Sacks were a problem for Florida State in 2011. Quarterbacks EJ Manuel (above) and Clint Trickett were sacked on average 3.15 times per game. That was good enough for 110th-best in the nation. Without the sacks and a stronger running game, FSU's offense didn't have a terrible year. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Now that we’re officially a few weeks removed from the end of the 2011 football season, this seems to be as good a time as any to go behind the numbers and take a look at what worked, and what didn’t work for Florida State this past fall.
On Tuesday, we took a look at FSU’s defense, and how the unit ranked among the nation’s and ACC’s best in multiple categories. Perhaps the best part of the Seminoles’ D this season was the way the defensive line and linebackers got into the backfield. Sacks and tackles for loss were key statistics for FSU last fall. Both categories led the Seminoles toward becoming the country’s second-best team at stopping the run. Only national champion Alabama was better.
Offensively, there were a number of teams between the Seminoles and the tops of certain statistical groups.
Late in the season, FSU’s passing game began to diminish. Early in the season, the running game was nonexistent. At points, both were operating at a high level of mutual success that blowout victories briefly became the norm at Doak Campbell Stadium.
But again, comparatively, that was success was short-lived.
As the Seminoles stumbled through a 9-4 season in which they were a few plays away from having 10 or 11 wins, their offense was, at times, a major culprit to their losing ways. Although it can be vehemently and accurately argued that 35-point efforts by opposing offenses can be tough to overcome, it also can be argued that another big play here or a non-holding penalty there, and FSU’s own offense could have been able to overcompensate for its defense’s occasional woes.
Chiefly, against Wake Forest, when penalties, turnovers and a slow-starting offense put FSU down early, there was very little a second-half surge could do to completely overcome the Demon Deacons’ efficient offensive play.
On that October day in Winston-Salem, N.C., redshirt freshman Clint Trickett, starting at quarterback in favor of an injured EJ Manuel, completed eight of his 11 passing attempts. The only problem was that two of them flew into the hands of Wake Forest defenders and resulted in interceptions. Those first-half interceptions resulted in Wake Forest scores. It all meant that with about two minutes to go in the opening half of the game, the Seminoles were down 16-7 and momentum was nowhere to be found.
But then Manuel, playing for the first time in three weeks, was thrust into the ballgame. Instantly, he rallied his team downfield on a rapid-fire scoring drive that sent the Seminoles into the locker room trailing by just two, 16-14, at halftime. Still, the Demon Deacons’ continuously growing deficit was too large to overcome. Had FSU had the offensive production it had in the second half in the first half, as well, the Seminoles may have escaped with a victory, improved to 3-2 and staved off the foul-mouthed fans who hounded their Facebook and Twitter inboxes later that night.
What that loss showed the Seminoles, though, was that they needed to be a more balanced offensive team. Even though they were playing from behind much of the game and were forced to pass, they learned another rude lesson that day. With a season-ending injury to running back Chris Thompson that afternoon, it became painfully evident that the two freshmen running backs in the backfield HAD to grow up quickly. The two seniors needed to continue to lead.
For the next two games, the Seminoles enjoyed sound offensive balance.
After passing for 315 yards and rushing for 110 as a team against Wake Forest, they passed for 239 and rushed for 242 against Duke the next week. A week after that against Maryland, FSU passed for 264 yards, while rushing for 218. … Both games resulted in 41-16 blowout victories for the Seminoles.
Although the good times in the win column lasted another three weeks, the offensive production the Seminoles had begun generating started collapsing the closer they got to the end of the regular season. Against Virginia in the home finale, the Seminoles amassed 186 rushing yards; a strong number to be sure, but a number that was inflated by Rashad Greene’s 53-yard run on a reverse from his receiver position. Take that run away, the Seminoles had just 133 yards on the ground. In the air, they were held to just 200 yards.
While the performance was balanced, it didn’t result in points for the Seminoles. Needing to move the ball just a bit more, they lost 14-13 on a missed game-winning field goal attempt by kicker Dustin Hopkins.
A week later, at Florida, the offense was even more anemic, registering just 95 yards of total offense. Thanks to the ball-hawking, stingy play of the defense, the Seminoles escaped Gainesville with a 21-7 win. When it became apparent late in the second quarter that his offense just didn’t have it, coach Jimbo Fisher began playing the clock and playing to his strength that night — his defense. The better field position his offense could punt his defense into, the better the Seminoles’ odds were at winning. The strategy worked.
Piling on the points in the fourth quarter of its Champs Sports Bowl win over Notre Dame helped snap FSU’s offense back to life in its final game of the season. After struggling to move the ball in the first half due to poor blocking by its dramatically inexperienced offensive line (four true freshmen received starts in the biggest stage of their collegiate careers), the Seminoles got it going in the final 15 minutes of the game. Thanks to a healthy Greene converting two key third downs, FSU showed glimpses of that unit that rolled through a big chunk of its ACC schedule earlier in the year.
From here, the future has to be bright for FSU’s offense.
Despite the struggles of 2011, 2012 has the potential to be a better year for the entire group. A freak injury ran the starting quarterback from parts of three games this past season. If he can stay healthy all of 2012, there’s good reason for the Seminoles to do well. Quite frankly, when he was playing well in key late-game situations, his team responded. The emotional in-huddle leader, his teammates seem to pick up quite easily onto his energy. (Look no further than the comeback bid against Wake Forest, the sustaining of the five-game winning streak and the fourth quarter against Notre Dame. Not giving Manuel all the credit, but he had a big hand in each of those events)
Another reason 2012 should be better: a brand new offensive line. After injuries and inexperience hampered the unit this past season, the Seminoles will be bringing back a deep group of sophomore and junior linemen who have already made major contributions. The addition of junior college transfer Daniel Glauser will help shore up losses at offensive tackle. Zebrie Sanders is officially gone at right (guess we can say left, too) tackle. The senior is slated to be a first-round NFL Draft pick. Fellow senior tackle Andrew Datko may decide to opt out of a possible medical redshirt and not return for another shot at his senior season.
