No. 13 Florida State notched its fifth 10-win season in six years on Saturday with a 27-2 trouncing of rival Florida at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The FSU defense led the Seminoles for much of the contest, but the offense came on late as the Seminoles beat the Gators for a fifth time in six years, including a third straight time in Gainesville. To highlight which FSU players stood out on Saturday, each Noled Out staff member handed out his game balls.
Offense
Unanimous Game Ball: Dalvin Cook, RB
Florida State sophomore running back Dalvin Cook overcame a slow start to finish with 183 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns on 26 carries. With FSU leading 13-2 in the fourth quarter, Cook found the end zone from 15 yards out before putting the exclamation point on the win with a 29-yard rushing touchdown in the game’s final minute. Cook added three catches for 11 yards.
Defense
Mike Ferguson and Clint Eiland’s Game Ball: DeMarcus Walker, DE
DeMarcus Walker’s outstanding junior season continued Saturday night as Walker notched eight total tackles, 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss in the FSU victory. Walker leads FSU with 9.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss this season. Walker also helped keep Florida off the scoreboard by blocking a field goal early in the fourth quarter.
Jon Marchant’s Game Ball: Derwin James, S
Derwin James was all over the field for FSU on Saturday night as the freshman continued to show why he’s one of the most touted young talents in the country. James finished with a game-high tying 9 total tackles and half of sack. The numbers don’t reflect it, but James put constant pressure on Florida quarterback Treon Harris throughout the evening.
Special Teams
Mike Ferguson and Clint Eiland’s Game Ball: Cason Beatty, P
In a contest that wasn’t a thing of beauty, Florida State senior punter Cason Beatty consistently got the Seminoles out of bad situations. On seven punts, Beatty averaged nearly 48 yards-per-punt with three of them downed inside the FSU 20-yard-line. Among Beatty’s seven punts was a long of 60 yards.
Jon Marchant’s Game Ball: Roberto Aguayo, K
After a down-year by his standards, Florida State junior kicker Roberto Aguayo showed why he was previously a Consensus All-American. Aguayo was 2-for-2 on field goals, making from 45 yards and a season-long 51 yards out. Aguayo has still yet to miss an extra point in his career, going 3-for-3 on PATs. Five of Aguayo’s seven kickoffs went for touchbacks.
