After watching the Florida State football team improve to 2-2 with a 35-24 victory Saturday against visiting Louisville, we're back with a new edition of the Warchant 3-2-1 -- where we offer up three observations, two questions and one prediction.
Three things we've learned
1 -- The first key to winning is to stop losing
When you think back to the greatest moments in Florida State football history, you don't remember the plays where the defender fell down in coverage, or the other team simply didn't have the ability to keep up.
The plays you recall most fondly are the ones where the other team did its job, too. When the opposing players were plenty talented and in position to make a play, but one or more Seminoles took their game to another level.
A play like Ward-to-Dunn was so special, for example, because the Florida Gators had grabbed the momentum in that game, their defense was playing lights-out, and the crowd noise was deafening. Then, just when it looked like they had Charlie Ward in their grasp for a huge sack deep in FSU territory, Ward eluded the pressure and floated a perfect pass to Warrick Dunn for an 80-yard touchdown.
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Same for Peter Warrick's incredible catch against Virginia Tech in the 1999 national championship game. It was the circumstances surrounding the play, and the fact that a defensive back was draped all over him, that made it so iconic. If the defender had been a step slow or out of position, the catch wouldn't be etched in the minds of fans for decades to come.
So, with that in mind, it's safe to say they won't be writing books about Tamorrion Terry's 60-yard touchdown reception Saturday against Louisville. And there won't be a 30-for-30 made about the moment Cyrus Fagan stepped in front of a pass from the great Malik Cunningham.
Terry, of course, was left wide open because a Louisville defensive back got confused and thought he was supposed to blitz on the play. Fagan recorded his interception because Cunningham forced a throw over the middle when he probably should have just thrown it away and let his kicker attempt a field goal.
But that's OK. When you're not a great football team -- and we would all agree that Florida State is not one right now -- the first steps toward winning games are learning how to not beat yourself, and then figuring out how to take advantage of other teams' mistakes.
I think we are beginning to see signs of the Seminoles making those strides.
Earlier this season -- and certainly in 2017 and 2018 -- Florida State was the team allowing receivers to run scot-free through the secondary. The Seminoles were the ones committing costly penalties to sustain opponents' drives.
And they have the losses to show for it.
On Saturday, Florida State was the team that played the cleaner game. The Seminoles committed less penalties. They didn't have any turnovers. They had fewer assignment busts.
And when Louisville made its mistakes -- such as roughing placekicker Ricky Aguayo after a fourth-quarter field goal -- the Seminoles made them pay. They scored a touchdown two plays later.
That's not to say Florida State played a flawless game. Not even close. But the Seminoles did eliminate some of the major mistakes that have been bringing them down, and they took advantage of several opportunities the Cardinals gave them. And there's a lot to be said for that.
Glancing around social media and our Warchant message boards after the game, I saw several FSU fans dismiss the Seminoles' comeback as being "lucky" -- the thought being that the win would have been a loss if Louisville hadn't made so many mistakes down the stretch.
Sure. Just like Florida State wouldn't be 14-15 over the past three seasons if they didn't make mistakes every week.
That's what struggling football teams do. They shoot themselves in the foot ... and the arm ... and the neck ... and then the other foot.
While we all like to focus on talent -- which team has the most speed and skill and size -- there's usually not a massive disparity in those categories from one ACC program to another (with the exception right now of Clemson).
More often than not, bad teams beat themselves.
Good teams take advantage of bad teams' mistakes.
Great teams make the plays that beat everybody else.
There have been many, many years in the past when Florida State was in that great category. When the 'Noles could beat good teams -- or even other great teams -- by delivering remarkable plays in the biggest of moments. One day, the Seminoles undoubtedly will return to that level.
But for now, before they do that, they have to get back to the good category. They have to be a program that no longer beats itself. One that cashes in when the opponent gives them a "gift" -- which was how quarterback Alex Hornibrook described the blown coverage on Terry's touchdown.
Saturday was a step in the right direction. If the 'Noles can carry it over to this Saturday against N.C. State, they'll have a chance to win back-to-back ACC games for the first time since the 2016 season.
To put it another way, that would be two consecutive conference games that the Seminoles didn't beat themselves.
