Aguayo making his own name with Seminoles
TALLAHASSEE Ricky Aguayo has some tough footsteps to follow in at Florida State, but the run of field goal success he has had early in his sophomore season has him carving out his own legacy.
The latest chapter of that legacy was written in FSU’s 24-20 loss to Miami on Saturday.
His season started poorly as he missed his first two field goals of the year, one each against Alabama and NC State.
Since then, on a tear.
With two made field goals against UM, Aguayo has now made 10 straight field goals dating back to the NC State game on September 23rd.
Aguayo arrived at FSU and took over the starting job immediately after his brother, Roberto Aguayo, left FSU as the most consistent placekicker in college football history.
It took some getting used to, but Aguayo is finally coming into his own as Roberto’s presence he has been fades.
His recent consistency has been well-timed as the Seminoles have also struggled in finishing drives with touchdowns early in their 2017 campaign.
Without his current streak, there’s a definite chance that FSU’s dismal 1-3 record could, in fact, be 0-4.
SEMINOLES’ INJURIES PILING UP: FSU lost an important piece on each side of the ball against the Hurricanes as safety Trey Marshall and wide receiver Keith Gavin each left the game with injuries.
After a defensive series in the first quarter, Marshall headed to the locker room for an evaluation of an unknown injury. He returned to the sideline shortly after, but missed the rest of the game.
In Marshall’s absence, junior A.J. Westbrook, who made eight starts at safety in 2016, filled in.
Gavin suffered a foot injury at the end of a kick return in the third quarter. He was unable to put any weight on his right foot as he left the field with heavy assistance from the training staff.
After being carted to the locker room, Gavin also did not return to action.
Gavin’s injury is the latest in a string of hits to FSU’s shallow wide receivers corps. Auden Tate continues to play through a separated shoulder which limits his mobility while George Campbell played against Miami despite reaggravating his core muscle injury suffered last season in practice this week.
TYLER ADAPTING TO HIS ROLE: Logan Tyler has struggled at times early in his career as FSU’s punter, but has shown growth over the last few weeks. Saturday’s loss was a new high for his collegiate career.
Tyler finished the Miami game with seven punts averaging 44.9 yards. This included a pair of punts downed inside the 20 and three punts which were 50-plus yards.
Not included in the box score is the impact Tyler’s punts had in the first half. While the Seminoles struggled to piece together drives in the first half, Tyler’s booming punts ensured that Miami’s struggling offense would be pinned deep in its own territory.
Tyler’s punts played a key role in UM not being able to cross midfield once in the entire first half against FSU.
BECKER BREAKS IN: Sophomore cornerback Carlos Becker III ,a Kissimmee native out of Osceola High School, broke into FSU’s defensive rotation against the Hurricanes after missing the first three games of the season with a high ankle sprain. Becker, who contributed on defense and special teams last year as FSU’s secondary depth dwindled, finished Saturday’s game with two solo tackles.
O-LINE HEALTH: FSU’s offensive line, much maligned for its play against Wake Forest, entered the Miami game with its entire starting five intact after three different players suffered injuries against the Demon Deacons.
Derrick Kelly (leg), Landon Dickerson (ankle) and Cole Minshew (undisclosed) each got the starts at their respective spots on the line, returning the unit to full health.