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Boston, MA
Three Thoughts On Florida State’s Demeaning Loss To Boston College
Florida State had a chance to show that last week was a fluke, not a trend, when the team took the field on Labor Day against Boston College. Instead, the Seminoles are once again left with more questions than answers after their second straight loss to begin the 2024 season. Playoff hopes and ACC Championship aspirations are all but shuttered with nothing but adversity and a spiraling season in front of head coach Mike Norvell.
Looking at the first two games of the season, the Seminoles have been outworked, outcoached, and outclassed by a pair of teams that were projected to be in the middle of the pack in the ACC. Instead of a top-10 AP ranking, Florida State finds itself at the bottom of an expanded conference, slotting in at No. 17, which is certainly a sight to see.
Boston College beat FSU’s defense at the point of attack, racking up 263 yards on the ground at 5.1 yards per carry. The success led the Eagles to throw the ball just four times in the second half – a sign that their game plan worked to absolute perfection. No matter the situation, the Seminoles couldn’t get off the field.
READ MORE: Former FSU Football Stars Sound Off Following Disastrous Home Opener
Offensively, Florida State started firing the ball through the air but forgot about its stable of running backs. The Seminoles compiled just 21 rushing yards while DJ Uiagalelei completed 50% of his passes on 42 attempts.
Heading into a BYE week, can Florida State begin to pull things together or is this just totally going to come apart at the wheels? Here are three thoughts on a demeaning loss in Doak Campbell Stadium.
1. The Seminoles Have Lost Their Way
The Seminoles built their climb in 2022 and 2023 behind a hungry and passionate team that grew up in the face of adversity. When things went wrong, it wasn’t just the coaches trying to piece things back together, players like Jordan Travis, Kalen DeLoach, and Jared Verse were always doing their part on the field and on the sideline to right the ship.
Through four quarters of football, there are no clear leaders for the 2024 Seminoles. Veterans who were expected to seize leadership roles haven’t risen to the occasion and experienced transfers who are being relied on to play a big part in the success are either unwilling or unable to impact the locker room. The body language on the sideline for much of Monday night was embarrassing and an indictment on the players from top to bottom.
In the moments leading up to the fourth quarter, I noticed a couple of walk-ons and true freshmen who hadn’t entered the game trying to pump up the sideline. The effort wasn’t recognized by the rest of the team in what was certainly a critical moment. Instead, Florida State continued to look flat, lifeless, and like the team didn’t even want to play a football game. There’s no passion, no fight, and no belief.
How many successful football teams look like they’re holding a funeral on the sideline after every drive? The lack of communication and an identity is appalling.
I don’t know how Mike Norvell fixes it but I know Florida State has lost its way. Will a BYE week be enough to help flip the mindset of a 85 inviduals playing together instead of apart? I can’t say that it will because right now, the Seminoles lack any sort of fire, emotion, and edge that fueled the success of Norvell’s previous teams in Tallahassee.
That’s not a switch that I believe can just be flipped on and off. You either have it, or you don’t, and this Florida State team doesn’t have much of anything. And what continues to confound me is just how differently things are compared to the preseason. Whether it’s the warts of losses or the product of the Seminoles practicing against one another, I can’t believe the vast shift in performance we’ve seen from the practice field to game days.
2. It’s Time For A Quarterback Conversation But The Offensive Line Issues Are Even More Concerning
Florida State’s quarterback play has been less than inspiring in the first two games. The Seminoles acquired DJ Uiagalelei with the hopes of utilizing his arm strength behind a speedy group of wide receivers. Those glimpes have popped up at times but not without plenty of other issues in-between whether it’s accuracy, timing, offensive line breakdowns, or simply catching the football.
Funnily (or not funny) enough, Uiagalelei leads the FBS with passing yards (465) but he’s only completed 58% of his passes with one touchdown to one interception while averaging 6.7 yards per attempt – a major stepdown from his career-best 8.4 yards per attempt last year. Uiagalelei doesn’t look like a quarterback with four years of experience. He’s been hesitant, slow-paced, and missed plenty of throws that could have put Florida State in a better position for success.
It’s time for a quarterback conversation for the simple point that this season is quickly becoming the opposite of the bridge year that Uiagalelei was brought in to manage. The reality is that Uiagalelei is only going to be at Florida State until the end of this season and then the Seminoles have to find yet another starting quarterback. Brock Glenn and Luke Kromenhoek are the potential faces of the future at the position and if you’re already taking your lumps with a veteran, why not do it with a player who can still grow?
