I split this week’s film breakdown into two parts: Offense and Defense.
On the offensive side, Gus Malzahn was in a great play-calling rhythm, but the most noticeable thing was the dominance of FSU center Luke Petitbon, who was able to single block the nose tackle all game. If he plays like this the rest of the season, he may well win first-team All American honors.
That made things a lot easier for the rest of the line, which similarly pushed Bama around and got to the second level with regularity on FSU’s 49 rushes.
On the defensive side of the ball, Tony White’s variety of defensive fronts and the depth of Florida State ultimately overwhelmed Bama’s running game, and Ty Simpson (together with costly drops from Ryan Williams, who seems to have been intimidated by a couple early hits) cost the Crimson Tide multiple scores.
There were plays to be made against Florida State’s secondary, which will have to tighten up before Miami (Fla.) comes to town in a few weeks. But on the whole, this was an excellent defensive performance most notable for outstanding effort at every position.