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Take this entire breakdown with a grain of salt. Facing Florida State was no normal circumstance, nor was being down by a ton very early. Of course, we've been here before, but this time seemed a bit different at least. Rather than just roll over and die, George McDonald seemed to have this group fighting more this time around. Doesn't change the outcome, but nice that we didn't get shut out.
We noticed some very good developments last week against Maryland, and I can't say we grew on those -- but again, how could we? The FSU breakdown is below. I try to make things seem less negative than they were, where possible.
First Quarter
| DRIVE 1 | ||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | Run/Pass | Player | Direction | Result |
| 12:29 | 1st and 10 | SYR 25 | Run | Smith | End L | 2 Yard Gain |
| 11:51 | 2nd and 8 | SYR 27 | Run | Smith | Off-Tackle R | 3 Yard Loss |
| 11:09 | 3rd and 11 | SYR 24 | Pass | Hunt | Short R | Incomplete |
| DRIVE 2 | ||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | Run/Pass | Player | Direction | Result |
| 10:41 | 1st and 10 | SYR 25 | Run | Hunt | Off-Tackle L | 2 Yard Gain |
| 10:05 | 2nd and 8 | SYR 27 | Pass | West | Mid-Range M | 5 Yard Gain |
| 9:21 | 3rd and 3 | SYR 32 | Pass | West | Mid-Range L | 8 Yard Gain |
| 8:54 | 1st and 10 | SYR 40 | Run | Hunt | Dive | 1 Yard Gain |
| 8:12 | 2nd and 9 | SYR 41 | Run | Gulley | End R | 0 Yard Gain |
| 7:42 | 3rd and 9 | SYR 41 | Pass | Hunt | Mid-Range M | Incomplete |
| DRIVE 3 | ||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | Run/Pass | Player | Direction | Result |
| 4:41 | 1st and 10 | SYR 25 | PENALTY (Holding) | Foy | N/A | 10 Yard Loss |
| 4:36 | 1st and 20 | SYR 15 | Pass | Clark | Screen L | 10 Yard Gain |
| 3:55 | 2nd and 10 | SYR 25 | Pass (Sack) | Hunt | N/A | 4 Yard Loss |
| 3:07 | 3rd and 14 | SYR 21 | Pass (Sack) | Hunt | N/A | 2 Yard Loss |
| DRIVE 4 | ||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | Run/Pass | Player | Direction | Result |
| 0:40 | 1st and 10 | SYR 25 | Run | Smith | Off-Tackle L | 1 Yard Gain |
Play-Call Breakdown: 7 passes, 6 runs
The first down running stuck around for the most part, which is great, except for the fact that we couldn't really move the ball on second or third down. As we've noticed over and over, these end runs don't really make an impact, but due to FSU's ridiculous talent inside, Jerome Smith and Prince-Tyson Gulley couldn't do much between the tackles either.
***
Second Quarter
| Time | Down | Ball | Run/Pass | Player | Direction | Result |
| 15:00 | 2nd and 9 | SYR 26 | Pass | Broyld | Screen R | 7 Yard Gain |
| 14:18 | 3rd and 3 | SYR 33 | Run | Smith | Dive | 0 Yard Gain |
| DRIVE 5 | ||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | Run/Pass | Player | Direction | Result |
| 11:48 | 1st and 10 | SYR 20 | Pass | Broyld | Screen L | 4 Yard Gain |
| 11:11 | 2nd and 6 | SYR 24 | Pass | West | Screen L | 4 Yard Gain |
| 10:45 | 3rd and 2 | SYR 28 | Pass | Wales | Mid-Range R | 2 Yard Gain |
| 10:14 | 1st and 10 | SYR 30 | Run | McFarlane | Off-Tackle R | 3 Yard Loss |
| 9:33 | 2nd and 13 | SYR 27 | Pass | McFarlane | Screen R | 23 Yard Gain |
| 8:58 | 1st and 10 | 50 Yard Line | Run | Morris | End R | 2 Yard Gain |
| 8:32 | 2nd and 8 | FSU 48 | Run | Morris | End R | 8 Yard Gain |
| 7:59 | 1st and 10 | FSU 40 | Pass | Hunt | Deep R | Incomplete |
| 7:54 | 2nd and 10 | FSU 40 | Run | Morris | End R | 4 Yard Gain |
| 7:30 | 3rd and 6 | FSU 36 | Run | McFarlane | Off-Tackle R | 2 Yard Gain |
| 6:50 | 4th and 4 | FSU 34 | Fumbled Snap | Hunt | N/A | 15 Yard Loss; Turnover |
| DRIVE 6 | ||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | Run/Pass | Player | Direction | Result |
| 5:04 | 1st and 10 | SYR 27 | Pass | Hunt | Screen R | Incomplete |
| 4:58 | 2nd and 10 | SYR 27 | Run | Morris | End L | 3 Yard Loss |
| 4:16 | 3rd and 13 | SYR 24 | Pocket Breakdown; Run | Hunt | Off-Tackle L | 10 Yard Gain |
| DRIVE 7 | ||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | Run/Pass | Player | Direction | Result |
| 0:42 | 1st and 10 | SYR 20 | Run | Morris | Off-Tackle L | 3 Yard Gain |
Play-Call Breakdown: 9 passes, 8 runs
The fifth drive kills you, because you know that was our chance to get on the board in the first half. Florida State's defense had taken its foot off the gas a little bit, and SU was steadily moving the ball along with a nice mix of run and pass. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not too worried about the McFarlane/Morris era of this backfield. Again, it was while down 35 points, however both looked great as the primary playmakers in this offense -- especially McFarlane, whose elusiveness netted the Orange its first trip into FSU territory.
