Florida State's 2024 college football season has been a test of resilience, and it continued Saturday night against the 15th-ranked Clemson Tigers.
Despite the loss, the Seminole faithful should feel confident and have restored belief in the program's future outlook.
After the first quarter, this game looked over. Clemson jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the blink of an eye, the Tigers hit explosives, and the FSU offense turned the ball over.
It looked like every Florida State game thus far. But guess what? They didn't quit. Two or three weeks ago, this team would have quit, rolled over, and looked like Missouri vs Texas A&M earlier in the day.
Now, yes, Clemson's early onslaught allowed the Tigers to sit in cruise control and leave Tallahassee with a 29-13 win.
However, a Florida State team that lacked any passion or remnant of pride between the lines proved something to its fan base, its coaching staff, and, more importantly, itself.
There's a presence of heart still in this team. If you combine that competitive defensive effort with an improved production of offensive execution, Florida State can win a few more ball games in 2024.
Brock Glenn made his first start of the 2024 season with DJ Uiagalelei out of the picture for several weeks as he rehabs from surgery.
Mike Norvell might have something in the redshirt freshman signal caller. Glenn played well for an offense that failed to record a single rush yard through three-quarters of play and had countless bad drops from receivers.
Glenn finished the evening 23/41 for 228 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. The interception wasn't an actual turnover-worthy play; it seemed like a miscommunication, with Hykeem Williams not making the correct route adjustment. Give Glenn a mulligan on that one.
Clemson only recorded two sacks on the day because of Glenn's ability to move within the pocket, an element of the Florida State offense that has been missing throughout the season.
The redshirt freshman showed moxy, courage, and a competitive spirit that bled throughout the rest of the roster. It was evident that the team was responding and playing hard for Glenn.
The offensive line surpassed my expectations regarding how well they could hold up in pass protection. The unit did a solid job and graded out relatively well per PFF.
As stated above, the run game was non-existent. I don't think many people expected Clemson's defense to get gashed on the ground by this team despite the Tigers' performance vs. Stanford the previous week.
Glenn made some big-time throws. The 13-yard TD pass to Amaree Wiliams was an absolute dot between three defenders, and the 12-yard TD pass to Ja'Khi Douglas was a precision strike.
Several other key throws made your eyebrows raise while watching. Unfortunately, Glenn is not surrounded by much of a receiving core outside of Hykeem Williams and Landen Thomas.
The offense has found a dynamic playmaker in freshman tight end Landen Thomas. A position on the field that has brought absolutely zero production and beneficial contribution to FSU entering the game seems to have found its alpha from now on.
Thomas finished the night with seven catches for 80 yards, highlighted by a 35-yard catch and run in the second quarter.
Florida State's offense can win football games with Brock Glenn under center, and the redshirt freshman has replenished a cabinet of faith that was otherwise empty entering the week.
FSU is 1-5 (1-4) on the year. This season is about building toward the 2025 team, and while it is early, Brock Glenn appears to be a potential factor in the Seminoles' future.
The injection of youth into the starting 22 has done wonders for attitude and energy on the field; Florida State fans must feel great seeing their team show a pulse on the sideline for once in 2024.
On the Clemson side, the Tigers executed a great game plan well. I tip Garrett Riley for what he did with this offense following the season opener against Georgia.
The Tigers dominated the line of scrimmage, rushing for 265 yards at 6.6 yards per carry. Phil Mafah showcased his ability to project as an NFL-caliber running back, finishing the evening with 154 yards at 6.2 yards per carry.
Cade Klubnik was on schedule on schedule and hit his deep shots when called upon. He's looked great the last month of football following his underwhelming performance against the Georgia Bulldogs.
Klubnik finished the evening 19/33 for 235 yards and two touchdowns. One of the most underrated aspects of his game is just how athletic he is with his legs—he added another 62 yards on the ground.
Florida State's defense played pretty well; the 17-0 early deficit was enough to put Clemson in comfortable positioning for the rest of the evening, but it is encouraging to see Florida State's defense compete and give what I would consider a winning effort on that side of the ball.
Clemson just out-executed FSU early on a few well-designed vertical concepts, and the Tigers' well-scheduled game plan worked to perfection.
Overall, it was a good win for Clemson on its first road trip of the season. Now the #10 ranked team in the country, the Tigers are in the lead with Miami for a spot in the ACC title game and playoff.
Florida State is on bye next week before a primetime Friday night matchup with Duke on Friday, October 18th.