Tomahawk chop at FSU football game in Dublin, Ireland
Florida State Athletics took this video from the sidelines at Aviva Stadium before FSU played Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland on August 24, 2024.
Contributed video by FSU Athletics
Losing to Georgia Tech, 24-21, in front of a world-wide audience ruffled many feathers in the Florida State football fanbase.
Rightfully so.
The Seminoles didn’t live up to the hype as the 10th-ranked team in the country.
The upset loss leaves a lot of questions that need to be answered. That’s why we opened the mailbag, answered questions and while staying engaged with our audience.
We chose the best five questions via email and our NoleSports social media pages.
Here they are.
Adam Scott: I’m an FSU alumni and fan. Obviously, I’m disappointed about the outcome of today’s game. Here are my takeaways:
The offensive line and defensive line are supposed to be strengths of this year’s team. They didn’t look strong today. Georgia Tech was able to push them around.
Wide receiver was a concern and seems to be a weakness. Someone is going to have to step up, or our passing game is going to struggle.
The playcalling was very run-heavy, and it seems like the lack of production in the passing game made FSU one-dimensional.
The FSU haters were proven right, at least for this one game. It would have been nice to prove Paul Finebaum and Kirk Herbstreit wrong, but we didn’t.
There’s a lot of football left to be played, and all of FSU’s goals are still attainable. But it’s going to be a rough season if they can’t play better than they played today.
Answer: Adam, first of all, I am glad to connect and I can tell you know your ball. Everything you said is absolutely correct.
I’m a firm believer in winning in the trenches. Georgia Tech’s O-line and D-line outplayed FSU physically. The Yellow Jackets looked like they could have the best offensive line in the conference, maybe in the country.
But, to your point, it’s one game. I didn’t have a problem with running conservatively, but at one point, Mike Norvell had to say, you know what? The game is on the line. Let’s take some shots downfield.
I saw a little bit of that late in the fourth quarter, which gave me a little hope.
That’s why I didn’t grade them too harshly in my report card article. I knew it would be justified. The offense is still a work in progress that is still identifying itself.
FSU fans must be patient with QB DJ Uiagalelei and the passing game. They will eventually figure it out.
Tommy Drage: Did the team have equipment issues? Multiple players seemed slow and unsure on their feet like they were afraid they might slip.
Answer: To my knowledge, I don’t believe there was an equipment issue. The field was slippery. There were concerns about the weather disrupting the game, but nothing egregious.
The defense failed to execute when needed, especially on the final drive. There was poor tackling, not a ton of explosive plays, and they didn’t play physically enough.
I still hope the defense will improve, and this was a humbling game, given all the hype the defense had before the start of the season.
Kathy Smith-Johnson: Why didn’t Coach Norvel let Glen Brock (*Brock Glenn) play as quarterback (in )the second half of the game? He won the last two games last season, as well as the ACC Championship.
Answer: Hi Kathy, what happened last season happened last season.
Uiagalelei is FSU’s starting quarterback. Yes, he didn’t play well, but I can argue that FSU has far better problems than the quarterback play.
After rewatching the game, Uiagalelei looked better in the second half than in the first.
Those too perfectly executed fourth-down plays to Ja’Khi Douglas and Malik Benson that resulted in a Roydel Williams touchdown late in the fourth quarter that tied the game were gutsy but well put together, and I wish we could’ve seen more of that.
I don’t know if we’ll see Glenn at some point during the season.
I do know that playing him in the second half while the game is tied at 14 would’ve been a huge mistake. I like Glenn. He is more mobile than Uiagalelei and has a bright future, but this is Uiagalelei’s team.
Amanda L. Holder: By the way, why in the world did the team get flown out so late? Time changes mean a lot to a person’s body in the ability for the team to play. The team was slow in response time.
Answer: Hi Amanda, That is a good question.
While I do oppose flying out to Dublin, Ireland, in the middle of the week and having less than 48 hours of practice, it can definitely take a toll on your body, especially if you are not adjusted to the time change.
However, both coaches, Norvell and Brent Key agreed to this. Norvell ran an intense practice on the day they flew to Dublin, and I’m sure Key did the same for Georgia Tech. Did it play a role in FSU’s loss? I highly doubt it.
Mike Anthony Livesinvenezuelanow: Which group do you think played the worse? QB, DL, RBs etc ?
Answer: Hi Mike, everyone contributed to Saturday’s loss to Georgia Tech. So, I can’t pinpoint one position that was worse than the other.
I will say that the defensive line was a complete letdown. They were manhandled the entire game against the Yellow Jackets’ offensive line.
Kudos to the Yellow Jackets for their performance. Everyone on the field had their fair share of the blame for what happened.
I will also tell you the only group that doesn’t deserve any blame is the special teams unit.
Special teams gave the Seminoles a chance. Ryan Fitzgerald nailed over two kicks from 52 yards and 59 yards at a soccer field.
The trick play to convert the 2-point conversion was also executed well. The same goes for freshman DB Edwin Joseph, who made the open-field tackle that put Georgia Tech’s offense at 10.
FSU football schedule 2024: TV channels, dates and start times
All times Eastern
- Saturday, Aug. 24: vs. Georgia Tech* (Aer Lingus College Football Classic) Lost 24-21
- Monday, Sept. 2: vs. Boston College* | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)
- Saturday, Sept. 7: Bye
- Saturday, Sept. 14: vs. Memphis | Noon | ESPN (Fubo)
- Saturday, Sept. 21: vs. Cal*
- Saturday, Sept. 28: at SMU*
- Saturday, Oct. 5: vs. No. 14 Clemson*
- Saturday, Oct. 12: Bye
- Friday, Oct. 18: at Duke* | 7 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo)
- Saturday, Oct. 26: at No. 19 Miami*
- Saturday, Nov. 2: vs. North Carolina*
- Saturday, Nov. 9: at No. 7 Notre Dame | 7:30 p.m. | NBC (Fubo, Peacock)
- Saturday, Nov. 23: vs. Charleston Southern
- Saturday, Nov. 30: vs. Florida
Saturday, Dec. 6: ACC championship game (Charlotte, N.C.)
We would love to hear from you. If you have any Florida State questions or a comment, email us at pholland@gannett.com or place a comment on our Facebook page or X page @NoleSports. We appreciate everyone’s opinion.
