FSU’s last-minute comeback effort against the Gators ends after Florida State’s main kicker whistles the right-kick attempt
Florida State’s season ended Saturday the same way it began: with one particularly erroneous team that caused the Seminoles to win.
Seminoles, in a fight for a place against Florida rivals in Gainesville, scored a last-minute goal – Jordan Travis’ eight-yard pass to Ontaria Wilson with 49 seconds left – to score a 24-21 winner. Gators. A successful tee-off will give Florida State the ball near the midfield and a chance to take the lead or send the game into extra time.
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Except, redshift’s junior free kicker Parker Grothaus thwarted the attempt to kick on the field:
With that, Grothaus was called up for illegal touch, sending the ball to Florida in 35th place. Florida State could use a timeout, but the little time left on the clock allowed the Gators to kneel. on the ball three times and ended the match with a 24-21 victory in hand.
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With the loss, Florida State dropped to 5-7 for the season, sending the country into its second loss in as many seasons. The Gators (6-6) will play bowling.
Oddly enough, this isn’t the first time an FSU game has involved special teams. The Seminoles lost their season opener to Notre Dame after coach Mike Norvell accidentally kicked his starter. An ill-timed timeout sent the overtime goal up the table; when Ryan Fitzgerald tried to hit the kick again, he missed it. That allowed Notre Dame to end the game with a goal of its own.
Those weren’t the only late-game mishaps that ruined what should have been a victory for the Seminoles. They let FCS opponents Jacksonville State score a last-second touchdown with Hail Marys, without taking any defensive measures.
Those mistakes, and more, caused Norvell and Co. must be eligible to participate this year. Whether he can correct those mistakes in Class 3 of 2022, but he has some plays he could be in when making improvements to his season.
