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The ACC Question of the week is back with our esteemed friend and college football writer @MattZemek, Editor at @TrojansWire .
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ACC QUESTION of WEEK : Where does Florida State go after loss to Georgia Tech?
Since the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets were picked to finish last in the 15-team ACC this season, the Florida State Seminoles figured to win their season opener.
They were not going to be pretty. They were not going to be polished. They were not going to be slick and efficient… but they were going to at least win.
Right?
Uh-oh.
Yes, this is a brutal result. Yes, this is a worst-case scenario. To that extent, one can’t sugar-coat this loss. Within the context of the 2020 season, it IS a terrible result.
However, one has to realize what the context of this 2020 season involves: an unprecedented set of circumstances.
No normal offseason. No normal spring ball practice patterns and regimen. No normal August camp. Nothing has been normal.
Yes, this is a TERRIBLE result, but it’s a terrible result on the heels of an offseason in which nothing was certain for very long, if at all. Coaches, players, trainers, consultants — no one can be fully evaluated after an offseason such as this one.
This season is not about evaluating coaches based on wins and losses. This season is about making sure players can stay safe and healthy enough to play a majority of games and recoup television dollars, in order to reduce (not eliminate) economic damage to schools and conferences. With that in mind, no one should be panicking or calling for Mike Norvell’s head at Florida State.
This season is not a true reflection of a coach’s acumen or capacity. It’s not a satisfying reality, but it is the reality we have in front of us. Let’s establish that much.
Now, about the actual football:
In this pandemic football season — when championships and prestige really don’t matter, since the bowl games are already in jeopardy (and might not be played) — it’s a good time to give lots of players as many snaps as possible without burning the especially important redshirts (playing them more than four games). Norvell can start at quarterback, where he simply has to see what he has for the future.
James Blackman has run his course at FSU. It’s not a happy thing to write, but it has to be accepted and confronted by Norvell. We know what Florida State is with Blackman at quarterback: not very good. Norvell needs to insert Jordan Travis into the starting spot and give him the next few games at the very least. If Travis doesn’t fare well, Blackman could be re-inserted at a later point in time, but Travis should get at least the next four games without anyone looking over his shoulder. In other words, no switches, no quick hooks. Travis gets the keys to the offense for at least the next four starts. Then Norvell can re-evaluate at the midpoint in the season.
Alongside the quarterback puzzle, Norvell needs to work hard to figure out offensive line combinations which have a better chance of working. This might not lead to much success — clearly Norvell has to recruit well on his O-line — but the worst thing Norvell can do right now is to stand pat. He has to shake things up and play mad scientist for 2020. Experimentation will at least give him and his new staff more information to consider for 2021.
Florida State isn’t playing for today — not after a perspective-reshaping loss to Georgia Tech at home. It is playing for the future.
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