Grading Florida State football: How do Seminoles grade following win over Virginia Tech?

Florida State football is off to a 5-0 start for the first time since the 2015 season following Saturday’s 39-17 victory over Virginia Tech at Doak Campbell Stadium.

The No. 5 Seminoles (5-0, 3-0 ACC) dominated the first quarter by scoring the first 22 points against the Hokies (2-4, 1-1). But Virginia Tech stormed back with 17 unanswered points. FSU responded with the final 17 points to put the game away and remain unbeaten.

FSU head coach Mike Norvell and FSU have won 11 straight games dating back to last season.

Here are our grades for FSU against Virginia Tech.

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Offense: B+

For the first time this season, the passing game took a backseat to the running game for the Seminoles.

Jordan Travis completed 18 of 24 passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 25 rushing yards on 10 carries.

But the focus on the the run game during the bye week was successful.

Against Clemson two weeks ago, FSU finished with 22 rushing yards on 20 attempts. The Seminoles totaled 282 rushing yards against the Hokies on Saturday.

Trey Benson led the way with 11 rushes for 200 yards and two touchdowns. He broke runs of 62 yards and 85 yards – both career highs – and became the first Seminole to rush for 200 yards since Dalvin Cook in 2016.

Lawrance Toafili added six rushes for 50 yards, including a 28-yard score in the first quarter.

For the second straight week, the Seminoles did not turn the ball over.

“It was good. We talked about wanting to be able to establish the ground game,” Norvell said.

“We take what teams give us, and there were some opportunities that were created. I thought our backs ran really hard. I thought the O-line created some good seams for them to run through.”

Defense: B

Of the 313 total offensive by the Hokies, 126 came in the second quarter. Another 31 came from running back Bryce Duke in the fourth quarter.

In the first and third quarters, Virginia Tech mustered just 52 yards of offense.

The Hokies were 2 for 13 on third down but 3 for 4 on fourth down. An emphasis on third downs was something the Seminoles worked on during the bye week.

The woes in the second quarter prevented the team from playing a complete game, dinging the grade slightly.

FSU forced three turnovers, recovering one. Freshman safety Conrad Hussey forced and recovered a fumble on the final Virginia Tech drive.

Jared Verse recorded his first two sacks of the season, while Patrick Payton added 1.5 tackles for loss.

“I feel like we had a pretty solid day, we gave up a touchdown. But we had a pretty solid day,” Payton said.

“I felt like we got to come out and we got to finish faster and finish better. Because we tend to get up on people and we kind of take the foot off the gas. But we got to get better at that.”

Special teams: C+

Kicker Ryan Fitzgerald connected from 26 yards on his lone field goal of the game in the third quarter and made all four of his extra point attempts. He is 5-for-5 on kicks and perfect on all 23 extra point tries this season.

Punter Alex Mastramanno finished with four punts for 206 yards for an average of 51.5 yards and a long of 59.

The lone miscue on special teams was costly, however.

The Seminoles allowed Bhayshul Tuten to return the opening kickoff of the second half for a 99-yard touchdown to cut the lead down to five points.

“Obviously some mistakes on our end,” Norvell said of the return.

“We had bad leverage, didn’t set the edge where we wanted to. They’re on it and ran a field return. It’s something that we practice for and actually expected, but [a] couple [of] guys took wrong leverage angles and got pinned and just created too much space.”

Coaching: B

FSU opened with a strong plan, showcasing the team’s talents in the first quarter by jumping to a 22-point lead.

After a slow second quarter, defensive coordinator Adam Fuller adjusted in the second half.

On five second-half possessions, the Hokies punted three times, turned it over on downs and fumbled as the Seminoles earned a shutout.

But part of the second quarter woes falls on the coaching staff, along with the defense.

One thing Norvell self-critiqued himself for on the sideline was showing some of his frustrations on the sidelines with the calls from the referees.

“I’ve got to do a better job in some of those situations. I was frustrated and there is some — obviously we’ll go back and watch film and learn and teach,” Norvell said of him showing his frustrations visibly on the sidelines.

“Some of the things that showed up, I mean, I want an explanation, and so I voiced an opinion. I got to do a better job of making sure even in voicing that opinion that as a leader of this football team, I have to make sure our guys are staying focused on things they can control.”

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Overall: B

FSU hasn’t played what it calls its “best game” yet. The Seminoles have three convincing wins and two close victories to start the season.

The first quarter of this one was their best starts to a game. But the second quarter – where the offense gained just one yard – was a sign the team still has growth left to make.

FSU continues to sit in the driver’s seat of the ACC and its College Football Playoffs aspirations.

The Seminoles play the second game of a three-game homestand next week against Syracuse. Kickoff will be announced Sunday, with ESPN putting it on a six-day hold.

“When you’re winning football games, everyone’s happy,” Travis said of the 5-0 start.

“At the end of the day, our goal is to go 1-0 every single week, take everything day by day, and just win the day. And we’ve been doing that as a football team.”

Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).

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