Notebook: Atkins on his absence, improved FSU pass-rush, 4th down decision

For much of the Florida State football team, Saturday's win over Cal was the fourth game of the season.

For FSU offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Alex Atkins, though, it was a season debut he had to wait nearly an extra month for.

Atkins was finally able to be with the team on a gameday for Saturday night's 14-9 win after a recruiting violation ruling by the NCAA against him back in January caused him to be suspended for the first three gamedays of the 2024 season.

"It was difficult just because you want to be a part of it and be able to assist and help in any aspect that you can," Atkins said Monday in his first press conference back from suspension.

Considering Atkins was with his team throughout the course of preseason camp and each of FSU's game weeks in practice before being forced to be isolated on the gamedays, it seems unlikely that his absence was totally to blame for FSU's offensive line struggles early this season.

FSU managed just 156 rushing yards and averaged 2.19 yards per carry in the three games where Atkins wasn't on the sideline. This was in large part due to some offensive line struggles.

"I would say it was difficult in that aspect, especially when things aren't going the way you planned," Atkin said of his absence. "I've been on that sideline when things are going good. I've been on that sideline when things weren't going good. You always want to support in those struggling times."

FSU amassed 104 rushing yards in the first half of Saturday's win over Cal with Atkins back on the sideline for the first time and finished with a season-high 107 rushing yards.

FSU defensive coordinator Adam Fuller has spoken confidently about his belief in his defense even through some struggles early this season.

That confidence was rewarded when the FSU defense rose to the occasion in a major way Saturday night, keeping Cal out of the end zone and allowing no touchdowns in five red-zone trips, including two when FSU was clinging to a one-score lead in the fourth quarter.

A large part of this breakthrough was because of FSU's pass-rush success against Cal's offensive front. FSU finished with seven sacks, the most FSU has amassed in five seasons under Adam Fuller and one more than than the six sacks FSU had in its first three games this season combined.

"It's good to see production because we needed every one of them to win that football game," Fuller said Monday. "I believe in what we're coaching, I believe in the guys we're coaching. We haven't always gotten the results we wanted. I'm not saying we got the result we wanted even last Saturday night, but I have seen it...

"It's good to see them have some success, but we're going to need a lot more of that."

Five Seminoles had at least one half-sack in the victory. But defensive end standout Patrick Payton led the charge with three sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss, all of which came in the second half, to earn the ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week honor.

A big part of this success was because of early-down success setting the FSU defense up in more favorable situations. Because Cal averaged 2.9 yards per carry, the Golden Bears faced an average third-down distance of 10 yards. So it's not surprising given that fact that FSU's defense held Cal to 5 of 15 (33.3%) on third-down conversions.

"It was good to be in those situations. We've been trying to do it. You only get in those situations if you stop the run game. We're getting better at that," Fuller said. "When you get seven sacks, usually with how we play defense, some of it was from calling certain pressures, some of it was just guys winning 1-on-1s. If you're going to be really good and you're going to play great defense, your guys have to be able to rush the passer in rush situations. You've got to go win some 1-on-1s."

FSU kicker Ryan Fitzgerald has been on quite a redemption tour over the last few years.

So much so that plenty of FSU fans were quite upset in the closing minute of the first half of Saturday's win when head coach Mike Norvell elected not to let try Fitzgerald try a long field goal, instead trying to convert a fourth and seven in pursuit of a touchdown.

While a 56-yard field goal is hardly automatic, Fitzgerald is a perfect 3 for 3 from 50+ yards -- and 6 for 6 overall -- this season after he was a combined 1 of 5 on 50+-yard field goals in his first four seasons at FSU.

While Fitzgerald hit a 59-yard field goal in FSU's 2024 opener in Dublin, it was at least slightly wind-aided. That meant the 56-yard attempt with no wind Saturday night would be right at the edge of Fitzgerald's range.

"It's kind of the max range just with elements of what it was there for Ryan," Norvell said Monday when asked about the decision. "And then I thought our defense was playing really well. Felt very confident, I was under the belief we would go and get the first down. Obviously, that did not happen."

DJ Uiagalelei was pressured quickly on the ensuing fourth-down attempt and his pass over the middle was off-target. Turnover on downs for FSU and a squandered chance to try to add to its 7-3 lead late in the first half.

This choice was amplified when Cal marched down the field with only 23 seconds left -- aided by a questionable personal foul on FSU -- and hit a field goal that instead cut FSU's halftime lead to just 7-6.

Had Fitzgerald hit the field goal -- not a given but quite possible given his hot start to the season -- it would have been a six-point swing in FSU's favor and may helped FSU not have to sweat out the Cal game into the closing minutes.

"Obviously I want to put our guys in the best position to be successful. I think we've shown a lot of confidence in Ryan in that moment, but I felt that I liked where we were," Norvell said on the decision. "I thought if we get the first down, got an opportunity to go down there and potentially score a touchdown -- like I said, that didn't work out -- but we held them to a field goal and still winning with the lead there at halftime. Unfortunately it didn't work out the way we wanted it to in that situation."

"It was right there on the edge and Coach could have probably gone either way with it, but I know the way he decided to go with it, that was the best decision at the time," FSU special teams coordinator John Papuchis said of Norvell's decision. "Sometimes those things work out and sometimes they don't, but I do think it was the best decision, especially the way we were playing on defense."

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