5 Plays That Changed the Game as FSU's Rally Came Up Short Against Wake Forest

A detailed look at five game-changing plays in FSU's first loss this year.

The cloud of uncertainty surrounding Hurricane Ian’s effect on Tallahassee was cleared away on Saturday morning as two nationally ranked ACC foes went toe to toe in Doak Campbell Stadium. The Demon Deacons, on the heels of a close double overtime to #5 Clemson, had their sights set on bouncing back and proving to the nation that they still warranted attention as an ACC favorite. Florida State, on the other hand, was looking to follow up its September success with a noteworthy victory over the defending ACC Atlantic Division Champions.

READ MORE: Florida State releases Depth Chart for North Carolina State Wolfpack

As fate would have it, the Seminoles would experience their first taste of heartbreak and suffer their first loss of the 2022 season. After riding the high of an emotional 4-0 start and a national ranking, the ‘Noles lost at the hands of Wake Forest by a score of 31-21.

Wake Forest, led by quarterback Sam Hartman, was firing on all cylinders against the Florida State defense, producing 405 yards of total offense; 234 of which came through the air. The Demon Deacon passing attack performed as expected, but it was Florida State’s inability to contain their running attack that opened up the game. Coach Clawson’s “slow mesh” RPO offense kept the Florida State defense on their toes all night long. That’s not to say that the Wake Forest team was in complete control, however. Despite finding themselves down early, the Seminoles hung around, put a stop to a handful of Wake’s drives, and clawed their way back. Ultimately, self-inflicted wounds, unfortunate penalties, and inconsistencies on offense are would cause the Seminoles to come up just short of a win. Put simply, Florida State struggled on the day, and an experienced Wake Forest took full advantage of the opportunity.

Let’s take a look at some of those momentum-shifting plays in Saturday’s contest against the Demon Deacons, and then we’ll turn our attention to bouncing back against the NC State Wolfpack next week.

1. Jordan Travis fumbles in Florida State territory

Florida State opened up the game with a masterful and methodical first drive that led to a touchdown and a 7-0 lead over Wake Forest. The Seminole defense immediately followed that up by stopping the Demon Deacon offense on their first drive and forced a punt. However, the ‘Noles were unable to extend their lead on the ensuing two offensive drives, and Wake Forest responded with 14 unanswered points to take control of the game. Down 14-7 early in the 2nd quarter, Florida State’s offense had stagnated and was now forced to come up with an answer.

On 1st & 10 from the Florida State 30 yard line, Jordan Travis set up in the shotgun flanked by Treshaun Ward to his right. Travis snapped the ball, faked a pitch to Ward, and took off running to his left. After being met in the backfield by members of the Wake defensive line, the shifty quarterback fought his way to the line of scrimmage and fell a few yards forward, but not before the ball was popped out by Wake Forest linebacker Jaylen Hudson and recovered by the Demon Deacons.

It would take Wake Forest all of 5 plays to turn that fumble into points. Quarterback Sam Hartman checked down to running back Christian Turner for a 17 yard gain to the Florida State 22 yard line, and two plays later, Hartman connected with a well-defended Donavan Greene for a 20 yard touchdown pass. Jordan Travis’ fumble, the only turnover in the entire game, put the Seminoles in a hole early down 21-7.

2. Ryan Fitzgerald misses 29-yard field goal heading into halftime

Still down 21-7, the Florida State offense had gone completely cold in the 2nd quarter. Since scoring on their opening drive, the Seminoles led 4 straight empty drives (3 punts and 1 turnover) and gained just 42 total yards of offense. There were signs of life here and there such as a 25 yard reception from Johnny Wilson and a 10 yard run by Treshaun Ward, but the ‘Noles have been unable to find a level of consistency that extends drives. With 3:54 left in the second quarter, Jared Verse sacked Sam Hartman for a 9 yard loss and the Demon Deacons went on to miss the 44 yard field goal on 4th down. For the first time in 3 drives, the Florida State defense was able to keep Wake Forest off the board. It was up to the offense to find a spark heading into the break.

Quarterback Jordan Travis would lead the ‘Noles on a methodical 13 play, 63 yard drive highlighted by an 18 yard completion to Mycah Pittman down the sideline and a Treshaun Ward 16 yard run. Set up inside the red zone with just under a minute left in the half, Travis tried to find a streaking Camren McDonald in the end zone but the pass fell incomplete. In just 13 plays, the Seminoles found a spark on offense and stand to leave the second quarter having grabbed some of that momentum back. Scoring here would not only diminish the Wake Forest but it would revive a struggling FSU offense. Faced with a 4th & 10, Ryan Fitzgerald was sent on to kick a 29-yard field goal from the right hash. Fitzgerald’s kick missed the mark entirely and hooked wide right. The Seminoles would fail to put points on the board for the fifth straight drive and the score remained 21-7 after the end of the half.

3. Mycah Pittman reels in a touchdown and FSU shows signs of life

Florida State struggled to find its footing on both offense and defense at this point in the game. The offense failed to put points on the board at the end of the first half, and found themselves in a deeper hole to open up the second. Wake Forest charged 75 yards down the field in just 7 plays to further extend their lead over the Seminoles by a score of 28-7. Quarterback Sam Hartman was a perfect 3 for 3 through the air for 43 yards; two of those passes finding his primary target, wide receiver A.T. Perry. As they say in EA Sports NCAA Football 14, this game was “on the verge of getting out of hand” through three quarters.

The Seminole offense needed to find a way to move the ball. More importantly, the Seminole offense needed to find a way to score, and fast.

