunities. If Williams can't figure it out, Pender will carry most of the load soon.
4) More Nick O'Leary in our lives. This guy is my new favorite Seminole and he is a matchup nightmare. We did not go to him later in this game, but he was clearly the best matchup for us. I think Winston's tunnel vision may have affected that some, but this guy needs the ball. Use Nick O'Leary as the incredible weapon that he is. He should be a staple of this offense and he makes plays.
5) Winston had Rashad Greene tunnel vision last night. I am not sure what it was, but it can't continue, because it impaired his judgement. Greene is the Seminoles most veteran receiver and their best receiver. He will be in the NFL, he is fantastic. However, you can't focus on one receiver that much no matter how good he is. Especially, when the corner is holding him the whole game. You must go through your progressions and Winston did that last year. The fact that he was so locked on Greene is cause for concern. It is cause for concern not because of Greene, but because of Winston. Greene had a fantastic game and he was one of the stars of it, but Winston should not have forced the ball to him when he did. It could have been a lot worse if Greene wasn't making the plays that he made.
6) Lack of a downfield threat or downfield pass. Oklahoma State refused to respect FSU's deep pass ability and it affected the rest of the game. This was a big difference from last year now that Kelvin Benjamin is gone. It showed that the Cowboys gave no respect to that and that they were more concerned with the short routes. They also much like Winston paid more attention to Rashad Greene than the other receivers. Christian Green broke one loose, but that was the only deep pass of the game. A vertical passing threat has to emerge. I expect that threat to be Travis Rudolph and the one time he did go deep, Oklahoma State respected it which opened Rashad Greene up for a big pass play, but Rudolph only went deep once. As the season progresses, I expect Rudolph to get more PT and Christian Green to get less.
7) Jameis Winston was off and his decision making was not good. It was nowhere near the level of last year and his confidence didn't appear to be as high. For the first time in his Seminole career, he played timid and scared. This is a trend that can't continue. He was too confident in his ability to thread the needle and not confident in his other receivers besides Greene. Not a great game from Winston, but he made a few plays when he absolutely had to, including running for that touchdown.
8) The defensive line is not as good as last year save Mario Edwards. Our interior defensive line is just not as good and FSU misses the big fella. Edwards had a solid game and was getting decent pressure from the outside, but other people up front need to step up. FSU must get better defensive line play.
9) The secondary will be okay. This secondary made a few plays last night, but they also made a few errors. Nate Andrews with the pick 6 was a fantastic defensive plays and one of the best I've seen. That forced fumble from PJ Williams was also fantastic. These guys are the youngest and most talented secondary in the nation. They can be something very special, but they must play focused assignment football. Terrance Brooks and LaMarcus Joyner are no longer here to help them out. The #noflyzone must figure it out on their own. A couple blown coverages because of not knowing the assignment, but the talent is there. Tyler Hunter's interception drop could have been a dagger for Oklahoma State too. You have to catch the ball when it is thrown right to you, offense or defense. Opportunities like that can not be missed. Catch the ball before you think about taking it back for six. I do not expect a repeat of those mistakes and this secondary will be a strength for the Noles going forward.
10) This is still the most talented team in college football. Look at everything that went wrong. Oklahoma State had a better gameplan, executed better, had better QB play, a better running game, and FSU still won. FSU's athletes made plays when they had to make plays. Can't go in with a plan like that and can't let teams hang around in games they should not. A win is a win though and I will take a win. I will also take all this talent. FSU does need to tighten up though.
-Noland
