Florida State OL Dillan Gibbons talks about wearing down Miami's defense, breaking his face mask

Dillan Gibbons needed a new helmet.

The Florida State left guard supposedly delivered a block with so much force against Miami that his face mask permanently bent in another direction.

“I ended up bruising my eye and my nose,” Gibbons said. “I didn’t know what happened, because my field of vision is so limited in that helmet already.

“So I came to the sideline, and everybody is looking at me like bloody murder like something bad had happened to me.”

The Seminoles asked Gibbons and his fellow offensive linemen to block with a vengeance in their 45-3 win over the Hurricanes on Saturday.

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They delivered, with Gibbons’ damaged helmet serving as a trophy.

For a fourth straight game, FSU eclipsed 200 rushing yards. The Seminoles turned 49 carries into 229 yards and three touchdowns. Trey Benson led the way with a career-high 128 rushing yards on 15 carries, along with two scores.

“It wasn’t play calling. It was the guys on the field blocking them, making it get done,” FSU offensive coordinator Alex Atkins said. “We are just like, ‘Don’t mess it up, let them keep doing it because they’re doing a good job of it.’

“And I think those guys showed up and did a job of being consistent.”

That success came despite the fact that the Seminoles were relatively predictable with their scheme. Kevin Steele, Miami’s defensive coordinator, said in his press conference Monday that FSU used a variation of the counter play across 32 of its 45 designed runs.

The counter, a staple in the Seminole offense, is a slower-developing play that often uses pulling offensive linemen to create holes for the running back. Even though the Hurricanes knew the counter was coming, it hardly mattered.

“That was a really cool experience,” Gibbons said. “To be able to line up and know the exact play you are going to run, and to be able to tell the defense, ‘Hey, I’m pulling right now. We are going to run counter, and there’s not much you can do about it.’ That is a great feeling.”

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Through nine games this season, FSU has run the ball at a high level.

Not since 1995 have the Seminoles averaged more rushing yards per game (211.8). They also have tallied more than 200 rushing yards against the top three teams in run defense on their schedule: NC State (10th), Clemson (14th) and Miami (38th).

Coming into last weekend, the Hurricanes ranked No. 18 in run defense (113.5 rushing yards allowed per game).

“If we didn’t have success with the counter, we probably would have lost that game,” Gibbons said. “You saw them slowly start to wear down. You saw defensive ends slowly start to not take on blocks, at least from the pulling guards.

“That kind of systematic decline of a defense is what wins football games.”

No. 23 FSU (6-3, 4-3 ACC) will likely continue to lean on its running game when facing Syracuse (6-3, 3-2) on the road in the JMA Wireless Dome at 8 p.m. Saturday (TV: ACC Network).

The Orange has significantly regressed since starting 6-0 and ranking No. 11 in run defense nationally. They now come in at No. 62 against the run, yielding 233.3 yards on the ground over their last three games.

It’s also worth mentioning that the Seminoles have yet to play Florida, which has the worst run defense on their schedule. The Gators come in at No. 112, allowing 185.3 rushing yards per game.

“I thought Dillan Gibbons maybe played his best game since he's been here,” FSU coach Mike Norvell said. “I thought he was remarkable. You saw against a very challenging defensive line that's really talented, I thought our guys did a great job of creating space. …

“I think coach Atkins is doing a wonderful job with them, and I think our guys are building a great deal of confidence in what they can do. They've been huge in our production with the ground game.”

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Darius Washington steps up

After permanently leaving the Georgia Tech game on Oct. 29 with an undisclosed injury, FSU right tackle Jazston Turnetine played sparingly against Miami.

Darius Washington shined as his replacement.

The versatile offensive lineman, who started against the Hurricanes, received the best run-blocking grade (80.2) and second-highest overall grade (83.0) on the Seminoles. Washington allowed just one pressure in pass protection, though that pressure resulted in a sack.

Whether Washington has earned himself the starting job over Turnetine remains to be seen.

“I thought that he went out and he competed at a high level,” Norvell said. “Just really proud of Darius and excited as he continues to get that strength and development back, just where this is going to take him not only now but for the future, as well.”

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Antavious Woody switches positions

True freshman Antavious Woody recently transitioned from offensive line to defensive tackle, Norvell confirmed.

The move makes sense.

Starters Robert Cooper and Fabien Lovett will expire their eligibility after this season.

Seven scholarship defensive tackles beyond Woody – redshirt juniors Dennis Briggs Jr., Jarrett Jackson, redshirt sophomore Malcolm Ray, redshirt freshman Joshua Farmer, and true freshmen Bishop Thomas, Daniel Lyons and Ayobami Tifase – are eligible to return to FSU next season.

At Lafayette (Ala.) High, the 6-foot-3, 293-pound Woody impressed on both sides of the ball. Norvell said Woody knew he could potentially move to defensive tackle before joining the team.

“Coming in, we knew he had versatility,” Norvell said. “With what we were able to bring in at the defensive tackle spot, numbers wise, we kind of wanted to see where that was going. …

“I’m excited about taking that opportunity, and I did not want to wait until the offseason. Let’s get him over there, get him working and let (defensive tackles coach) Odell (Haggins) get his hands on him a little bit.

“And he is doing a really nice job. It’s going to be a good fit for him.”

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GAME INFORMATION

Who: No. 23 FSU (6-3, 4-3 ACC) vs. Syracuse (6-3, 3-2)

When/where: Saturday, 8 p.m.; JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.

TV/Radio: ACC Network/94.9 FM

Live game updates: www.Tallahassee.com; @CarterKarels on Twitter; @Ehsan_Kassim on Twitter; @JimHenryTALLY

Reach Carter Karels at ckarels@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @CarterKarels. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football: How Seminoles, Dillan Gibbons wore down Miami Hurricanes