There’s no quick way to go through 30 rush attempts, 266 yards, and 3 touchdowns. What started out as a rainy and sloppy first half turned into a record-rewriting game for running back Dalvin Cook, who is now second place all-time when it comes to rushing yards in a single game at Florida State. A fairly stout South Florida defensive line looked near helpless whenever Cook made another cut or ran through a gap not seen to any other player on the field.
We will attempt to break down his game and see just how exactly he’s able to carry an entire offense on his back to a 34-14 victory. His home run plays are the exciting, highlight worthy attempts, but how he handles the other 27 carries is just as important to the offense. The 50-yard runs are great, but so are the 4-yard runs for a first down with a struggling quarterback. Much like Everett Golson’s start against Texas State, the purpose is to analyze the film to gain a deeper understanding of how the player performed and if the stats are a good indicator of it.
So does Dalvin Cook’s 200-plus yard performance look the same on tape? Let’s find out.
1st Quarter
12:50 – Cook’s first run of the game is only two yards, but it wasn’t the wrong decision. FSU had the blockers on the left side where he chose to go. Problem is that tight end Ryan Izzo didn’t hold his block very well and allowed USF’s defensive end to contact Cook early and stop what could have been a nice run.
9:13 – Another good decision by Cook to stick to the play and run where the blockers are. Freddie Stevenson gets a decent enough block to allow Cook to go right up the middle, where he keeps chugging along for a 7-yard gain.
8:43 – Simple lead run to the left is stuffed for a loss of one. Really no way for him to avoid this tackle. Guard Kareem Are was beat badly and his man was in the backfield before the handoff had even been completed.
8:03 – This might have actually been Cook’s fault at least partially. The perspective makes it hard to see how far away the pass was from the target, so it’s not clear if he hadn’t extended enough/been aware of the pass in time. Either way, it wasn’t a great throw from Everett Golson.
4:52 – The best highlight of the game comes early on this 74-yard touchdown run. Golson hands off to Cook on an option play and watches him traverse the entire field in one of the best scoring plays he’s ever had. Cook hits a gaping hole on the right side of the line thanks to tackle Brock Ruble and a misaligned USF linebacker. After going horizontal across the field, Ermon Lane throws a block and allows Cook to sprint right between the remaining defenders. A USF defensive back fails to wrap up and instead hits him with a shoulder — something that will not deter Cook when he reaches max speed. Three great blocks (Ruble, Lane, Travis Rudolph) and a running back with absurd vision combine for a jaw-dropping touchdown.
2:48 – A 3rd-and-10 situation near its own goal line forces Florida State to just try and get some breathing room for a punt. Even with the run play, Cook almost forces his way to a first down. He spun out of the grasp of a USF defender and hit the edge before being knocked out of bounds for an 8-yard gain. We all know he has speed, but one of the lesser appreciated qualities is how he never stops moving his legs.
First Quarter Summary: Lots of errors on the offensive side of the ball led to a slow start from the Seminoles. Thankfully, Cook was there to give them a shot in the arm with an astounding touchdown run and some great vision for picking up extra yards. He was the offense’s one constant throughout the game.
2nd Quarter
11:57 – He does a nice little sidestep here to put the linebacker on his behind before running for seven yards.
11:23 – The beginning of this play looked like it might be blown up in the backfield after a USF defensive tackle works his way in there. Cook recognizes this disruption and immediately goes to the outside for a 7-yard gain.
7:55 – A toss to the right leads to an 11-yard gain for Cook after getting good blocks from receivers Ermon Lane and Ja’Vonn Harrison. He was once again able to bounce to the outside and pick up a few more yards for the first.
7:24 – Great play call by the Bulls that Florida State doesn’t recognize in time. They send a corner blitz and nobody picks it up, allowing him to bring down Cook in the backfield for a loss of two yards.
2:40 – The offensive line just got their lunch money taken by USF on this play. Defensive ends pinched the outside and defensive tackles came straight up the middle. No chance for Cook on this run up the middle, which results in no gain.
2:01 – Cook had a lead blocker in fullback Freddie Stevenson, but stumbled in the backfield and was unable to fully recover. Back-to-back plays with no gain but the cause of each was different.
Second Quarter Summary: While he starts out strong in the second quarter, Cook (or more accurately the offensive line) succumbs to great defensive line pressure and can’t get much going before half. Difficult to power your way through a defense when they get into the backfield before you’ve even finished the handoff.
3rd Quarter
14:50 – The play is designed as a run to the left with Ryan Izzo coming over from the right side. USF linebackers were not fooled though, and the blockers got occupied with them while the defensive backs came up to help stop the play. No gain.
13:15 – Cook’s second touchdown run of the day is an absolute beauty that he is almost completely responsible for. He takes the handoff and realizes that his line is getting pushed back in the middle — where the original play is apparently supposed to go. He once again takes off to the side and that’s where he finds wide receiver Jesus Wilson throwing a block. What happens next is the perfect encapsulation of what exactly Cook can do. He bounces to the outside of the block, outruns three defenders down the sideline, and scores a 24-yard touchdown while seemingly walking a tight rope.
