In No. 17 Florida State’s final road game and final ACC game of the 2016 season, the Seminoles dominated at the Carrier Dome, beating Syracuse 45-14 while amassing more than 650 yards on offense and eight sacks on defense. In a second straight blowout victory, finding players who performed well for FSU wasn’t hard, but we tried to narrow down the best for each facet of the game.
The Daily Nole staff of editor Mike Ferguson, lead writer Clint Eiland, recruiting analyst Jay Brading, contributors T.J. Pittinger and Robert Blackburn all hand out their game balls for Saturday’s victory that sent the Seminoles to 8-3 on the season:
Offense
Unanimous Game Ball: Dalvin Cook, RB
FSU junior running back Dalvin Cook might have lost two fumbles on Saturday, but it would be hard to give the offensive game ball to anyone else. Cook not only finished with 225 yards rushing and four touchdowns, but he passed the legendary Warrick Dunn with a 41-yard run in the first quarter to become the Seminoles’ all-time leading rusher. Cook’s four scores also tied Greg Allen’s career FSU record with 44 rushing touchdowns.
Defense
Unanimous Game Ball: Brian Burns, DE
One would be hard-pressed to find a better true freshman defensive end in the country than Florida State’s Brian Burns. In Saturday’s victory, Burns led the Seminoles with 2.5 sacks and was second on the team with five total tackles. On the season, Burns now has eight sacks, which ranks second on the behind only senior and potential All-American DeMarcus Walker.
Special Teams
Unanimous Game Ball: Ricky Aguayo, K
After missing his last three kicks from 40 yards and beyond coming into Saturday, Ricky Aguayo made good on the game’s only field goal attempt with a 42-yard kick that capped the scoring. Aguayo was also a perfect 6-for-6 on extra points.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
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