***
Third Quarter
| DRIVE 8 | ||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | Run/Pass | Player | Direction | Result |
| 14:55 | 1st and 10 | SYR 22 | Run | Smith | Dive | 1 Yard Gain |
| 14:24 | 2nd and 9 | SYR 23 | Pass | Clark | Mid-Range M | 2 Yard Gain |
| 13:45 | 3rd and 7 | SYR 25 | PENALTY (FSU - PI) | Joyner | Mid-Range M | 5 Yard Gain |
| 13:42 | 1st and 10 | SYR 30 | Run | Morris | Dive | 4 Yard Gain |
| 13:00 | 2nd and 6 | SYR 34 | Run | Morris | End L | 2 Yard Gain |
| 12:20 | 3rd and 4 | SYR 36 | Pass | Hunt | Short L | Incomplete |
| DRIVE 9 | ||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | Run/Pass | Player | Direction | Result |
| 10:51 | 1st and 10 | SYR 25 | Pass | Parris | Mid-Range R | 10 Yard Gain |
| 10:18 | 1st and 10 | SYR 35 | Pass | Hunt | Mid-Range L | Incomplete |
| 10:13 | 2nd and 10 | SYR 35 | Run | McFarlane | Counter L | 5 Yard Gain |
| 9:32 | 3rd and 5 | SYR 40 | Pass | Hunt | Screen R | Incomplete |
| DRIVE 10 | ||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | Run/Pass | Player | Direction | Result |
| 7:45 | 1st and 10 | SYR 25 | Run | Morris | Dive | 6 Yard Gain |
| 7:15 | 2nd and 4 | SYR 31 | Run | Morris | Off-Tackle L | 5 Yard Gain |
| 6:42 | 1st and 10 | SYR 36 | Run | Morris | Off-Tackle L | 1 Yard Gain |
| 5:59 | 2nd and 9 | SYR 37 | Pass | Hunt | Deep L | Incomplete |
| 5:55 | 3rd and 9 | SYR 37 | Pass (Stripped) | Hunt | N/A | 6 Yard Loss; Turnover |
| DRIVE 11 | ||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | Run/Pass | Player | Direction | Result |
| 5:47 | 1st and 10 | SYR 25 | Run | McFarlane | Dive | 7 Yard Gain |
| 5:06 | 2nd and 3 | SYR 32 | Run | McFarlane | Counter L | 4 Yard Gain |
| 4:33 | 1st and 10 | SYR 36 | Run | Morris | Dive | 3 Yard Gain |
| 3:53 | 2nd and 7 | SYR 39 | Pass | Allen | Short R | Interception |
| DRIVE 12 | ||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | Run/Pass | Player | Direction | Result |
| 2:43 | 1st and 10 | SYR 20 | Run | McFarlane | Dive | 0 Yard Gain |
| 2:05 | 2nd and 7 | SYR 20 | Pass | Broyld | Screen L | 7 Yard Gain |
| 1:29 | 3rd and 3 | SYR 27 | Pass | Moore | Mid-Range M | 4 Yard Gain |
| 0:53 | 1st and 10 | SYR 31 | Run | Morris | Dive | 3 Yard Gain |
| 0:04 | 2nd and 7 | SYR 34 | Pass | Allen | Mid-Range L | Incomplete |
| 0:01 | 3rd and 7 | SYR 34 | Pass | Kobena | Mid-Range R | 10 Yard Gain |
Play-Call Breakdown: 12 passes, 12 runs
Most of this game was played between SU's own 20- and 40-yard line, and that couldn't be more apparent than in the third quarter. While the Orange certainly ran the ball a whole bunch in this quarter, it was third-down passing that killed off drives in many cases -- in particular drive 11, which unsurprisingly ended in another Drew Allen pick and drive 10 (Hunt fumble). I did enjoy the methodical nature of drive 12, though, which continues into the fourth quarter. We don't need huge plays to score, and honestly, just chipping away like this early could've slowed down FSU's offense -- at least somewhat.
