The worst thing you could do against another team is to overlook them, especially when they aren’t as talented as you on paper.
LSU is the favorite over Florida State in the first game of the year. The Seminoles are coming off four straight losing seasons, which hasn’t happened in almost 50 years. The low point during this span came last year, where Florida State lost to FCS-level Jacksonville State on a last-second Hail Mary. Even though Florida State on paper has not been a very good squad the past few years, the Seminoles are only a dormant volcano waiting for its moment to erupt once again.
“This is a team now that has Mike’s (Norvell’s) stamp on it,” said LSU head coach Brian Kelly at SEC Media Days in Atlanta on July 18. “It’s going to play hard for four quarters. You can see the development of younger players coming along especially on the offensive line. Defensively there’s a structure there that is sound and fundamental.”
From 1976 through 2017, the Seminoles were only led by two coaches: the legendary Hall of Fame coach Bobby Bowden and current Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher. During that span, the Seminoles won three national championships, 15 ACC titles, 39 bowl games and only had one losing season. The most impressive accomplishment during that span was that Florida State went to 36 straight bowl games from 1982 to 2017, which is a NCAA record that still holds today.
In 2021, Florida State started off the year 0-4 which included close losses to Notre Dame (which was led by current LSU head coach Brian Kelly) in overtime, Jacksonville State and Louisville. However, the Seminoles turned things around by going 5-2, just missing out on a bowl appearance. Due to their upward trajectory, a lot of college football analysts have Florida State winning at least seven or eight games this year.
One of the reasons why Florida State rebounded in the second half of the season was due to the improved performance of quarterback Jordan Travis. Last year, Travis threw for 1,539 yards and 15 touchdowns, while completing 63% of his passes.
Travis is also an excellent runner, as he is the Seminoles’ returning leading rusher from last season with 530 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. He also had three 100-yard rushing games, two of which resulted in victories for Florida State. Slowing Travis down and keeping him inside the pocket will be key for the Tigers if they want to avoid an upset.
Florida State’s offensive line was one of the worst in the country as they were 114th in sacks allowed (three sacks per game), T-109th in tackles for loss allowed (6.75 per game) and 105th in third down conversion rate (34.9%).
Kaden Lyles was brought in from Wisconsin to play center and help All-ACC performer Dillan Gibbons strengthen Florida State’s offensive line. Unfortunately, the Seminoles suffered a huge loss as Lyles was lost for the year due to an undisclosed season-ending injury during fall camp.
Although the loss of Lyles may hurt Florida State down the road, the Seminoles have more depth on the offensive line this year than they have had in recent years. Darius Washington moved to center and started all 12 games last year. Washington started five games at right tackle and seven games at left tackle.
Maurice Smith, the starting center from last year, may also get some snaps at center as well if Washington struggles or gets hurt. Florida State also brought in transfers D’Mitri Emmanuel, Jazston Turnetine and Bless Harris to start on the offensive line.
However, there still remains some questions on the offensive line. Florida State looked sloppy at times during its 47-7 victory over Duquesne. There were a few times where the Duquesne defensive line broke through. Luckily for the Seminoles’ offensive line, their running backs bailed them out as they forced missed tackle after missed tackle.
That won’t be the case against LSU because the Tigers have one of the best defensive lines in the country and that could spell trouble for Florida State if they continue to make mistakes on the offensive line.
The wide receiver position, which has been another issue with Florida State’s offense, was upgraded as well, bringing in Mycah Pittman and Johnny Wilson from Oregon and Arizona State respectively. Pittman seemed to have a good connection on the field with Travis during spring practices according to multiple sources from the media who cover Florida State.
While Wilson did have drop issues at Arizona State, he is a threat in the red zone due to his 6-7, 230-pound frame. LSU will look closely at these two new additions to Florida State’s offense during film sessions.
The leading rusher in the running back room also returns as Treshaun Ward is back from a solid performance as the No. 2 running back last season. He had 515 rushing yards with four TDs and 6.4 yards per carry. Florida State brought in Oregon transfer Tre Benson to help with depth, and he is also one of the fastest players on the team.
The key to stopping Florida State will be to neutralize the run game. The Seminoles’ offensive coordinator is Alex Atkins, who is also their offensive line coach as well. That only means one thing: the Seminoles want to be physical and run the ball down your throat. The Seminoles ran for 406 yards against Duquesne, with Ward, Benson, and Toafili going for over 100 yards each.
Florida State’s defense will be the heart and soul of the team as it is one of the most underrated defenses in college football. Florida State returns a veteran defensive back room that includes All-American safety Jammie Robinson, who recorded 85 tackles and four interceptions, which were both team highs.
They also have a solid linebacker room as well, with veteran Kalen DeLoach and transfer Tatum Bethune leading the way. Bethune had over 100 tackles while earning all-conference honors last season at UCF.
Similar to LSU, Florida State has a solid defensive line. Although the Seminoles lost ACC Defensive Player of the Year Jermaine Johnson, they still have a strong group coming back this fall. Florida State still has its starting disruptors up the middle in defensive tackle Fabien Lovett and nose tackle Robert Cooper.
The Seminoles also have emerging defensive end Derrick McClendon returning as well. McClendon had 3.5 sacks coming off the bench last season. The Seminoles also brought in transfer defensive end Jared Verse from FCS-level Albany. Verse was an FCS Freshman All-American last year for the Great Danes.
The key to overcoming Florida State’s defense will be determined in the trenches. Florida State will be one of the best defensive fronts LSU will face all year. LSU do not want a repeat of last year’s season opener when the Tigers were beaten badly in the trenches by UCLA’s defensive line last September. LSU needs its run game to get going so it can set up the pass to get the ball to players on the outside such as Kayshon Boutte and Malik Nabers.
The Seminoles will face off against LSU in the heavily anticipated Louisiana Kickoff at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Sept. 4 at 6:30 p.m. The game will be streaming live on ABC.
Sneaky Seminoles: Why LSU should not underestimate Florida State
August 31, 2022
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