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Georgia Tech 22, Florida State 16 Instant Analysis

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1. Ramblin’ Wreck Six?

Florida State is loaded with pro prospects, but kicker Roberto Aguayo might end up having the longest NFL career of anyone on the field. He has a huge leg, he’s accurate, and he’s as reliable as they come. Yeah, his massive field goal attempt got blocked, but it was his job to drive the ball – the line didn’t block, either.

Lance Austin will go down in Georgia Tech history, but also give credit to Harrison Butker, the Yellow Jacket kicker who nailed three field goals including a 53-yarder. Give credit to Justin Thomas, who had a rough night outside of a 60-yard run, but made the huge pass play to set up Butker’s game-tying kick. Give credit to the Georgia Tech special teams for making the key blocks down the field to make it relatively easy for Austin to come up with the play.

It might not have cost Florida State a national title like the Auburn 2014 Kick-Six might have done to Alabama, but …

2. Is Florida State dead?

The Seminoles were playing with fire on several occasions in several close games this year, and this time they got scorched by the type of play that ruins seasons. So does this kill the Florida State playoff chase? The ACC championship is still there for the taking by winning out, but would beating Clemson in Death Valley and getting by Florida in The Swamp – along with an ACC title and a 12-1 record – be enough for a playoff spot? Will the overall resume be better in that case than, say, a two-loss SEC or Pac-12 champ? Forget about getting in over a one-loss champion from one of the other Power Five conferences, and an 11-1 Notre Dame would probably get the nod, but that’s getting ahead of the game. First, Florida State would actually have to beat Clemson and Florida on the road, and it’s not looking remotely like the type of team that can do that, struggling way too much on third downs and coming up with just 280 yards of total offense.

3. Georgia Tech pitched a defensive gem.

Everett Golson was more than fine. He threw for 210 yards, and his first interception of the season wasn’t his fault – but it was in the end zone. Dalvin Cook was never able to get into a groove, running for just 82 yards and a score on 17 carries. And why? Georgia Tech was able to use the running game to hang on to the ball and the clock just enough to keep the defense from getting gassed. The D did its part to get off the field, stopping the Noles time and again on third downs, and the offense held the ball for almost 35 minutes to keep the game close. That doesn’t have anything to do with how the Yellow Jackets won, but it proves that in a lost season, this is still a good enough coaching staff, and a good enough team, to put an end to an epic streak. It was Florida State’s first ACC loss since 2012.