Three-Point Stance: Saturday Shine and Shame, FSU's rebuilding job
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Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s Three-Point Stance is here with Saturday Shine and Saturday Shame from the weekend, as well as a look at Willie Taggart's disastrous start at Florida State.
1. SATURDAY SHINE
Here's a look at the teams, units and players that should feel good following their performance in Week 2.
Ohio State's defense – The defense came up big when it was needed in the win over TCU with two defensive touchdowns. The front four is just a shade less talented than Clemson's but is one of the most dangerous units in the country.
Dwayne Haskins, Ohio State – Haskins is a true Heisman candidate who has a great arm and has been taking care of the football very well.
Joe Burrow, LSU – His completion percentage isn’t good but this kid is a winner and did just enough to lead his team down for the winning score against Auburn.
Alabama's passing game – The Crimson Tide have become one of the most dangerous offenses in the country and Jerry Jeudy is next in line when it comes to Florida receivers starring in Tuscaloosa.
Clemson's running game – The Tigers can kill you in so many different ways. The opponent wasn’t a good one but the running game was still very impressive and carried the day.
Georgia's efficiency – Jake Fromm is completing a ridiculous amount of his passes, the running game is as effective as last year and the Bulldogs honestly look like the same exact team that went to the title game.
Kyler Murray, Oklahoma – He continues to feel comfortable in the offense and the Sooners haven’t missed a beat despite the departure of Baker Mayfield. That is amazing.
BYU's running game – The Cougars gashed a tough Wisconsin defense all game long en route to the upset of the weekend. I haven’t seen many teams push Wisconsin around on offense like BYU did.
Washington – A big win in a tough environment. Myles Gaskin came alive and they did just enough in the passing game and on defense for a hard fought victory.
Syracuse – The Orange had their way with Florida State on offense and defense. The game never seemed to be in question.
Trace McSorley, Penn State – Whether it’s by air or on the ground, he finds a way to win and continues to impress. Yes the competition was awful, but this kid continues to show all the intangibles of a great quarterback.
Taylor Cornelius, Oklahoma State – There was supposed to be a big drop off from Mason Rudolph to Cornelius but there hasn’t been one. He’s been very effective and was the key on offense in a huge win over Boise State.
Donovan Peoples-Jones, Michigan – Three touchdown catches in a great game. He’s starting to develop that chemistry with Shea Patterson.
Texas – How about those Longhorns? After a loss to Maryland and a squeaker against Tulsa, they come out and dominated USC in so many ways. Could this be a turning point victory?
2. SATURDAY SHAME
Here's a look at the teams, units and players that should be feeling some heat following their performance in Week 2.
TCU's mistakes – The Horned Frogs had explosive plays and hung in against Ohio State but made too many huge mistakes to win the game. This is a good football team that just needs to play more efficiently.
Auburn's defense – The defense wasn’t bad all game long but they couldn’t keep Joe Burrow and LSU from getting into field goal range for the win when it counted. That’s disappointing.
Ole Miss' defense – The Rebels had zero chance of slowing down Alabama with the way they played defense. I thought this would be a close game, but with those defensive lapses this got ugly very quickly.
Oklahoma's defense – The Sooners are improved defensively and didn’t play too badly against Iowa State but there were still those head scratching missed tackles we’ve come to hate.
Wisconsin's defense – This did not look like the Wisconsin defense we’re used to seeing as the running lanes were big and they gave up way too many big plays.
Notre Dame – Vanderbilt is not supposed to take Notre Dame to the wire. Yes, it’s a Power Five win but Notre Dame should win a game like this by two touchdowns easily.
Nebraska – An 0-2 start and a loss to Troy has the Scott Frost era off to a really bad start. This is going to be a long rebuild.
Florida State – The team looked uninspired (see below), not very talented and outmatched against an average Syracuse football team.
Boise State's defense – Oklahoma State did whatever it wanted to against Boise State in a game the Broncos needed to have any chance of making the playoff or at least making a case.
Arizona State – After a 2-0 start, a loss to an average San Diego State team is just what we all expected of Herm Edwards and the Sun Devils.
USC – The season is over, right? The Trojans don’t have a chance at the playoff and don’t look like a team that can even win their own division. This is embarrassing.
3. FLORIDA STATE TRENDING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION
What is wrong with Florida State? Only Willie Taggart and his staff can answer this question and even they may be in the dark.
We all know the team's offensive line is awful and there aren’t enough playmakers on offense, but the defense looks horrible as well. It just looks like no one cares. With so much talent and a roster loaded with four- and five-stars, this is more a question of heart than ability.
This has become a team that is getting used to losing. Florida State will be favored in three of its remaining nine football games this year and could easily finish with a losing record after a 1-2 start. Syracuse isn’t a good football team, I’m sorry. Samford isn’t a good football team and Virginia Tech isn’t as good as it looked against the ‘Noles. I watched the entire Syracuse game and what I saw was a lack of effort, a bunch of guys injured off and on and a quarterback who was getting killed every play. This team doesn’t believe they can win and they don’t believe in each other. They are the same team they were last year, maybe worse.
A good Florida State team is good for college football, but I can’t see this turning around for a few years based alone on the offensive line play. Things are ugly in Tallahassee.
