Third-and-Lang: Final look at FSU football's 4th-and-14; scouting BC's QB

Rivalry wins put a pep in everyone’s step for a long time. It’s one of the best parts of being a college football fan, if your side secures the victory.

So as the Seminoles follow a rivalry win with a trip to Chestnut Hill for a sleepy nooner against Boston College, it’s hard not to look back at what just happened rather than what is next.

But here in this feature, we say, “Why not both?!”

Let’s dive into 4th-and-14 from two different angles.

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If you’re a Florida State fan of any kind, you have probably seen Jordan Travis’ throw to Andrew Parchment handfuls of times. It’s hard not to be entranced by the play and the situation.

Fourth-and-14 on Bobby Bowden Field, Miami fans frothing over a fifth straight win over FSU as Travis cuts his throw loose. You just wonder when it hit them that not only was Andrew Parchment open, he was significantly open. Here is how the ESPN cameras saw it.

And another cool angle from a fan in the stands. We can go to school on the routes and the coverage with this video from @jarettgreen_:

*Miami rushes three and has one spy on Travis. Looks like the Canes drop into two-deep (Tampa 2) coverage, but it's hard to know for sure with only half the field in the shot.

*FSU offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham said Parchment was the fourth read on the play.

*Travis’ body language and pocket presence is rock solid as he scans the field.

*Ontaria Wilson may be open himself, but he does well to clear out/occupy the safety, paving the way for Parchment to come open on a dagger concept.

*Anticipation on the throw and routes beyond the sticks. A thing of beauty. First-and-goal, and the rest is in the books.

If you're not done taking in this play, check out our "Warchant Legendary Moments" feature with Chris Rix and Dominic Robinson recounting 4th-and-14 in the Swamp in 2003 as well as those two former Seminoles' thoughts on this year's conversion.

That felt great, didn’t it? Now, let’s look at the next quarterback up.

This will be Phil Jurkovec’s second taste of playing the Seminoles … sort of. When he was on Notre Dame’s roster in 2018, Jurkovec trotted onto Notre Dame Field for mop-up duty against Florida State. He attempted no passes and ran once for two yards.

After playing a similar role for Brian Kelly in 2019, Jurkovec transferred to Boston College. He played the COVID season in Chestnut Hill, racking up over 2,500 passing yards and 17 touchdowns. The 6-foot-5 junior from Pittsburgh was primed for another step forward in 2021 before a hand injury cost him half of the Eagles’ season.

In preparation for Jurkovec, Florida State has the following film to work with: 2020 games plus matchups with Colgate, a depleted Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech.

Here is what stands out about the junior’s game in 2021:

*Pocket Awareness. Jurkovec is one of the few quarterbacks who has shown a propensity for climbing up in the pocket to avoid an edge rush. Most of FSU’s opponents under pressure, including Tyler Van Dyke, flushed more often than they climbed. Not so with Jurkovec. The fly in the ointment for that trend? This will undoubtedly be the best front-four the Eagles’ signal-caller sees this year. His 2021 opponents have been Colgate, UMass, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech. Pressure from the Seminoles' interior would be a different kind of test for Jurkovec.

*All fields. Limited as it may be, the Jurkovec Pro Football Focus pass depth chart (above) shows a willingness to throw the ball anywhere on the field. He is unafraid to go over the middle, as exemplified by this 3rd-and-14 from the shadow of his own end zone:

*Arm Strength. Jurkovec is more Devin Leary than Van Dyke in terms of velocity. He has enough zip on the ball to distribute it both deep and to the field, but coming off a matchup with Miami’s fireballer, this will be a bit of a dip in speed for the Seminole secondary to calculate. Where Jurkovec is a lot like Leary is in placement and accuracy. (When you think about the caliber of quarterback FSU's defense has seen this year, the ACC has more than a few adequate signal-callers.)

*Running ability. He’s no Malik Cunninham or Sam Howell, but Jurkovec is willing to run the ball. He will take on punishment for an extra yard or two, and against Georgia Tech, the junior showed enough mettle to rush for 71 and three touchdowns. In fact, Jurkovec has run for over 60 yards in each of the three games he played significant snaps this season. Adam Fuller’s defense must be alert for both broken plays and the lumbering quarterback’s number to be called for a designed run.

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