The passing game was underwhelming. The defense couldn’t stop the run to save their lives. And Florida State’s handling of certain situations late in the second quarter and into the final quarter left a lot to be desired.

Instead of starting with a win, the team has suffered another crushing defeat. What’s next for Florida State? What will the response be? Here are three thoughts on this puzzling loss.

1. Florida States pass attack still has a lot of work to do

Going into this game, one of the biggest question marks surrounding Florida State’s offense was the potential success of the passing game. With a strong-arm quarterback in DJ Uiagalelei and a bevy of speedy wide receivers, expectations were high that the Seminoles would have a chance to stretch the field. Instead, most of Uiagalelei’s throws in the first half came in under five yards, thanks to a variety of blocks, dump-offs and short passes.

It was clear after the first drive that Georgia Tech was more than ready to go all out and force Uiagalelei to beat them – but he couldn’t. Uiagalelei threw a deep throw to Ja’Khi Douglas short that could have been a touchdown and missed Malik Benson far down the sideline on another big play opportunity. He was at his best on Florida State’s 15-play fourth-quarter drive, finding Douglas and Benson for conversions on two fourth-down plays, but everything else in between suggested much more from the veteran quarterback.

There were also several moments where Uiagalelei was indecisive, hesitant, or didn’t follow through with his routines. On an incomplete pass to Darion Williamson on the sideline on third down that could have been a miss, Uiagalelei failed to see Jalen Brown working up the middle, which could have resulted in a first down.

It didn’t help that Hykeem Williams was out, but only four wide receivers caught a pass for the Seminoles, compared to three catches by running backs and one catch by a tight end. That led to Uiagalelei going 19/27 for 193 yards with no touchdowns. Overall, the offense managed just 291 yards, its fourth straight game since last season in which it failed to crack the 300+ yard mark. Something has to change.

Florida State needs to make some serious improvements before Boston College comes to town. Otherwise, the running game will never really get going. The Yellow Jackets just put a perfect game plan on tape that some of FSU’s upcoming opponents can exploit.

2. The defensive performance was more than worrying

All offseason, we’ve talked about the potential highly touted defense Florida State would field in 2024, and how the group had a chance to not regress despite losing a ton of talent. That certainly wasn’t the case Saturday, as the Seminoles looked unprepared, unwilling and uninspired in most of their plays on the field.

Georgia Tech totaled 336 yards on offense, including 190 yards on the ground, and averaged 6.5 yards per play. Time and time again, the Yellow Jackets effortlessly ran through Florida State’s front four, made the linebackers look silly and worked their way into the secondary. It was almost like clockwork, and not in a good way for the defenders in garnet and gold.

Patrick Payton, Darrell Jackson, Joshua Farmer and Marvin Jones Jr. were pressured by Georgia Tech’s offensive line, which is simply unacceptable given their tremendous talent. It says a lot that Shyheim Brown finished with a team-leading 13 tackles, which is more than double the total of the starting defensive line (6). That just shows how many plays reached the second level of defense.

The Yellow Jackets converted 5 of 9 third-down attempts, including timely attempts where the defense had an opportunity to get off the field. Georgia Tech converted a 3rd-and-5 or longer on all three scoring drives after the first quarter, including a 3rd-and-12 that led to the game-winning touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

By the way, all of those touchdown drives came in the red zone when the Yellow Jackets were pushing the Seminoles into the end zone. The defense didn’t even put up any resistance when Georgia Tech got inside the 10-yard line.

Adam Fuller has a lot to do before Monday.

3. This team’s response will set the course for 2024

That’s an obvious thought, of course, but it should be brought to the forefront considering most of Florida State’s leadership left after last season. There were players throughout the roster waiting to take their place, but now we’ll really see who’s in and who’s out. This is the first time this special team, comprised of over 40 new players, has overcome adversity together.

Will they come together as a team or fall apart and crumble? That remains to be seen, and next week will tell us a lot about the 2024 Seminoles. The season isn’t over yet, especially in the 12-team College Football Playoff era. There’s an opportunity to make mistakes and still win it all. It’s just that the Seminoles made their mistake earlier in the year.

That leaves Florida State with a slim lead considering there are 11 games left in the regular season. I have no idea how it will play out, but the result will show the Seminoles’ character and will.

I think they can fight their way out of this hole, but it’s going to be an uphill battle. But what’s that five-word phrase that Mike Norvell loves to throw around?

READ MORE: Former FSU football star and Buffalo Bills WR Keon Coleman turns away reporters

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