There wasn’t much for No. 19 Florida State to celebrate in its season-opening loss to Virginia Tech as the Seminoles were walloped, 24-3.
Still, we’ll be continuing our tradition of awarding game balls to the FSU football players who stood out in each facet of the game. It was difficult after the Seminoles’ performance on Monday night, but editor Mike Ferguson and lead writer Clint Eiland are up to the task:
Offense
Mike: Keith Gavin, WR
Keith Gavin wasn’t able to squeeze a touchdown early on from Deondre Francois, but in what many thought would be a “make or break” junior season, the 6-foot-3 receiver was a bright spot early on for FSU. Gavin finished with three catches for a team-high 54 yards in the loss.
Clint: Jacques Patrick, RB
The one consistent ball-carrier for Florida State on Monday night was senior Jacques Patrick, who earned a lot of tough yards. Patrick finished with 40 yards rushing on seven carries and caught five passes for 14 yards.
Defense
Unanimous Game Ball: Brian Burns, DE
Florida State was dreadful in Monday night’s opener, but little of it had to do with the defense. Brian Burns, a junior defensive end, shone brightest for FSU with six total tackles, 1.5 sacks and two tackles for loss.
Special Teams
Mike: Khalan Laborn, RB
If we could, we’d probably give the game ball to Virginia Tech punter Oscar Bradburn for keeping FSU pinned deep all night and not allowing a return. Since we’re focused on FSU players, Khalan Laborn had a nice kickoff return of 25 yards late in Monday’s contest.
Clint: D.J. Matthews, WR
Punt returner D.J. Matthews was one of the few players on special teams for FSU who didn’t commit an egregious error. Matthews didn’t get to return a punt, but was able to handle each of them.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
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