***
Fourth Quarter
| Time | Down | Ball | Run/Pass | Player | Direction | Result |
| 15:00 | 1st and 10 | SYR 44 | Run | McFarlane | Off-Tackle R | 6 Yard Gain |
| 14:21 | 2nd and 4 | 50 Yard Line | Run | McFarlane | Dive | 11 Yard Gain |
| 13:49 | 1st and 10 | FSU 39 | Run | Morris | Dive | 4 Yard Gain |
| 13:05 | 2nd and 6 | FSU 35 | Run | Allen | Off-Tackle R | 4 Yard Gain |
| 12:19 | 3rd and 2 | FSU 31 | Run | McFarlane | Dive | 1 Yard Loss |
| 11:33 | 4th and 3 | FSU 32 | Pass | Clark | Screen R | 4 Yard Gain |
| 11:01 | 1st and 10 | FSU 28 | Run | McFarlane | Dive | 3 Yard Gain |
| 10:16 | 2nd and 7 | FSU 25 | Run | Morris | Off-Tackle R | 2 Yard Gain |
| 9:31 | 3rd and 5 | FSU 23 | Pass | Cleveland | Short R | 4 Yard Gain |
| 9:13 | 4th and 1 | FSU 19 | Run | Allen | Dive | 4 Yard Gain |
| 8:38 | 1st and 10 | FSU 15 | Pass | Allen | Deep R | Incomplete |
| 8:33 | 2nd and 10 | FSU 15 | Run | Morris | Dive | 1 Yard Gain |
| 7:51 | 3rd and 9 | FSU 14 | Pass | Allen | Deep R | Incomplete |
| 7:47 | 4th and 9 | FSU 14 | Field Goal | Norton | N/A | FG is Good |
| DRIVE 13 | ||||||
| Time | Down | Ball | Run/Pass | Player | Direction | Result |
| 6:10 | 1st and 10 | SYR 16 | Run | Morris | End L | 2 Yard Gain |
| 5:28 | 2nd and 8 | SYR 18 | Run | Morris | Dive | 7 Yard Gain |
| 4:41 | 3rd and 1 | SYR 25 | Run | Morris | Dive | 2 Yard Gain |
| 4:04 | 1st and 10 | SYR 27 | Run | McFarlane | Dive | 12 Yard Gain |
| 3:28 | 1st and 10 | SYR 39 | Run | McFarlane | Off-Tackle R | 7 Yard Gain |
| 3:04 | 2nd and 3 | SYR 46 | Run | Morris | Dive | 4 Yard Gain |
| 2:32 | 1st and 10 | 50 Yard Line | Run | Morris | Dive | 3 Yard Gain |
| 1:48 | 2nd and 7 | FSU 47 | Pocket Breakdown; Run | Loeb | Off-Tackle R | 0 Yard Gain |
| 1:05 | 3rd and 7 | FSU 47 | Run | McFarlane | End R | 28 Yard Gain |
| 0:44 | 1st and 10 | FSU 19 | PENALTY (False Start) | Palmer | N/A | 5 Yard Loss |
| 0:16 | 1st and 15 | FSU 24 | Pass | Loeb | Mid-Range M | Incomplete |
| 0:12 | 2nd and 15 | FSU 24 | Run | Morris | Off-Tackle R | 4 Yard Gain |
Play-Call Breakdown: 18 runs, 6 passes
Yes, this was against the backups, but we can have these sorts of drives all game -- we've had these sorts of drives in the fourth quarter of every ACC win. Just keep running the ball and holes will start to break open. Syracuse doesn't need to be one-dimensional, per se, but we know we don't move the ball too well through the air. Just commit to pounding the ball. Look what happens in this fourth quarter when we stop trying to run along the edge and just hit it inside. Success!
***
Some trends/numbers to note:
- Overall play-calling breakdown: 44 runs v. 34 passes
- First half play-calling: 16 runs, 14 runs (27 first-half runs last week)
- First downs: 16 total (9 rushing, 6 passing, 1 penalty)
- First down play selection: 22 called runs, 8 called passes (22:7 last week)
- First down play selection on subsequent sets of downs: 13 called runs, 4 called passes (13:3 last week)
- Second down play selection: 16 called runs, 11 called passes
- Third down play selection: 14 called passes, 5 called runs (ugh -- predictable)
- Third down conversion: 6-for-19 (3 passes, 2 runs, 1 penalty)
- Every Syracuse drive started between the SU 16 and SU 27
- Surprisingly, just four three-and-outs for Syracuse (all in the first half)
- 35 (!!!) of the Orange's 78 offensive plays gain two yards or less
Trying to balance the bad with there good here: Syracuse could not move the ball at all against FSU's starters -- or at least until they were down 35-0 and the defenders no longer cared. The run game was effective when the Orange committed to it, and the passing game was (as usual) effective when the rushing the ball set it up. Bubble screens worked here in many cases, but McDonald didn't call nearly enough of them. End runs are also horrendous for this team and I wish we'd stop bothering with them, especially since one got Prince-Tyson Gulley hurt.
I'm also torn about the end of game play-calling. If we'd been a bit more aggressive, we could've put more points on the board, but the rushing attack was working reasonably well just the same. A trick play would've also worked out to our advantage, but I guess why let that cat out of the bag when you're not going to win?
Other concerns: why did Scott Shafer defer the kickoff? You'd think he'd want the ball first, considering this team doesn't play well from behind. Also, they pointed out something during the broadcast which worries me -- that SU's linemen are showing the direction of the play pre-snap, which is why Florida State was able to get to the ball-carrier so many times in the first half. Let's stop doing that, guys. Please? For me?
Anything else jump out at you? Feel free to dive in and bring up any other trends I didn't call out above. The comment section and this data is your oyster...