Huddle up! Here’s a look back at this weekend on the gridiron, with three key takeaways from the state’s football scene -- and a glimpse at what’s to come next week.
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Awful second half sets Seminoles back
At halftime of Saturday’s game at N.C. State, it seemed as if Florida State was indeed back. Playing against a top-15 squad on the road, the Seminoles rolled out to a 17-3 lead at the break and were on the cusp of a statement road win going into Clemson week.
But an offensive collapse that saw the Seminoles amass just 93 yards in the second half and score zero points, the defense’s inability to shut down a backup quarterback, and costly a special teams play when punter Alex Mastromanno kicked the ball away after crossing the line of scrimmage, which led to a spot turnover, allowed N.C. State to come back for a 19-17 win.
A win assuredly would have put Florida State back in the rankings and firmly in the hunt for an ACC title with Clemson coming to Tallahassee on Saturday.
Now, Florida State has to face the Tigers on a two-game losing streak.
Why can’t the Jaguars beat the Texans?
It’s quite puzzling, really.
The Houston Texans have been one of the league’s worst teams in recent years, but they surely own the Jaguars, even in a year where many pundits feel Jacksonville is resurgent and a playoff contender.
That didn’t matter on Sunday, when Houston recorded its ninth straight win over Jacksonville with a 13-6 road victory.
Jacksonville’s offense has produced just one touchdown in the last seven quarters of play, so that will be a point of emphasis going into a game at Indianapolis on Sunday.
Who’ll play quarterback for the Dolphins?
As if the Tua Tagovailoa concussion saga wasn’t enough for the Dolphins, it went to another level when backup Teddy Bridgewater went into concussion protocol after being hit hard during Miami’s first play of the game in a 40-17 loss to the Jets on Sunday.
Bridgewater didn’t return, so rookie Skylar Thompson was thrust into duty for the rest of the game.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said Bridgewater didn’t have any concussion symptoms, but after the criticism Miami got with Tagovailoa’s situation, Miami would be wise to be careful with Bridgewater’s recovery.
With that in mind, it’s anyone’s guess who’ll be the starting quarterback for Miami against Minnesota on Sunday.