After a 4-0 start to the Seminole’s season, the men of Florida State University took a step back in their rigorous October stretch.

The three games have stoked the ire of the fan base, and the positive signs from those games are cold comfort to a team that has earned more than a 4-3 record.

However, the positive signs are still there, and they are convincing reasons to destroy your throat on a warchant each Saturday.

Sadly, they also make fans pluck out their own hair. 

On October 1, the Seminoles hosted 3-1 Wake Forest who lost to Clemson in Overtime the week before.

Despite being ranked ahead of Florida State in the AP poll, most still predicted a Seminole victory.

The Demon Deacons would prove them wrong. 

After giving up a Touchdown on FSU’s opening drive, where Quarterback Jordan Travis found Mycah Pittman from 13 yards out.

Wake would go on to score 28 straight before the Noles would answer with a score of their own on another pass to Mycah Pittman.

Then another to Wide Receiver Johnny Wilson to make it a 1 score game with 9:32 to play in the 4th quarter.

The ensuing drive for Wake Forest saw over 6 minutes of clock drained and resulted in a Wake Forest field goal which would be the last score of the game and resulted in a 31-21 loss for the Seminoles.

The next week would take on a very different look as the Noles took a trip to Raleigh to face the 14th ranked North Carolina State Wolfpack.

The game was a tale of 2 halves.

In the first half, FSU was able to rack up 17 points on 283 yards of offense including a 71-yard run by Travis.

Which set up a touchdown pass on the next play to Johnny Wilson.

Meanwhile, they were able to hold North Carolina State to just a field goal on defense.

The next half saw a totally stalled offense, and North Carolina State was able to scratch out 16 to win 19-17.

FSU’s ensuing return to Doak was a match with the Clemson Tigers.

Where Florida State and Clemson traded 2 scores each until the final 2 minutes of the first half when Clemson was able to score 17 in the next 2 and a half minutes of game time.

Clemson then added a field goal midway through the 3rd quarter to go up 34-14.

The Noles rallied back on 2 touchdown passes to Ja’Khi Douglass and Kentron Poitier making it 28-34 with 2:17 to play.

However, FSU could not recover the onside kick and the clock expired with that score.

All three of these games were against ranked opponents with veteran Quarterbacks.

However, there are two more striking trends to point out in these matchups.

FSU finished every game with a negative turnover margin and positive in yards-per-play margin.

Play-for-play, the Seminoles can compete and even out-perform these teams.

However, in high-leverage situations, the Seminoles fall flat.

Including turnovers on downs, the Noles turned the ball over 8 times in these 3 games.

Not to include a punt beyond the line of scrimmage in minus territory against North Carolina State University, which led to an NC State field goal despite losing 23 yards in the ensuing drive, and a missed 29 yard field goal against Wake before the end of the half.

There’s no certainty the Noles would have prevailed without those crucial errors, but it certainly gives the team a better chance.

October was tough for Seminoles fans.

Three straight losses is never an easy pill to swallow, yet in spite of FSUs tragic situational difficulties the boys proved they can play with just about anyone at this level.

Their hard work won’t go unappreciated by this fan, nor should it by any of us!

However, it’s time to have this team eat the meal it worked so hard to prepare!

The upcoming slate includes Georgia Tech, University of Miami (FL), Syracuse, University of Louisiana, and University of Florida.

The Noles should be set to swat away those Yellow Jackets, blow away those hurricanes, bite into that orange, cook up those Cajuns, and devour those no-good Gators!

Grayson Conrad is a lifelong Tallahassee resident and Florida State Seminoles fan.