Will Glenn or Kromenhoek end up being remarkably better options than Uiagalelei in the lineup? No, probably not. But at least they are going to be here in the years to come and this is a good opportunity to begin building them up.
And what concerns me even more than the quarterback play is that an offensive line we thought highly of throughout the offseason has been a weak spot. The right side of the unit got bullied in Ireland which wasn’t a crazy surprise if you followed our practice reports as we noted the inconsistency of Jeremiah Byers and Robert Scott.
What I didn’t foresee was Darius Washington getting taken to town by a Boston College front that wasn’t very productive last year. He graded out as the third-worst player on the team, including an abysmal pass-blocking grade of 28.9. PFF ranks Washington as the No. 932 pass-blocking offensive linemen in the country. Washington was expected to lock down the left side like he did last season but he’s seemingly regressed.
One play after Jaylin Lucas scampered 25 yards to make it 1st and goal, Washington gave up a sack that ultimately forced FSU to settle for a field goal. On the first drive of the second half, Florida State went for it on fourth down from its own territory. Boston College didn’t even blitz but Washington was quickly beaten 1-on-1 with an inside pressure which led to Uiagalelei to throw an interception.
Veteran center Maurice Smith had two false starts and an illegal man downfield penalty, Robert Scott was called for illegal formation, and TJ Ferguson committed a personal foul after Florida State got five yards on 3rd and 10, backing them up into 4th and 20 late in the game. After which, Norvell decided to just send out the punting unit, telling you everything you needed to know about how the night was going.
By the way, Florida State rushed 16 times for 21 yards with the running backs combining for eight carries to Uiagalelei’s eight attempts. The 21 yards marked the fewest rushing yards that the Seminoles have ever totaled in a game during Mike Norvell’s five years with the program. In fact, FSU has only had nine games under Norvell where the offense failed to break the century mark on the ground and two of those performances have come in 2024.
I don’t buy the narrative that the offensive line is struggling because Alex Atkins isn’t on the sideline. You’ve got a group with over 300 combined appearances and 200 starts at the college level. At some point, the big boys have to man up, exert their will, and take over the game. I. haven’t gotten any sense that this group wants to be physical and dominate another team. They look fine with being average, much like the defense.
The lack of a consistent offensive line means the struggles at quarterback, running back, and wide receiver (don’t get me started on tight end) will only continue to grow.
3. Florida State’s Defense Fails Situationally – Again
Man, was I completely wrong about this defense. I thought the Seminoles would be able to lean on this unit while the offense figured things out early in the year. I certainly miscalculated that one, along with plenty of others. Just look at the size, speed, and athleticism that FSU sports in the front seven; Patrick Payton, Darrell Jackson, Joshua Farmer, Marvin Jones Jr., DJ Lundy…So far, potential has been just that and the group hasn’t lived up to its offseason billings.
I’m not sure if the Seminoles got caught up in their own hype or just thought they could walk through Georgia Tech and Boston College, but the results haven’t been pretty. What you do between the lines is what matters and there aren’t really any positives to take away from the performance of Florida State’s defensive line and linebackers. The starting defensive line has totaled 13 tackles and one tackle for loss in two games – with Jones Jr. not even making the stat sheet on Monday night. Earl Little Jr. has more sacks than Payton, Jackson Farmer, and Jones Jr. combined.
It’s bewildering and making me ramble because the whole point of this thought was to talk about Florida State’s situational failures. Over the past two years, the Seminoles have leaned on their ability to get offenses off the field on third down along with walling up in the red zone. Instead, this unit has no backbone and more holes in it than Swiss cheese.
Florida State has surrendered 56% of third down attempts (14/25), which ranks No. 118 in the country. The Seminoles have also given up touchdowns on 7/8 red zone opportunities with the lone possession that didn’t result in a score being when Boston College kneeled the clock out at the end of the game. The defense is constantly out of position, being driven off the ball, and missing tackles.
How long is it going to take defensive coordinator Adam Fuller and his group to learn how to defend a wheel route? They got lucky on the first drive of the game when Treshaun Ward dropped a wide open pass out of the backfield. Guess what Boston College tried two drives later and this time Ward made the Seminoles pay for 42 yards. To add insult to injury, he caught a touchdown on the same drive on the same route to make it 14-0 Boston College in Doak.
The lack of adjustments and knowledge of assignment pre-snap just makes no sense to me. Remember, we’re in the age where helmet communication is allowed and one of the linebackers is wearing the ‘green dot’ on every play. Regardless of a rule that should theoretically make it easier for defenses to line up, the Seminoles don’t seem to have a clue about what they’re supposed to do from play to play.
