Photo courtesy of Florida State athletics
It was a valiant effort on Saturday, but Florida State’s 3-game winning streak came to an end and its 5-game losing streak to Clemson hit six.
The Seminoles led late, but two touchdowns in the final three minutes propelled the Tigers to a 30-20 victory at Memorial Stadium. The loss drops FSU to 3-5 on the season.
Despite the defeat, there were some individual efforts worth recognizing. Handing out game balls to the top Seminoles this week are Fifth Quarter editor Mike Ferguson and lead writer Jake Bunting:
Offense
Unanimous Game Ball: Lawrance Toafili, RB
Running back Lawrance Toafili got just five touches on Saturday, but led FSU with 85 yards from scrimmage. The highlight was a 68-yard touchdown reception in which he was slung down, but landed on top of a Clemson player and sprung to his feet to go the remaining 20 yards. He also carried the ball four times for 17 yards. The 85 yards from scrimmage is a season-high for Toafili.
Defense
Unanimous Game Ball: Jermaine Johnson, DE
The undisputed MVP for the FSU defense this season, Jermaine Johnson nearly saved the day on Saturday. With the Seminoles trailing 17-13 midway through the fourth quarter, Johnson got to Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei, stripped the football, picked it up and went six yards for the go-ahead score. It was the lone sack for Johnson, but he tallied two tackles for loss and four total stops — all solo — in the defeat.
Special Teams
Unanimous Game Ball: Alex Mastromanno, P
Australian punter Alex Mastromanno continues to be the shining star for the FSU special teams. On Saturday, Mastromanno punted eight times for an average of 42.5 yards and a long of 52 yards. Clemson managed just one return on the afternoon.
Mike Ferguson is the managing editor for Fifth Quarter. Be sure to follow Mike on Twitter at @MikeWFerguson. Follow all of Mike’s work by liking his Facebook page.