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Final Grades: Florida State Loss

The magic of Lane Stadium looked to be happening again, until Florida State ended any Hokies hope of an upset with touchdown drive with under a minute remaining for a 28-22 win on Thursday. Having seen replays and thought it over, here's publisher Jason Stamm's exam of the Hokies' loss:
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Junior
Thomas was less the main ground threat than in previous games, but for the first time maybe all season, one back was given a premier role. Freshman
Fuller showed once again that he's the most dependable Hokies this season. He had seven catches for 124 yards, but was open on a number of other plays. This has really been a bittersweet swan song for him, but it makes a few think, 'What if he hadn't spent two seasons running track at Kansas?' Senior
Florida State got to Thomas a pair of times, but the offensive line did a decent job of protecting him. The line also wasn't tested as much with Thomas not running up the middle as much, but never got many running lanes for the running backs. No fumbled snaps though, part of why the offensive line wasn't at the forefront, which is also a good thing. It's tough to do with hesitant, shifty guys like Coleman, but the line has to get some more room for the backs to move.
The pressure and push was back and it kept FSU quarterback
The big story here was senior
It's a mixed review here. Individual-wise, junior cornerback
There were no missed extra points this time, but junior
The consistency Hokies fans have been yearning for with the running backs finally came as Coleman got the majority of carries. But the bigger question marks came on the Seminoles' half-ending touchdown drives. Of course, that and how Virginia Tech gave the ball back to Florida State with 2:19 left in the game. Coach
Even with the struggles the Hokies have had this season and temperatures in the 30s, Lane Stadium was rocking. The crowd roared to life as Virginia Tech took the lead late, but was just as easily deflated after the deciding FSU touchdown. Still, it's good to see the fans haven't abandoned the Hokies during a trying season when they need support.
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