Florida State starts and finishes strong, but falls to No. 4 Clemson, 34-28
If not for about 130 seconds in the middle of the game, the Florida State football team might have pulled off the most significant win of the Mike Norvell era.
But those 130 seconds were too much to overcome.
Florida State scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to make things interesting Saturday night, but the Seminoles failed to recover a late onside kick and fell to No. 4 Clemson, 34-28.
The first 29 minutes were a classic slugfest with the Seminoles and Tigers exchanging haymakers. But the Seminoles were staggered with a sack, fumble and a Tigers touchdown just before halftime. And then they were rocked to the canvas in the first 20 seconds of the third quarter.
In a span of 2 minutes and 10 seconds of game action — from the end of the first half to the start of the second — Clemson turned a 14-14 tie into a 17-point lead, and the Tigers held on from there.
Florida State falls for the third straight week and is now 4-3 on the season and 2-3 in ACC play. Clemson improves to 7-0 and 5-0.
FSU actually scored touchdowns on two of its first three possessions to take a 14-7 lead in the second quarter. The first TD came on a 20-yard run by quarterback Jordan Travis, and the second came on a fourth-and-goal plunge by fullback D.J. Lundy.
After that, Clemson took control.
Tigers quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei tied it up with a 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jake Briningstool. Then Clemson took its first lead of the game, 17-14, with a 47-yard field goal by B.T. Potter with 1:51 remaining in the first half.
FSU tried to answer just before halftime and quickly drove out to midfield. But Travis was hit from behind on second-and-12 and fumbled, and the Tigers needed just three plays — two rushes by Will Shipley and a keeper by Uiagalelei — to make it 24-14 at the half.
Shipley then broke off a 69-yard kickoff return to start the second half, and Uiagalelei quickly capitalized with a 31-yard touchdown pass on a flea-flicker to tight end Davis Allen. And the Tigers pushed their lead to 34-14 later in the third quarter on another Potter field goal.
At halftime, the total yardage was almost even with the Seminoles standing at 237 yards and Clemson at 247.
The Seminoles added a touchdown early in the fourth quarter when Travis connected with receiver Ja’Khi Douglas on a 6-yard touchdown to make it 34-21. And then he added a 25-yard TD pass to Kentron Poitier with 2:17 remaining.
That cut Clemson’s lead to 34-28, but the Tigers snared the ensuing onside kick to preserve the win.
FSU finished with 460 yards of total offense, while Clemson ended with 370.
The Seminoles actually had another prime scoring opportunity earlier in the fourth quarter when they marched deep in Clemson territory and had a first-and-goal from the 2-yard line, but FSU came up empty after four straight incomplete passes.
After a bye week, Florida State will return to action at home against Georgia Tech on Saturday, Oct. 29.
Talk about this story with other die-hard FSU football fans on the Tribal Council.