10:07 – Toss sweep to the left with Stevenson as the lead blocker again. Cook notices a hole to the right of the play and attempts to cut through. Center Corey Martinez is a bit slow to engage the linebacker however, and he is able to disrupt Cook’s running enough for his teammates to come finish the tackle. Small gain of three.
9:29 – Okay, so this isn’t exactly a run or reception from Cook, but it still needs to be seen. It’s a 3rd-and-7 pass play from Golson with Cook blocking for him. Cook is able to see the blitzing defensive back and contacts him with perfect form. This allows Golson to scan the field and find Kermit Whitfield for a 15-yard gain. In a game where the Seminoles were only up by a touchdowns and having passing issues for over two quarters, Cook’s heads-up block is crucial for continuing the drive.
8:53 – Golson hands it off the Cook on the draw and he immediately sees an opening to the left. He dashes through the hole and then cuts back right before sprinting down the left side for a 50-yard gain. In fact, he was almost able to outrun the final defender, but instead got horse-collared and pulled out of bounds at the 9-yard-line.
4:25 – Cook gets it on another draw play and hits a gap in the middle of the line before stiff-arming a defender and running to the outside. This has long been a trait of his and this game shows exactly why he likes to get on the edges. A 13-yard run gives Florida State some breathing room.
3:54 – Cook gets the hand off from a 2-back set and pushes the line for a 2-yard gain and first down.
Third Quarter Summary: This is perhaps his best quarter of the game. He honestly does put the offense on his back and gives the Seminoles much-needed scoring/yardage in order to relieve some of the pressure off Golson, who had not found his rhythm yet. In terms of pure running back vision, this might be the best we’ve seen from Cook. Every single hole that was there, Cook seemed to find.
4th Quarter
14:50 – Initial plan of running to the left side isn’t open, so he cuts back to the right for a 5-yard gain.
13:56 – Draw play sees Cook dancing a bit too much in the backfield. He’s still able to push forward for a 2-yard run.
12:04 – Cook is met in the backfield and dragged down for no gain.
10:55 – Florida State only needed one yard here, so all Cook has to do is follow Stevenson and get the first down. Three yards total.
10:20 – The play is a designed run to the right, and Cook thinks he sees another gap to his left. While it worked earlier in the day, it doesn’t work here because he runs into his lineman. No gain.
9:35 – Starting from the 2-back set, Cook runs to the left with Mario Pender and Brock Ruble in front. Pender misses his block and the defender comes right through to trip him up before he was able to get to the outside and potentially score again. FSU settled for a field goal on this drive.
7:46 – The FSU line doesn’t get any push at all on this play and Corey Martinez’s man comes up with the tackle for a loss of one yard.
6:51 – No. 99 for the Bulls comes through untouched on the run to the left. Cook is tackled and fumbles, but immediately recovers it.
6:03 – High snap leads to a slow developing draw play and stumbling in the backfield doesn’t help either. Still able to grab another two yards on the left.
2:30 – A 4th-and-1 situation means that FSU will just be running it up the middle with Cook. He picks up two and extends the drive.
2:17 – Another unimaginative (though slightly effective) run gets FSU four yards into USF territory.
2:02 – Cook caps off an amazing day with a 37-yard touchdown run to put the Bulls to rest. After noticing a good George Campbell block on the outside, Cook rushes around him and leaves a USF defender in the dust on the run. He is just too fast for most teams to deal with.
Fourth Quarter Summary: One got the feeling that the Seminoles were just trying to add a cushion to Cook’s yardage total during this quarter. There were a lot of straightforward runs that never fooled USF and led to minimal gains for the offense. It also helped to drain the clock in what was an unusually close game.
Overall
As unbelievable as this may sound, Cook’s big day rushing might actually have been better than we initially thought. It was honestly amazing to go through all his runs in this game and see that for many of them — including his three touchdowns — he was the one who made the deciding move. The guy has vision that hasn’t been seen in FSU’s backfield for many years. If he keeps going at this pace, he’ll be right up there with the all-time greats.
FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher said in the post game press conference that he was able to recognize Cook’s greatness all the way back in high school. After looking at some film, it’s very easy to understand what Fisher is talking about. His acceleration at absurd angles and subtle cuts make him an absolute nightmare to tackle and plan for if you’re a defense. Multiple times throughout the game, USF had the correct play call and its defenders made the best decisions, but that just isn’t enough to stop Cook. When you face someone like him, there’s going to be a few plays where you truly cannot do anything to slow him down. If he gets to the outside on your defense, he’s usually gone.
As high as some were on other players coming into the season, it’s now clear that Dalvin Cook is the most valuable of them all. With him, the Seminoles can contend for not just an ACC championship, but a potential playoff spot. While they may lose a game or two, one thing is almost a given: It will not be on account of Cook’s running.
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