It’s been six years since Virginia Tech last played Florida State and it’s safe to say that Justin Fuente is a bit of a difference maker in the latest meeting between the ACC rivals. The Hokies’ head coach was masterful calling plays early as his team jumped out to a 17-3 lead against the Seminoles in a fun, offensive-filled first half at Doak Campbell Stadium.
Tech needed 10 plays on their opening drive to cover 75 yards before finding the end zone, opening the season as about as well as possible. While the Hokies mixed in three different tailbacks, it was Deshawm McClease who really seemed to surprise the defense with several nice runs to the outside and went into the locker room with 66 yards on the ground. That strong run game opened things up for quarterback Josh Jackson, who looked solid in the pocket and on the move while recording 102 yards and a touchdown through the air.
Not to be outdone, there was a bit of BeamerBall as well as Virginia Tech’s Chris Cunningham blocked a punt just before the end of the second quarter that was recovered in the end zone by Eric Kumah. That extended the team’s lead to two scores and sapped whatever momentum the home team might have had and quieted the crowd on the road (an ensuing interception by Caleb Farley didn’t hurt either).
While Bud Foster’s defense did look a lot better than anticipated for such a young group, Florida State was still able to move the ball early. Making his first start since being injured in the team’s opener against Alabama a year ago, Deondre Francois was sharp passing the ball and was already up to 214 yards and nearly had a touchdown throw of his own too. It was a good thing he was on point because the much vaunted rushing attack for the Seminoles was kept in check for the most part. Sophomore Cam Akers only had seven on the ground and Jacques Patrick wasn’t terribly better but did manage 43 yards.
FSU still managed nearly six yards per play and moved the ball well on their drives but simply lost momentum when they entered the red zone and also missed a field goal early.
It’s all is trending toward a fun second half as playmakers on both sides are really stepping up. It’s not often you have a key conference game to open the season but this one is certainly shaping up to have a fun finish in Tallahassee.