Again, this is another area where no easy fix comes to mind. It’s quickly setting up to be a long season, and not in a good way, for Florida State.
READ MORE: FSU Football Releases Uniform Combination For Home Opener Against Boston College
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• Mike Norvell Reviews DJ Uiagalelei’s First Career Start At Florida State
Boston police, federal agents and the National Park Service are investigating an incident involving a fire behind the historic African Meeting House, a landmark that is part of Boston’s Museum of African American History.
The National Park Service said it responded to the African Meeting House during the early morning hours of June 3 after an unidentified person was seen on surveillance video opening a package that had been left outside the building. Authorities said the individual removed some of the contents and burned several items in a small alley behind the structure.
Officials said there are no early indications the incident was an attempt to set fire to the building itself, but the case remains under active investigation.
The African Meeting House, built in 1806 on Beacon Hill, is recognized as the nation’s oldest surviving Black church building and is a National Historic Landmark.
“This has been a distressing situation, and quite sobering,” museum President and CEO Noelle Trent said.
Trent said the package contained materials intended for upcoming Juneteenth celebrations. According to the museum, the person scattered and burned some of the contents behind the building.
Outside the Museum of African American History, where a package fire was reported early Wednesday, June 4, 2026.
“A small ember would be devastating, not only for this building but also for the community around us,” Trent said.
Investigators from the Boston Police Department, the Boston Fire Department’s Arson Unit and federal authorities are working to determine a motive.
Trent said the incident is particularly concerning because of the building’s historical significance.
“We do not have many buildings like this in the country, so we are a physical marker and a reminder of the community and what happened here,” she said. “If this goes, there’s nothing else like it anywhere else in the world.”
NBC10 Boston NBC10 Boston Inside the Museum of African American History in Boston.
Mayor Michelle Wu also highlighted the importance of the African Meeting House and said the Civil Rights Division of the Boston Police Department is investigating.
“At a time of unrelenting attacks on Black history and Black communities, the Museum of African American History in Boston stands as a pillar of truth and conscience for our city and our country,” Wu said in a statement. “The African Meeting House — the oldest standing Black church in the United States — continues to be a home for important community convenings to this day. This disturbing incident of suspected arson is under investigation by the Boston Police Department’s Civil Rights Division, and hateful acts of violence will never be tolerated in Boston. The City of Boston stands firmly with Dr. Trent and the entire MAAH team, and we will not be intimidated in our work to make Boston a home for everyone.”
No injuries were reported. Authorities said additional information will be released as the investigation continues.
Boston, MA
Karen Read sues the police agencies that investigated her Boston police boyfriend’s death
BOSTON — Karen Read has filed a lawsuit against the Massachusetts State Police and the town of Canton, alleging misconduct and negligence in the investigation that led to her prosecution in the death of her Boston police officer boyfriend.
The suit filed Thursday in Bristol County Superior Court argues that Read’s acquittal last June revealed “an embedded culture of bigotry, misogyny, systemic failures, and institutional rot at the very core of both organizations.” It alleges that the town and the police department were negligent in the hiring, training, and supervision of officers.
The town of Canton and the Canton Police Department did not immediately respond to email requests for comment.
Read walked out of court a free woman about a year ago after more than three years and two trials over the death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, who was found on the suburban lawn of a fellow officer’s home after a night of heavy drinking during a snowstorm.
Read faced charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving the scene. The jury convicted her of a lesser charge, drunken driving.
Prosecutors said Read hit O’Keefe with her SUV on January 2022 night of the party, leaving him to die in a blizzard.
Her lawyers successfully defended her, painting a sinister picture of police misconduct and theorizing that O’Keefe was in fact killed by colleagues who then covered it up.
The trial centered in part on lead investigator Michael Proctor, whom defense attorneys described as biased against Read from the beginning. The Massachusetts State Police trial board found Proctor guilty of sending crude and defamatory text messages about Read while leading the investigation into her. He was fired and drew the ire of Read supporters who believe he played a key role in an alleged cover-up to frame her.
The complaint filed Thursday devotes dozens of pages to Proctor and former Canton police Sgt. Sean Goode, citing texts, recordings and other communications that it says demonstrate racist, sexist and other derogatory remarks. Read argues that those materials show both men were unfit to participate in the investigation and that their conduct reflected broader failures in oversight by state and local law enforcement officials.
Goode was placed on leave in November 2025 when the town was notified about allegations of misconduct. He resigned earlier this week, according to news outlets.
Boston, MA
Clover plans to reopen some locations after sudden closure, thanks to an anonymous investor
Local News
The vegetarian restaurant chain, founded in 2008 at MIT, will reopen its Cambridge and Boston locations Tuesday, June 9.
