Florida State football survived a scare against ULM at home on Saturday, but the seat underneath Willie Taggart got a little bit hotter in victory.
A week after watching Boise State evaporate a 31-13 lead in the second half of their season opener, Florida State nearly tripped again against the ULM Warhawks. Taking a 24-7 lead into the locker room at halftime, the Seminoles watched as ULM chipped away at the lead. With 1:30 remaining in regulation, the Warhawks tied things up at 38-38 to force extra time.
At that point it looked like Florida State was cooked. The Seminoles got the ball first in the overtime period, and Cam Akers punched in the ball from four yards out to give the hosts a seven-point lead.
ULM responded, moving the ball down the field with relative ease. Caleb Evans capped off the drive with a five-yard run that put the Warhawks within a point of forcing a second overtime. But Jacob Meeks missed the extra point, pushing the ball wide right. That phrase, which has haunted the Seminoles so many times over the years, proved positive this time as it gave Florida State a 45-44 escape.
Even in victory, though, the first two weeks of the 2019 season are a referendum on the state of Florida State football. And the prognosis for the Seminoles this season is not good. Willie Taggart was left with a threadbare cupboard by Jimbo Fisher, who proved himself a human flamethrower who scorched the earth in Tallahassee on his way out of town.
Taggart will almost certainly pay the price for a situation he has not yet had enough time to clean up. That is the nature of college football in the 21st century, where coaches are expected to be miracle workers in record time.
Even given the state of the roster at Florida State, though, there is enough of a talent gap still in place that ULM should never have been in the contest. That the Seminoles needed extra time just to get the victory is an indictment of a defense that gave away 419 yards and 44 points, and reflects poorly on everyone involved with the program.
On the bright side, James Blackman had a solid day at quarterback. Though he threw two interceptions, Blackman finished with 282 passing yards and four total touchdowns (three passing, one rushing). Most importantly, he completed 75 percent of his passes, showing that it wasn’t the passing game that betrayed the Seminoles on Saturday.
Akers did his part as well, rushing for 193 yards and two touchdowns on 36 carries. His effort provided the bulk of the 219 total rushing yards compiled by the Seminoles against the Warhawks defense.
In the end, it all comes down to a defense that struggled mightily against a Sun Belt opponent. As the man at the top of the pyramid, the ultimate responsibility is destined to fall on Taggart’s head. And at this point, Taggart is coaching on borrowed time until Florida State shows substantive development from the stunted place where this program currently resides in the FBS landscape.