After suffering a tough loss in Ireland, the Florida State Seminoles must reconvene and figure out how the team can improve.
The Seminoles faced off against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets to kick off the 2024 college football season in Dublin, Ireland. The Yellow Jackets brought a stout defense with them and stuffed the Seminoles, allowing their leading rusher to record just 38 yards. The biggest talk of the game for Florida State, however, was quarterback DJ Uiagalelei who fans were extremely critical of following the 24-21 loss to the Yellow Jackets.
Florida State Seminoles Quarterback Records Third-Highest Offensive Ranking During Loss
Following the narrow loss to the tough Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, the Florida State Seminoles fans were quick to place the blame on their new quarterback. DJ Uiagalelei was once a five-star commitment to the Clemson Tigers but later transferred to Oregon State where he shined a season ago. Now, Uiagalelei is on his third school and did not have the introductory performance that fans were truly hoping for.
The quarterback recorded 193 yards through the air on 19-of-27 passing but did not record a touchdown against the Yellow Jackets. Uiagalelei also had a pair of nice rushes in the second half, but only had seven yards to show after taking a loss on a designed quarterback run. While Uiagalelei did not look bad on paper, a deeper dive reveals what the real issues with his performance were.
The quarterback attempted zero big-time throws (BTT) against the Yellow Jackets and was only hit as he threw the ball (HAT) once in a relatively clean pocket. Uiagalelei, however, did not hurt the team either as he had a turnover-worthy play (TWP) percentage of zero, meaning he made the safe reads throughout the game. The one stat truly not going in the favor of the quarterback is his -0.2 average of yards through the air on his pass attempts in the first half of play.
Uiagalelei did not have a great performance against the Yellow Jackets solely because he never truly tested the defense. However, the play calling against the Georgia Tech defense was also questionable as the Florida State Seminoles never seemed eager enough to attack the defense. Florida State really came alive and began to test the defense through the air in the second half, which was far too late for the Seminoles.
Florida State Struggled to Tackle Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Perhaps what the Seminoles did the worst against the Yellow Jackets was tackle their skill position players, particularly Jamal Haynes and Eric Singleton Jr. Haynes produced multiple broken tackles rushing out of the backfield for the Yellow Jackets, and broke off big plays due to missed Florida State tackles. The running back recorded 75 yards on the ground on 11 carries, along with 16 yards receiving and three missed tackles forced.
Haynes recorded 36 breakaway yards against the Seminoles, including one breakaway that resulted in a 16-yard gain along with a costly first down for the Florida State defense. Haynes recorded a breakaway percentage of 48% against the Seminoles, meaning the running back slipped would-be tacklers for a gain six times. The running back gave the Florida State Seminoles defense nightmares and may prompt a much-needed tackling seminar.
Singleton Jr is was also a very effective player for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, forcing two missed tackles and recording 29 total yards against the Seminoles. The wide receiver is a pivotal piece to the unusual offense that the Yellow Jackets have developed, combining intense motion with deep routes and quick under routes. Singleton Jr made two key plays when the Yellow Jackets needed to gain yardage, putting together two missed tackles and 24 total yards after catch.
For the Florida State Seminoles, tackling was a supreme issue as it led to key players with the Yellow Jackets wanting to get the ball to to get free. The Seminoles had four players record two missed tackles, with 13 tackles being missed in total for the defense. Shyheim Brown, Conrad Hussey, DJ Lundy, and Davonte Brown all missed two tackles for the Seminoles and recorded the lowest defense ratings for the team in the tackling department.
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