Stock Market Report Following FSU Football's Shocking Loss to Boston College

Well, that certainly wasn't pretty. Florida State's stock is falling fast following its showing Monday night,

Austin Veazey | Sep 4, 2024

Sep 2, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Boston College Eagles running back Treshaun Ward (0) runs the ball down the field past Florida State Seminoles linebacker Cam Riley (18) during the game at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports / Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports

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Florida State Seminoles

For the second week in a row with no game to watch other than Florida State, the Seminoles fell flat on their face, this time to Boston College 28-13. With things looking bleak, Mike Norvell is going to have to find answers and fast. He'll have a bye week to try and right the ship, but the team looks disinterested, undisciplined, and unorganized.

This could be unnecessarily long, but a couple of players stood out, while a lot really didn't.

Stock Up

Kentron Poitier

Kentron Poitier was one of the few players who played with fire in the second half, coming down with a long 29-yard reception on probably the best ball DJ Uiagalelei threw all night on a flea-flicker of sorts, then immediately following that up with a touchdown reception where he caught it and juked a defender out to break into the end zone. For a player who has struggled with injuries in his career, it's good to see him have success.

Special Teams

Ryan Fitzgerald stayed perfect on the year with two made field goals, both short, but we'll take all the good we can get right now. His extra-point attempt came off a little wobbly but a make is a make.

Alex Mastromanno had an evening though. Six punts with an average of 52.2 yards, three punts of 50+ yards, and a long of 65 yards. He's one of the best punters in the nation for a reason and he showcased that on Monday evening.

Daniel Lyons

Lyons was the only defensive lineman playing with passion, which is sad considering the talent on the line. At this point, I wouldn't be upset to see him start, and he probably deserves to. He finished with four tackles and 1.5 sacks and now leads the team in sacks... with 1.5. He also had three QB pressures, just more evidence he's doing what's needed.

Stock Steady

Ja'Khi Douglas

Douglas remains solid and steady, finishing with four catches for 66 yards, including one that went for 30 yards. It's a shame that Florida State isn't getting better quarterback play because he was wide open in the end zone before the missed throw to Darion Williamson, but the ball was batted at the line of scrimmage.

Blake Nichelson and Cam Riley

With Omar Graham not playing in this game, Nichelson and Riley got more opportunities and responded well, finishing with a combined 17 tackles and a forced fumble. These two, as well as Justin Cryer, were some of the higher-rated players from this game on PFF, and should see the majority of playing time moving forward.

Stock Down

Just About Everybody Else

Where to even begin.

DJ Uiagalelei was bad. While he rebounded to finish 21/42 for 272 yards, at one point he was 3/11, at another he was 8/21, and later he was 11/28. A fifth-year quarterback shouldn't need trick plays and one-read throws to get into a rhythm. His mechanics are all over the place, he's staring down wide receivers and lacking passion and energy. There's no way he's been this bad in practice but the team simply isn't responding with him in the game. I'm not sure Brock Glenn would be much better, but at this point, sitting at 0-2, it's worth his development to bring him along rather than waste a bad season with a bad veteran quarterback.

The running game was somehow even worse. Kam Davis was the team's leading rusher with three carries for 11 yards. As a whole, the team finished with 16 attempts for 21 yards. For something that was supposed to be a major strength of this team, the run game has become a major disappointment. Even trying to use them as an extension of the passing game wasn't working as Lawrance Toafili uncharacteristically dropped two passes early, setting the tone for the whole game.

A lot of that has to do with the offensive line, something else that was supposed to be a strength for this team. Darius Washington, an All-ACC selection, was absolutely worked all night by Donovan Ezeiruaku, allowing two sacks, two hurries, and five pressures. He was very easily the worst-graded offensive lineman for Florida State in this game. That's not for a lack of trying because Jaylen Early allowed two pressures in his 16 snaps and looked totally outmatched. Then there were the penalties: ineligible man downfield on Maurice Smith, illegal formation on Robert Scott for not setting up correctly, two false starts on Maurice Smith, and a personal foul on TJ Ferguson (which was a flop but it was a dumb decision anyways). There is too much experience and talent along this offensive line for mistakes like these.

Kyle Morlock was horrific. He was credited with three drops on five targets and had one batted out of his hands in the end zone. That forced Coach Norvell to try out true freshman Landen Thomas, who couldn't connect with Uiagalelei at any point.

On defense, Marvin Jones Jr. was constantly out of position on any play with a mesh point, deciding to always make the wrong choice. He unsurprisingly made no tackles. Patrick Payton made a tackle to start the game, made a point to celebrate it, and then basically did nothing for the rest of the game. Joshua Farmer and Darrell Jackson were once again no-shows.

DJ Lundy was having issues communicating with the secondary all night, constantly allowing running backs to be open on wheel routes. Another wheel route sprung free when Shyheim Brown and Fentrell Cypress failed to communicate and left Treshaun Ward open. When it's the same thing consistently beating a defense, a lot of that comes down to communication.

Including the Coaching Staff

Blame has to be placed on the coaching staff as well. The recruiting discussion is one for a different day or article, but when so many different groups are underwhelming, it points back to coaching. Mike Norvell was doing whatever he could to scheme players open but the quarterback was missing passes, the receivers were dropping balls, and the offensive line was leaky. It's the same story on the defensive side.

Norvell will likely have to make some decisions on his coaching staff before the season ends. Worst case, this staff sees a major overhaul in the offseason. Recruiting has been disappointing for a lot of fans but the development, which matters first and foremost, has been the most disappointing. If Norvell wants to stay off the hot seat, he will have to make a statement with his staff.

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