Just days after announcing it would shut down for good, Clover Food Lab now says it has found a path forward to reopen some restaurants.
The vegetarian restaurant chain will reopen its Cambridge and Boston locations for lunch service on Tuesday, June 9, after securing a deal with an investor, CEO Julia Wrin Piper told Boston.com.
Clover announced May 26 it would close all 11 of its restaurants and its meal-box delivery operations, citing inflation, thin margins, and limited ability to raise prices.
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A dream, a bankruptcy, and a fateful email: Inside the collapse of Clover
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Clover says it’s closing for good
Wrin Piper said the company is focusing on Boston and Cambridge as it reopens some locations. Before last week, the chain also had restaurants in Sudbury, Burlington, Westford, and Somerville.
“We are intentionally focusing on shrinking our footprint to focus on our core communities,” Wrin Piper said. “The operational plan is still being worked out.”
Since March, the company had been searching for a buyer but was unable to find one. However, late last week, Clover finalized an investment deal that will allow the company to continue operating, Wrin Piper said.
Wrin Piper declined to identify the investor or disclose further details about the deal. In an email announcing the reopening, Clover described the investor as “mission-aligned” with the brand and motivated by the “differentiation of [Clover’s] locally-sourced menu.”
“Now, we’re in a position where we’re resourced enough that we’ll be able to move forward with some of the operational changes that will be essential for long-term financial sustainability, specifically reduced footprint, really focusing on serving truly the local community,” Wrin Piper said.
The reopening also comes after an “outpouring of love” from customers following the closure announcement, Wrin Piper noted.
Clover locations saw an increase in traffic, and sales surged as supporters flocked to restaurants in their final days, the company said in the email.
The company also received messages from customers sharing memories and expressing appreciation for the brand. In notes shared with Boston.com, customers described Clover as “irreplaceable” and a “unique Boston institution.” Others reflected on years of meals and experiences tied to the restaurant.
“My memories are mostly about the vibe — welcoming, delicious, passionate, sustainable, and community oriented,” one note reads. “Clover staff were always friendly and helpful. I estimate I had at least 2,000 Clover sandwiches over the 17 years. I tried them all and had my favorites.”
Wrin Piper said the response was deeply touching.
“It’s meaningful to see a customer really enjoy a sandwich or really connect with a story that we’re telling about a local farm,” she said. “It’s exciting if you see one customer doing it. If you see literally 1,000 customers do it over the course of a day, it’s incredibly meaningful.”
Founded as a food truck outside MIT in 2008, Clover built its reputation on vegetarian meals made with ingredients sourced from local farms. What began as a single truck eventually expanded into a regional fast-casual chain and meal-box delivery service.
Clover went public with its financial issues when it filed for bankruptcy protection in 2023, citing rising costs, slow sales, and difficulty raising capital. The restaurant emerged from bankruptcy the following year with two fewer restaurants and 240 employees.
Inflation was one of the factors behind the company’s recent closure announcement, and Wrin Piper acknowledged those pressures have not disappeared.
However, she said Clover’s restructuring efforts are designed to better position the company for long-term stability.
“Our restaurant portfolio, as a whole, was profitable,” she said. “But because we were challenged with some of these pressures, it’s very important in this next iteration to really focus on the core stores that are not only profitable but also very economically service as a tight community around Boston and Cambridge.”
While the company’s long-term operating plan is still being finalized, it will include reducing its store count and scaling back on infrastructure built for expansion.
Clover currently operates a large commissary in East Cambridge, where ingredients from local farmers are processed and prepared for restaurants throughout the system. Wrin Piper said that model was designed to support “scaled growth” and is no longer what the company needs.
“Right now, it’s important that we’re focused on a reduced store portfolio,” she said. “We’ll be closing or downsizing our commissary, because it’s simply too big for our needs.”
The chain also faces growing competition from other healthy lifestyle chains that have popped up in the region, such as Life Alive, CAVA, and Sweetgreen. Still, Wrin Piper said she believes Clover’s distinct identity and local sourcing will continue to set it apart.
“I think providing super fresh, exciting food with really warm and inviting customer service is the way that we’re going to continue to raise sales,” she said.
Wrin Piper noted that many customers choose Clover for its sourcing that “stays 100 percent the same” despite the operational challenges the company faces, adding that reinvesting in the local agriculture economy has been core to Clover’s mission.
“[Sourcing is] never something we’ve compromised on,” Wrin Piper said. “We will keep our commitment to sourcing from local farms in New England that you can drive to within a few hours.”
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