Florida State 31, Clemson 24 OT
Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins is an early-round prospect, and he was facing a dangerous passing attack with the Seminoles. Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis is vastly improved and is a dangerous dual-threat weapon. Seminoles wide receiver Keon Coleman had an electric start to the season against LSU, but made zero catches in their near-loss to Boston College last week. Entering the season, there was a lot of hype and excitement for Florida State wide receiver Johnny Wilson. The 6-foot-7, 240-pounder is a giant who possesses surprising athleticism for such a big-bodied skill-position player. Wilson generated some production in the season opener against LSU, but he also had some ugly dropped passes. Wilson bounced back nicely against Boston College, so every prospect was in need of impressive tape entering this rivalry game.
In the first quarter, Travis and tight end Jaheim Bell failed to get on the same page, leading to pass floating behind Bell. The ball bounced off the chest of a Tigers safety, and Travis was extremely lucky that it wasn’t picked off. Later on the drive, Coleman ran a good route to generate separation, but Clemson safety Andrew Mukuba recovered to break up the pass. Travis needed to get the ball out faster and show more anticipation, while Coleman did his part to get open for his quarterback. If the throw had been delivered sooner, it would have been a first down for the Seminoles, but the delay allowed Mukuba time to recover.
The Clemson defense did a nice job of breaking up passes at the catch point for a lot of the first half, including a nice one against Wilson. Late in the second quarter, Travis put a nice drive together, using Coleman and Wilson in the middle of the field to move the chains. To end the drive, Coleman ran a good route to get wide open in the front end zone for a seven-yard touchdown.
On Florida State’s next drive, Travis used his feet to buy time and Coleman did a nice job of braking off his route to run to open space and get open for his quarterback. Travis hit Coleman, who darted down the field for a 38-yard gain. Just before halftime, Travis had a nice second-effort run at the goal line to score from a yard out.
On the first play of the third quarter, Wilson ran a go route down the field and got a step of separation. Travis needed to get the ball out sooner, but Wilson was able to slow up and control the ball for a 40-yard reception despite taking a big hit from a Tigers safety. Later in the third quarter, Wiggins ran stride-for-stride with Wilson before slapping a pass away from the 6-foot-7 receiver.
Late in the fourth quarter, Wilson made a huge hands catch down the sideline to get the Seminoles close to midfield. Wilson later got open again for a key third-down conversion in the middle of the field on an 18-yard gain. On a third-and-10 though, Wiggins had tight coverage on Wilson and slapped a pass away. The drive stalled out, but in overtime, Travis connected with Coleman for a 24-yard touchdown early in overtime to get a huge road win. For the day, Coleman collected five receptions for 86 yards and two touchdowns. Wilson also caught five passes, going for 94 yards.
Overall, both Coleman and Wilson helped their draft grades with the played against the Tigers. The wideouts showed the ability to get some separation from the Clemson cornerbacks, with Coleman particularly showing impressive burst out of his breaks and impressive route-running for a big receiver. There is no doubt that Wilson is a mismatch weapon for the NFL. He has quality speed for a huge wide receiver and impressive athleticism to sink his weight to get in and out of his breaks. Coleman could be a first-round pick next April in the 2024 NFL Draft, and Wilson should go in the first- or second-round of the 2024 NFL Draft, but he needs to display steady and reliable hands over the rest of the season.
Travis completed 21-of-37 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns passing. He also rushed for a score. Travis made some impressive throws, but he also had missed out on some big plays due to waiting to throw the ball. This game tape illustrates that Travis has next-level ability, but because of being undersized, he might be more of a mid-round backup. Wiggins was solid against Florida State, which predominantly threw at the other cornerbacks. The tape from this contest should not hurt or help his draft stock significantly.
Florida State defensive end Jared Verse is a potential first-rounder for the 2024 NFL Draft, despite having had a quiet start to the season statistically. This game was similar in that Verse made his presence felt somewhat and was active, but he was not a dominant force off the edge. Midway through the first quarter, Verse burst through a play-action run fake and batted down a pass to produce a fourth-and-1 for the Florida State defense. In the third quarter, Verse had a nice run stuff at the line of scrimmage. Overall, he has a first-round skill set, but he has not produced up to it yet in 2023.