TAKING IT FOR A TACKLE: Clemson safety R.J. Mickens (9) tackles Florida State tight end Jaheim Bell (6) during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, in Clemson, S.C.

Before the season started, Florida State vs. Clemson looked like it could have been one of the best games of the season. However, after Florida State proved to be a top team in the country and Clemson seemed to fall off of the face of the Earth, the matchup was less enthralling. As it turned out, Clemson is not dead and Florida State may not be the powerhouse we thought they were.

Florida State’s biggest problem reared its ugly head once again as the Seminoles got off to a slow start. With 8:42 left in the second quarter, the Noles were down 10-0 and only had a total of 59 yards of offense. Quarterback Jordan Travis had 56 yards passing, no receiver had more than two catches for more than 18 yards. In addition, the FSU running game was completely off. Trey Benson had just 10 yards, but with three rushers in the negatives, the team had just three total rushing yards.

Turning it around in true Seminoles fashion, they scored 14 on a Jordan Travis rush and passing TD to Keon Coleman in the last eight minutes of the first half. Travis finished the half with 136 passing yards and Coleman had four catches for 62 yards and a touchdown.

Clemson was moving well on offense in the first half as FSU continued to struggle. Cade Klubnik passed for 190 yards and a touchdown and also ran for one touchdown. The Tigers star running back Will Shipley was all over the field with nine rushes for 23 yards and three receptions for 37 yards and a TD. Clemson took a 17-14 lead into halftime.

Florida State came out much stronger in the second half. The Noles were able to tie the game quickly with a field goal in the opening minutes, but a powerful one-yard run by Shipley put the Tigers back on top 24-17.

Kalen DeLoach then gave the Noles a much-needed boost with a devastating sack that led to a scoop and score for the Savannah native to tie the game at 24. The scoring ground to a halt in the fourth as neither team would score, taking the ACC thriller into overtime.

The Noles struck first in OT as Travis found Coleman, who leaped over a defender, for their second touchdown in the game. The Tigers struggled to win their ensuing drive and, after a failed conversion on fourth and two, Florida State took the overtime victory.

After struggling with another unranked team, the Seminoles have dropped another spot in the rankings. They now sit at fifth, right behind Ohio State. However, after seeing them struggle against Boston College and get taken to overtime by Clemson, it would be hard to argue that the Noles could beat other top-ten teams like Penn State, Washington, and USC. FSU’s next contest shouldn’t be a difficult one as they will return home to take on Virginia Tech. If everything goes well, it should be a good win and a confidence boost for a Florida State team that is in desperate need of one. The Noles need to come out and put on a big show. It’s strange, but there is a lot of pressure on this Noles squad to perform very well against VT. If they play another close game with an unranked team, they could slide even further down the rankings.