Entering the 2014 season, the biggest question marks on the defensive side of the ball for defending national champion Florida State lied with the front seven. The Seminoles were losing two starters at linebacker and three veteran members at defensive tackle. After a slow start to the season, those position are slowly being shored up.
A former 5-star recruit out of the nation’s capital, junior defensive tackle Eddie Goldman had not become the instant standout that many expected for Florida State. Goldman was not unproductive, but spent much of his time at FSU playing in the shadow of All-American Timmy Jernigan and battling more veteran players like Jacobbi McDaniel and Demonte McAllister for playing time.
Saturday’s thrilling victory over Clemson may have served as a coming-out party for Goldman. With the Seminoles and Tigers even, no player stood out more with the game on the line.
For more than three and a half quarters, Goldman had not recorded a tackle. With Clemson in the red zone with under two minutes to play, Goldman’s strip of running back C.J. Davidson gave Florida State new life and the ball back.
The strip which was recovered by safety Nate Andrews may not have only salvaged the Seminoles’ winning streak, but it may have kept FSU’s championship hopes alive both in terms of the ACC and the national title.
In the overtime, Goldman was unblockable. After recording a sack on the second play of the extra session, Goldman on 4th-and-1, found his way into the Clemson backfield, forcing Adam Choice to the outside where Chris Casher and Reggie Northrup combined to make the stop shy of the first down.
Florida State scored on the second play of its overtime possession to leave its ACC opener with a 23-17 victory.
Goldman’s emergence could not have come at a better time. With Nile Lawrence-Stample now done for the season and Mario Edwards Jr. out for Saturday’s game against North Carolina State, the Seminoles are going to have to find ways to get penetration up front and Goldman will need to be the guy to do that.
The man, who helped make the final stop against Clemson has also begun to make a name for himself on the defensive side of the ball for Florida State.
Entering the year, junior linebacker Reggie Northrup had been little more than a special teams player. With the losses of Christian Jones and Telvin Smith, Florida State entered the season with a number of talented young linebackers.
With players like Ukeme Eligwe, Matthew Thomas, Kain Daub and Chris Casher all missing time at linebacker for various reasons, Northrup’s role has become much more prominent.
As one of the more veteran linebackers on the roster, Northrup earned a starting spot prior to the season and has done everything in his power to keep it. Northrup has shown very good instincts and a nose for the football.
The only Seminole wearing jersey number 5 in the lineup on Saturday night, Northrup finished with eight total stops including the aforementioned biggest one of the night. Against The Citadel the game prior, Northrup led the Seminoles with 10 total tackles.
While Florida State has not been nearly as dominant defensively as it was a season ago, the improvement along the front seven from the season opener against Oklahoma State has been immense. Though Florida State has struggled to stay healthy up front and at linebacker, players have begun to emerge as potential All-ACC candidates.
After two years of sharing reps, Eddie Goldman may finally be living up the hype he came to Tallahassee with. At linebacker, Reggie Northrup has been solid alongside Terrance Smith, the Seminoles’ only returning starter at the position.
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