I thought that it was possible for Boise State to upset FSU today, but not by making an 18-point comeback. There are a few observations we can take away from this game. All-in-all, FSU is in a similar situation to Miami in 2015.
- It's the beginning of the end for Willie Taggart. Likely more than not, Taggart will stay on for the rest of the season. He has a massive buyout, and FSU's Athletic Department isn't in a position right now to make that type of financial sacrifice. Barring some extreme situation where FSU boosters pony up the money, Taggart will be on until the Florida game. FSU gets a reprieve next week with a game against Louisiana Monroe (let's see what happens) before they travel to UVA for a big matchup. There are likely at least four more losses (Clemson, Miami, Florida, and Syracuse) on this schedule and the potential for three more after that (Boston College, UVA, and Wake Forrest).
Ultimately, I do think it's FSU's best interest to keep Taggart on board for as long as possible. Trust the process. For a fanbase that printed signs telling us to "Keep Al Golden," this is karma.
- FSU's run defense is swiss cheese. From Boise State's first drive, they were able to run the ball at ease. FSU's DL looked slow, their LB's were lost. The pass defense wasn't much better, and eventually got shredded by a True Freshman QB making his first start ever.
- Kendal Briles lit up the scoreboard in the first half but was a non-factor in the second half. FSU's offense seemed to have reverted to its 2018 version during the break at half. A lot of that scoring in the first half was due to poor tackling, a terrible defensive scheme (Boise DB's were giving ten-yard cushions), and good field position.
Ultimately, FSU's offense did look better in one half of the game but was terrible once Boise State made adjustments. Their offense got manhandled in the second half, and their defense did no better. Surprisingly, FSU players were constantly cramping up and going down, but the Boise State guys didn't have a problem.
- FSU's time of possession was abysmal. Much like last year, FSU had a lot of "microwave drives." Quick three and outs which barely took any time off the clock. No defense, no matter the conditioning, can stay fresh and effective when having to play more than 100 downs of football.
- Willie Taggart proved, yet again, that he cannot make adjustments at the half. This has been a problem for Taggart since his days at Oregon. He's blown a lot of games with terrible second-half performances. It doesn't look like he'll be improving much in this area of the game.
- FSU has fallen quicker than any other of the Florida programs in their downcycle. For Miami, it took until 2007 for the team to hit rock bottom, five years after the team's last national championship appearance. Miami has had one below .500 regular season in that time. For Florida, they didn't hit rock bottom until 2014, five years after their last competitive SEC championship appearance. Since then, they've had two below .500 regular seasons. For FSU, in less than four years, they went from playoff contender to not having bowl eligibility. It's not looking good for their prospects this year.
All-in-all, FSU will have to make a homerun hire in their next go-around. With limited experience making hires, only one since Bobby Bowden (Jimbo was coach in waiting for a while) there's even more pressure.
Miami has to take advantage of FSU's putrid situation. With a Florida Gators team that isn't too far ahead, if at all ahead, we need to capitalize on this situation. As always, our game in Doak will likely be a battle. There isn't a better year though for Miami to return the favor to FSU in convincing fashion.
