Cook's 266 yards, 3 TDs carry No. 11 Florida State past South Florida
Florida State's Everett Golson experiment hit its first obstacle in the first half against South Florida.
Fortunately for Jimbo Fisher & Co., Dalvin Cook was around to pick up the slack.
The 11th-ranked Seminoles joined a host of struggling high-profile teams on Saturday afternoon with their early issues against the Bulls, eventually pulling away for a 34-14 win thanks to a dominant second-half performance. The catalyst for the late push? The Seminoles' sophomore running back, who appears poised for a monster ACC season.
Though eventual No. 1 draft pick Jameis Winston was the necessary focal point, Cook was arguably the most consistent offensive threat for Florida State last season. As Winston struggled at times with turnovers and decision-making — he tossed 18 interceptions, partially because he attempted 467 passes — Cook emerged as one of the top true freshman in the country. He eclipsed the 100-yard mark in each of the four games he received more than 15 carries, including the final three games of the season (Florida, Georgia Tech, Oregon) as the Seminoles made their push to the inaugural College Football Playoff.
If Cook's final totals of 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns in Year 1 weren't impressive enough, consider that he split backfield time with former blue-chip recruit Karlos Williams and logged single-digit carries in five games — and he still scored five touchdowns in those games.
And he became just the second Florida State player since 1996 to rush for at least 1,000 yards, joining Devonte Freeman, and he did it in a little over half a season.
The preseason question, of course, was whether Cook would be around for this sophomore encore. The Florida State star's summer was overshadowed by a misdemeanor battery charge stemming from an alleged June 23 incident with a 21-year-old woman, a legal matter that left him indefinitely suspended from the team. (The Seminoles even took separate team photos, both with and without Cook.) Cook was found not guilty in late August, returning to the team just before the season started.
He hasn't missed a step as the Seminoles' No. 1 option.
After making quick work of Texas State with a 156-yard, two-touchdown performance in the season opener — augmenting an excellent debut from Golson and the new-look passing game — Cook was a more central figure as the Seminoles offense sputtered against South Florida on Saturday. He needed to be.
Backtrack to the first quarter. Following two stalled drives, Cook put Florida State on the board, compliments of some poor tackling, with a 74-yard rumble:
Fisher's offense went away from Cook for much of the first half, resulting in some horrendous halftime numbers from Golson, who completed just one pass for six yards. But Florida State refocused in the second. Kermit Whitfield returned the kickoff deep into South Florida territory and Golson completed two passes before Cook finished off his second drive with a 24-yard run. By the time he rattled off a 50-yard scamper on the very next drive, carrying Bulls defenders for 10 yards into the endzone after stepping out bounds, it was clear that the quarterback issues were not going to singlehandedly leave the door open for the upset.
South Florida simply had no answer for the sophomore home-run threat.
Cook finished the game with a career-high 266 yards and three touchdowns, one game shy of Warrick Dunn's school record of six consecutive 100-yard games. That mark was also good enough for the second-highest single-game rushing total in school history. (It should be noted that his retooled offensive line contributed to the breakout performance as well.)
It's important to remember just how young this offense is despite a redshirt senior running the show. Golson didn't choose Florida State until after spring practice, and he wasn't officially handed the starting job until late August. The team lost its two leading receivers and the entire offensive line. Struggles against South Florida do not inspire confidence — even if the conference schedule provides an apparent grace period of Boston College and Wake Forest in the coming weeks — but this is an ongoing process for the No. 11 team nationally.
Still, with as much talent as Fisher's staff has compiled in Tallahassee, Florida State's ceiling remains high. How fast can Golson grasp the offense, or at least get comfortable in the pocket while making his reads? How fast can this young team grow up? Can a defense that lost multiple pieces be better in 2015?
One thing seems like a certainty at this point: The Seminoles have an explosive workhorse — perhaps even a dark horse Heisman candidate — in their backfield.
Cook carried the offense against South Florida. It may not be the last time Florida State will need the same effort this season.