With the way the young offensive line quieted the nerves and responded in the second half of the Champs Sports Bowl, the unit will be expected to perform better than its haphazard, patchwork shell of its 2011 self performed this past season.
At the other skill positions, receiver and running back, the Seminoles could be rewarded, as well. Devonta Freeman, James Wilder, Rashad Greene, Christian Green, Kenny Shaw, Jarred “Scooter” Haggins, Nick O’Leary and Greg Dent are all veterans now. Despite being sophomores and juniors this coming season, each now has the game-ready experience that may have been the much-needed difference in some of the early-season losses the Seminoles suffered. So many true freshmen, redshirt freshmen and sophomores were playing at clutch moments in some of those games that ended in defeats.
Along with that group, receiver Rodney Smith, and running backs Lonnie Pryor and Chris Thompson will be back as true veterans at their positions. Thompson is hopeful to return from a back injury before the season begins. The mix of true veterans and young veterans could have a positive effect on the Seminoles and could make some of the following numbers appear to be an aberration:
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104: FSU’s national rank in rushing offense. The Seminoles had trouble all season getting the ground game going. For an offense that predicates itself on being balanced, the unit will have to churn out better production in the coming season in order to show the production against Duke and Maryland was truly foretelling of what it can do.
Part of the problem was injury. In addition to Thompson’s season-ending back injury, fellow tailback Jermaine Thomas was limited in the preseason with a concussion that slowed the amount of time he could get fully going into the system. Without the two key playmakers on the field producing like they had at earlier points in their careers, the Seminoles had to rely on a pair of true freshmen to carry the load. Although both performed admirably in their duties, they’ll be looked to for added production in the fall.
3.15: That’s the number of sacks FSU allowed in 2011. Quarterbacks EJ Manuel and Clint Trickett were literally running for their lives at times during the year, as blitzing defenses made life difficult for the pair to get set and fire off passes at various times. That was grossly evident during the opening half of the bowl game, when Manuel was sacked four times behind the young offensive line.
But it wasn’t just the freshmen linemen who were allowing rushers to get by. Other veterans at times had their issues plugging up the holes in front of them and preventing opposing linemen and linebackers from blasting on by. If the 3.15 number doesn’t mean much to you, consider this. FSU’s defense sacked opposing quarterbacks at a 3.08 per game clip. The Seminoles’ defense ranked eighth in the nation at picking up sacks. So, 3.08 is a lot. And yep, 3.15 is even more.
153.05: That was FSU’s pass efficiency offense rating. An obscure statistic, pass efficiency measures an offense’s ability to gain big, meaningful yards. The best way to remember the value of this statistic is to see it the way Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson does. When I covered the Yellow Jackets, Johnson always said, “No, we’re not going to pass the ball much, but when we do, we want it to hurt.” Basically, he wanted to have long, meaningful passes when he did put the ball in the air. That’s pass efficiency. It didn’t happen super often for the Yellow Jackets when I covered the team (aside from the catches current Denver Bronco Demaryius Thomas used to always make), but this year, it did.
It happened for the Seminoles, too. While Georgia Tech ranked second in the ACC in pass efficiency, the Seminoles ranked third with a 153.05 efficiency rating. When FSU completed passes, it did so for big gains. The Yellow Jackets averaged 11.08 yards per catch. ACC pass efficiency leader North Carolina averaged 8.91. FSU averaged 8.72 yards per reception. The Duke game probably helped raise that statistic for the Seminoles. After three passes of 50 yards or more, Manuel ended the first quarter with 160 passing yards.
FSU ranked 16th nationally in pass efficiency offense.
279: The number of yards for senior tailback Jermaine Thomas. Two years removed from an 800-yard rushing season and a year shy of a 400-yard total, the running back was expected to have another breakout year. But a preseason injury and an early-season lack of touches prevented Thomas from emerging as the Seminoles’ standout veteran back.
Although there were flashes, the senior never truly got into the rhythm that could have made him shake up opposing secondaries and finish long runs. Juggling four and five tailbacks into essentially two slots is difficult, that’s true. And such juggling will result in less flashy numbers for FSU’s backs compared to players in two-back schemes. But, the production from proven veterans has to be expected to be higher than Thomas’ low total.
2: The number of rushing touchdowns fullback Lonnie Pryor had. The junior had very few opportunities to score, and it showed in his mild two-touchdown performance. Multiple times this season, fans questioned here on the blog, in live chats and elsewhere about why it seemed Pryor wasn’t getting the touches that he had the year before. Many asked, why wasn’t he being used more often in goal line sets? Why wasn’t he catching more passes?
To the pass-catching question, they had a valid argument. Pryor only had six receptions as opposed to 12 out of the backfield in 2010. Of those 12, three resulted in touchdowns. Pryor only had one receiving touchdown this season.
In terms of his rushing production being down, looks can deceive. He actually had slightly more carries in his junior season. Pryor went from 23 as a sophomore to 27 in 2011. That tied the career-high of carries that he set as a freshman in 2009. It’s not that he wasn’t getting the carries this past season, it’s that he wasn’t getting the yards. Pryor finished with 74 yards rushing opposed to the 112 he had the year before, and the 156 he had the year before that. Call it a function of whatever you’d like, but there’s no denying the fact that FSU’s run game as a whole struggled this past season.