ACC Championship Game 2014: Game Grades, Analysis for FSU and Georgia Tech | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
Florida State University won its 29th consecutive game along with the ACC title with a 37-35 win over Georgia Tech. The final box score can be found on NCAA.com.
The Seminoles played one of their best games of the season. They were efficient on offense, the defense made plays when it needed to and the special teams came up big with nine crucial points.
Georgia Tech also played a great game, as it was able to rush for 331 yards. But it could not make the plays when it needed to at the end of the game, which was the difference.
Here are my game grades and analysis for the Jackets and the Seminoles.
| Florida State Seminoles Game Grades | ||
| Passing Offense | A | A- |
| Running Offense | A | A |
| Passing Defense | B | C+ |
| Running Defense | D | D+ |
| Special Teams | B | A |
| Coaching | B | A |
| Bleacher Report | ||
Passing Offense
Jameis Winston played his best game of the season, and it came at the best time. He threw for 309 yards and three touchdowns, which all came in the first half. Winston was poised in the pocket, he had great vision and the ball flew off his hands. He looked like the Winston of 2013 that won the Heisman.
Running Offense
Nobody knew what to expect from Dalvin Cook when his number was called for the ACC title game. But he delivered in a big way, as he rushed for 177 yards and one touchdown. Cook had great vision, exploded when he found the hole and was patient. As good as Winston was for the Seminoles, Cook's running was the reason FSU played the way it did on offense.
Passing Defense
This was really hard to grade because Georgia Tech only threw the ball 14 times, and the majority of the throws came in the final series when Georgia Tech was trying to get back in the game. On that series, the Seminoles gave up a touchdown through the air. But on the previous series, Lamarcus Brutus came up with a big interception that helped FSU win the game. So Florida State did give up some big plays through the air, but they were able to come up with some key plays as well.
Running Defense
It’s hard to defend Georgia Tech’s triple option offense, and the Seminoles had fits with it all game long. During the second half, FSU was able to slow it down a little bit, but they had serious issues with it in the first half. Allowing 331 yards on the ground is not something to be proud of, but it’s an offense Florida State is not used to seeing.
Special Teams
Roberto Aguayo is one of the unsung heroes for the Seminoles because he did all the scoring in the second half. He kicked a field goal in the third quarter and two in the fourth to help the Seminoles pull away from the Yellow Jackets. Another good thing about the special teams is they only had to punt twice, which means the Seminoles were scoring touchdowns or kicking field goals the majority of the time.
Jimbo Fisher knew that his team has not played well down the stretch, but that was not the case against Georgia Tech. Fisher’s offense was aggressive, and the defense hung in there. He made the right call kicking field goals in the second half. Fisher proved why he and his team have won 29 consecutive games and are the defending ACC Champions.
| Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Game Grades | ||
| Passing Offense | C | B |
| Running Offense | A | A- |
| Passing Defense | D | D |
| Running Defense | D | D+ |
| Special Teams | C | C |
| Coaching | A | B |
| Bleacher Report | ||
Passing Offense
Justin Thomas threw the ball well considering he only had 14 pass attempts. Thomas’ strength is running the ball, but he’s very efficient when he throws. Thomas finished with 134 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception. One of the reasons he’s can throw the ball is that nobody expects him to do it since he’s an option quarterback.
Running Offense
And as an option quarterback, you have a chance to run for a ton of yards, and that’s what Thomas did. He had 104 yards on the ground and 9.5 yards per carry. But Zach Laskey, Synjyn Days and Charles Perkins also were able to run on FSU’s defense because of the difficulty to defend the option. Tech is excellent at running the ball because Thomas knows how to make the right reads. But he also has a great supporting cast that can run just as well as he can.
Passing Defense
Tech’s passing defense was a reason it lost to FSU. Winston was able to find receivers that were wide open due to miscommunication by Georgia Tech, which was also not able to cover receivers one-on-one. The pass defense has thrived on interceptions, as it tallied 17 this season. That was not the case against Florida State because Winston was on target with his receivers and Tech could do nothing about it.
Running Defense
Another thing that hurt the Yellow Jackets was they could not shed their blocks in the run game. That’s why Cook was able to have a huge night running the ball. Tech has athletes on defense, but the offensive line for Florida State overpowered them and got worn out at the end of the game. The defense as a whole will be something the coaching staff will address next season.
Special Teams
It was a quiet night for special teams because the Jackets only punted twice. They didn't kick any field goals, and the return team did not have room to make any plays. But the coverage teams were strong, and they did not make any costly mistakes. It was not a bad outing by the special teams, but a few more key plays would have helped Tech edge the Seminoles.
Paul Johnson stayed on FSU throughout the game, but a costly decision to go for it on fourth down in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference. Johnson did not make the wrong call there, but it would have been better if his team would have punted it away because the defense did not allow a touchdown the entire half. Johnson had the right game plan to take down Florida State, but the players could not executed when they needed to in key situations.
