I've seen enough to know I've seen too much.
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That was the feeling after watching the end of the Week 1 battle between Florida State and LSU, when a blocked extra point after a 99-yard scoring drive spoiled Brian Kelly's debut as LSU head coach. You'll never take an extra point for granted again. I promise you that.
How Did LSU and FSU Create the Chance for Such Late-Game Heroics?
Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images
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Let's step back and break down the last two minutes of this back-and-forth game, shall we?
With 2:24 left in the fourth quarter, the Seminoles elected to punt on 4th-and-6, in an attempt to pin the Tigers deep within their own end. Unfortunately for LSU, Malik Nabers muffed punt, his second special teams gaffe of the night, which set up Florida State inside the LSU 8-yard line. Not looking great for LSU, right?
LSU JUST MUFFED THEIR SECOND PUNT OF THE GAME #NolesFamily #CollegeFootball
— The College Experience (@TCEonSGPN) September 5, 2022
FSU would get down to the LSU 1-yard line where a Treshaun Ward fumble recovered by the Tigers, would give LSU one more chance to win the game. All they would need to do is travel 99 yards in under 1:25. Piece of cake, right?
Quick segue, the fact that Florida State elected to run a pitch with less than two minutes on the clock and the chance to go up by two possessions, is beyond me. Seriously. Whoever called that play, get your head examined. Bonehead call.
LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels did everything on that final drive. He passed, he ran; he managed the clock, and after a lengthy review, which was upheld, LSU had 1 play and 1 second left from the 2-yard line.
Daniels found Jaray Jenkins on a 2-yard pass for the touchdown. With the Superdome rocking, everyone was thinking, "surely we'd be going into overtime."
https://twitter.com/FTBeard7/status/1566626627680800768
Not if FSU's special teams haver anything to say about it. Earlier in the night, Florida State's field goal unit had already blocked a Damian Ramos field goal, so the gameplan was clear: get to the ball.
And that is just what Shyheim Brown did when he blocked the extra point attempt to seal the victory for Florida State.
LSU drove 99 yards in 1:05, scored a touchdown with no time left on the clock and the extra point to tie got blocked 😳
🎥 @ACCFootball | #LSUvsFSUpic.twitter.com/spXZeQzaMz
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) September 5, 2022
It was a heartbreaking finish for the Bayou Bengals after the high of marching 99 yards to send this game into an overtime. But overtime would never come.
The 7-3 score at the half did not do justice to what was one of the most exciting finishes in Week 1. Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis would put together a few second-half scoring drives on his way to his 260-yard, two-touchdown night, and Florida State would capitalize on special teams mishaps from LSU that included two muffed punts and two blocked kicks including the game-winner.
Big Takeaways from the Bayou Battle
Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images
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Despite the gaffs and slow start, LSU was in this game until the last second, Jayden Daniels impressed, going 25-for-34 for 209 yards, two Touchdowns, and a passer rating of 144.6. That's just through the air. On the ground, Daniels added on 16 rushes for 114 yards, cementing himself as a dual-threat quarterback. It was a good call by Brian Kelly to lure him over from Arizona State, to say the least.
Speaking of Kelly, the former Notre Dame head honcho became the first LSU coach to lose in his debut game since 1995. That's certainly not how you want to get into the record books, but his tenure on the Bayou will be long and promising with many other ways to leave a legacy. Perhaps this is the moment Kelly needed to become the greatest LSU coach of all-time.... or not? It's way too early to tell.
On the other sideline, Mike Norvell's 'Noles, who went 8-13 in his first two seasons as head coach, now find themselves 2-0 with a marquee win under their belt. Could the tides be turning for FSU? With Louisville and Boston College due up in the next two weeks, the Seminoles could find themselves 4-0 when they hit a murders row of four ranked teams in the form of Wake Forest, NC State, Clemson, and Miami in five weeks.
But that road to glory begins next week. So for now, live it up, Tallahassee! This was quite the dramatic win.
