Karels: Florida State football took a step back in deflating loss at NC State

RALEIGH, N.C. – Coming into this season, Florida State narrowly losing at NC State would not have been that deflating of an idea.

The Wolfpack received the second-most votes from the media to win the ACC. Their quarterback, Devin Leary, earned ACC Preseason Player of the Year honors. And their defense garnered a reputation as one of the nation’s best.

No one would have given the Seminoles much of a chance, either, if they knew about their ongoing rash of injuries.

But none of that context matters that much anymore.

Not after how badly FSU (4-2, 2-2 ACC) collapsed in its 19-17 loss to No. 14 NC State (5-1, 1-1) at Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday.

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What started as an impressive performance by the Seminoles ended with them blowing a 17-3 lead in stunning fashion. So stunning that FSU head coach Mike Norvell looked as shell shocked as he has ever been in a postgame press conference.

“I just told the team that the outcome is 100% on me,” Norvell said.

The most perplexing part about the Seminoles crumbling had to be how much their offense struggled.

Their final six possessions resulted in three three-and-outs, a four-and-out and two uncharacteristic interceptions from quarterback Jordan Travis. Until its final drive, FSU accumulated just 28 yards and a first down on 14 plays in the second half.

Travis and his wide receivers had established themselves as the strength of this team. But they heavily contributed to the Seminole offense sputtering down the stretch. Travis finished with his second-worst passing efficiency rating (98.3) out of 19 career starts. FSU’s receivers dropped several passes.

Overall, Travis completed 15 of 30 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown with two picks. He also ran for 108 yards on seven carries.

“We missed some opportunities,” Norvell said. “They were varying what they were doing (defensively). They were changing a few things in the run game with their fits and how they were presenting it. We missed some opportunities and tried to keep a balance of being able to attack in the run game.

“We weren’t having the positives in the run game there against a couple of different looks. We weren’t very good on third downs to be able to sustain drives to get into a rhythm.”

To complete the comeback, the Wolfpack offense hardly needed to perform at a high level.

Leary permanently left the game with an injury midway through the third quarter. Backup quarterback Jack Chambers replaced him and only attempted one pass across NC State’s final 25 plays. The Wolfpack completed only four passes for positive yardage in the second half.

They instead gashed the porous Seminole run defense, turning 46 carries into 182 yards and four touchdowns.

“Just not communicating and not clicking together,” said linebacker Tatum Bethune on FSU’s trouble against the run in the second half. “We have to communicate more. That’s something we have been focusing on a lot, and we just couldn’t get it done at that time.”

Not clicking together perfectly describes what the Seminoles looked like in their last two losses.

FSU falling 31-21 to Wake Forest last Saturday, though, could have been excused.

Even if the Seminoles played cleaner football, there is no guarantee that they would have won that game. The Demon Deacons might be the second best team in the ACC. They are only a couple plays away from being undefeated with a victory over Clemson.

But with NC State, FSU clearly let a win slip away. Maybe even a convincing win.

And now that the Seminoles are halfway through the season, they must show that their recently sloppy play will not be a pattern. Because otherwise, what started as one of FSU’s most promising seasons in several years could go down as a collapse.

“I was absolutely 100% confident we were going to come in here and were going to find a way to win that game. That did not happen,” Norvell said. “But I believe in this team. I believe in the work we do. I believe in the young men I get to coach, and I believe in the staff I get to work with. That we will respond in the way that’s going to showcase the identity of this team, of this group.

“We represent an incredible university and I know there are a lot of people disappointed with the outcome we’ve seen the last two weeks. There’s nobody more disappointed than us, and ultimately, we have an incredible opportunity to be able to rise up, to push forward to get better and put on display the DNA, culture and values of this football team.

“I’ve got great confidence in how these guys are going to respond to it. We are going to work to be our best in everything we do.”

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FSU had so many costly mistakes that even Alex Mastromanno committed one.

The Australian punter entered the game on a fourth-and-17 from the Seminole 18-yard line early in the fourth quarter. After receiving the snap, Mastromanno scrambled to his right and noticed a lot of room in front of him. But then Mastromanno crossed the line of scrimmage, hesitated and illegally punted the ball.

That play resulted in a five-yard penalty and a loss of down, which meant NC State took over at the FSU 13-yard line. The Seminole defense valiantly held the Wolfpack to a 53-yard field goal, but those three points ended up being critical.

“They brought an extra (player) off to one side,” Norvell said. “He just flashed in front of him. He just started to go. …

“I think that was just something that happened where Alex got sparked, started to run and lost his bearings of where he was.”

Overall, FSU committed 10 penalties worth 100 yards. The Seminoles committed 70 of those penalty yards in the second half, which contributed to multiple drives stalling.

“You can’t do the things that stack you behind, whether it’s missed opportunities, a lack of communication or a penalty that goes against you,” Norvell said. “When those things show up, it matters in a one-score game, in a tight game.

“In a game where 15 yards is a pretty big difference in tonight’s outcome. We just have to be better when it comes to that.”

Maybe FSU’s worst blunder came on its final offensive play.

The Seminoles were within field goal range with less than one minute remaining. They easily could have played for the field goal, leaning on kicker Ryan Fitzgerald to win the game. But even though Fitzgerald connected on a 47-yard field goal at the end of the second quarter, he had struggled enough in previous games to not inspire much confidence.

So it made sense that Norvell trusted his veteran quarterback over a struggling kicker. What didn’t make sense, though, is how Travis sailed his pass over receiver Mycah Pittman and into the hands of Wolfpack defensive back Devan Boykin.

“He had one-on-one coverage, and the guy jumped outside and rerouted Mycah,” said Norvell on the second-and-8 play. “Mycah then slipped inside as Jordan was letting go of the ball, and the guy fell off and made the interception.

“It was a timing throw, and the guy played catch coverage. He forced Mycah inside, and the ball went outside.

“It’s the same exact thing we scored a touchdown on in the first half. The guy caught Mycah as the ball left Jordan’s hands, and you saw the result.”

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Injury bug continues to plague Seminoles

The main reason why the Seminoles could not stop the run well is because they were without their top two defensive tackles.

While Fabien Lovett (lower right leg injury) remained out, Robert Cooper permanently exited the game with an injury. Their absence left FSU having to slide Dennis Briggs Jr. from defensive end to defensive tackle.

Seminole running back Treshaun Ward also did not return after leaving the game with an injury. Ward, who finished with five carries for 51 yards, came out of the locker room wearing a sling around his right arm.

“He’s doing well,” FSU running back Lawrance Toafili said. “I don’t know about whatever he has going on, but praying for him, hoping for the best.”

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: Seminoles take a step back in loss to NC State Wolfpack