In his post-game press conference, Jordan Travis mentioned how the team “got close” in the locker room during the break, and that was evident in the way the offense played when they took the field in the second half. The Seminoles found their rhythm on their opening drive attacking both through the air and on the ground. Travis was able to connect with wide receiver Mycah Pittman on 2 separate 24 yard passes and found Deuce Spann and Malik McClain for considerable gains as well. Running backs Benson, Ward, and Toafili also took carries on the drive, and the Seminoles were in scoring position in just 7 plays. On 2nd & goal from the Wake Forest 6 yard line, Jordan Travis dropped back in the pocket and lofted one to the back corner of the end zone and into the arms of Mycah Pittman. The touchdown catch would be Pittman’s second on the day and capped off a very impressive stat line for the receiver (5 rec, 85 yards, 2 TDs).

After a failed 2-point conversion, Florida State had cut the Wake Forest lead to 15.

4. Jordan Travis finds Johnny Wilson in the end zone to bring the ‘Noles within one score

There’s no easy way to put it: The Wake Forest offense was terrorizing the Florida State defense all game long. Entering the game, the Demon Deacons faced questions about their struggling run game. On Saturday, HC Dave Clawson’s offense had no issues running the ball having accumulated 171 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground. Yet, despite giving up 21 points in the first half and another 7 at the start of the third quarter, the FSU defense shut down the Wake offense. Defensive lineman Patrick Payton, Joshua Farmer, and linebacker Kalen DeLoach all recorder sacks on two consecutive drives wherein the Demon Deacons were forced to punt. After struggling to stop Hartman and company all afternoon, the Florida State defense had managed to keep the Deacons off the board and gave the offense a chance to make up some ground.

FSU’s offense went to work from their own 37 yard line to begin their next drive, and it didn’t take them long to move into Wake territory. On the second play from scrimmage, Jordan Travis uncorked a deep throw down the middle of the field to a single-covered Johnny Wilson that resulted in a pass interference penalty called against the Demon Deacons. The ‘Noles were in the redzone just two plays later after Travis connected on a back shoulder throw to Cam McDonald for a gain of 28 yards. The offense would continue their forward momentum with a short gain on the ground by Treshaun Ward and a scramble for a first down by Travis. On 2nd & goal from the Wake 4 yard line, quarterback Jordan Travis targeted Johnny Wilson in one-on-one coverage and Wilson made the grab over the defender’s back for a touchdown. The touchdown would be Travis’ third TD pass on the night and complete a stat line of 23 completions for 281 yards and 2 TDs. The touchdown reception was Wilson’s first on the night in addition to his 6 receptions and 85 yards.

Head Coach Mike Norvell elected to go for two and the offense lined back up on the field for the conversion attempt. Jordan Travis lined up in the shotgun flanked by Treshaun Ward, yet again. Wide receiver Ontaria Wilson motioned from the left to the right just as Travis snapped the ball. The quarterback rolled right, along with the offensive line and the rest of the receiving corps, and looked back left where tight end Markeston Douglas was running wide open in the end zone.

The Seminoles successfully converted for 2 points and fought back to make it a one score game.

5. Wake converts on 3rd & 6 and 4th & 3 to extend their late 4th quarter drive

Late in the fourth quarter and after spending most of the afternoon with a comfortable lead, Wake Forest was only ahead by one score against the surging Seminoles. Two unanswered touchdowns by the ‘Noles made the next offensive drive for the Demon Deacons an important one. With around 9:30 left in the game, the Seminoles had to force a stop on this drive to have any chance of winning the game.

Easier said than done.

Wake Forest’s diverse offensive attack kept the Florida State defense on their toes and unable to get off the field on critical downs. Coach dave Clawson’s RPO-heavy offense converted a staggering 10 of 18 third down situations and succeeded in moving the chains on 4th down on both of their attempts in the game thus far. With a total time of possession of 34:32, Wake Forest’s offense was nearly flawless on the day.

Hartman and the Wake Forest offense had pushed the ball to near midfield and eaten up about 2 minutes of game time. Converting a first down with ease on a pass over the middle, Hartman dropped back on a critical 3rd & 6, He scanned the field and delivered a lofted ball to the left sideline. Florida State defensive back Greedy Vance Jr. was in prime position to intercept Sam Hartman and possibly even return the pick for a score. The broadcast booth knew it; the stadium knew it; the viewers at home knew it. Wake Forest wide receiver Ke’Shawn Williams had other plans. Williams jumped above Vance Jr. and snatched the ball from over his back. Wake Forest converted on third down.

Hartman attempted to find Williams two more times on the subsequent plays, but Florida State’s defense held strong and forced a 3rd & 10. The Seminoles dropped back expecting a pass, but Hartman handed it off to Christian Turner for a 7 yard gain. Florida State had forced Wake into a fourth down situation and was one stop away from taking over on downs. The ‘Noles were one stop away from possessing the ball with an opportunity to tie the game. All they needed was this one stop.

Sam Hartman dropped back in pocket and scanned the field, where he found an open Ke’Shawn Williams sitting right behind the first down marker.

The Demon Deacons would continue their charge downfield until the Seminoles held them to a field goal, but the damage was done. Wake Forest would kick the 27 yard field goal and extend the lead to 10 with just 2:55 left in the fourth quarter. While Florida State mounted a charge downfield on offense, it was simply a story of too little too late. Time ran out on the Seminoles to make up the ground they yielded in the first, and after Ryan Fitzgerald’s second missed field goal of the night, the game was sealed.

Florida State fought valiantly in the second half and even held an explosive Wake Forest offense in check for the latter half of the game, but the Deacons survived in Doak Campbell and dealt the Seminoles their first loss of the season.

Florida State looks to bounce back against the NC State Wolfpack in Raleigh on Saturday.

READ MORE: Kickoff time announced for Florida State's home game against Clemson

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