Racking up the yards: Florida State’s offense has been humming under the lead of redshirt freshman quarterback Jameis Winston and a three-pronged rushing attack. Currently the Seminoles are first in the ACC and No. 10 in Division I-A in total offense at 540.3 yards per game. Their 8.64 yards per play is third best in the country, and FSU’s 24 offensive touchdowns rank in the top third as well.
Moving the chains: A direct correlation to FSU’s offensive success has been their ability to pick up first downs. Right now, the Seminoles are second in the ACC and tied for 28th in Division I-A with 104 first downs. The Noles also convert 51.4 percent of their third downs, which is second best in the conference and 21st in the nation.
Seeing green in the red: Florida State is one of the most efficient red-zone teams in the country, ranking seventh with a .957 rate (22 scores in 23 attempts). Of the 23 trips FSU has made inside their opponents’ 20-yard line, the Seminoles have come away with a touchdown on 17 of them, which is also one of the best conversion rates. They have 11 red-zone rushing touchdowns and six passing scores.
TOP problems: FSU’s opponents have only moved the chains 69 times this year, but that hasn’t necessarily resulted in a dominating Seminoles time-of-possession. Yes, the Noles can score quickly, but because FSU’s run defense isn’t terrific, coupled with the fact their own running game didn’t produce against BC (take away Jameis Winston’s 67 yards scrambling and FSU had 91 rushing yards between four backs), has meant a rather pedestrian TOP. Thus far, opponents have been on the field for three minutes and 30 seconds more per game. Florida State is currently ranked No. 89 in Division I-A with around a 28 minute TOP; last year they held the ball for more than 30 minutes per.
Smoke and mirrors on D?: At first blush, Florida State is getting it done on the defensive end, holding teams to just 15 points per game (No. 17). They are also allowing just 290 yards per game, which is 10th best in the country (though it certainly helps when two of your first four opponents were Bethune-Cookman and Nevada). Furthermore, the Noles surrender a meager 136 passing yards per outing, which makes them one of the five stingiest units in Division I-A.
Where’s the pressure? It doesn’t help that new defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt’s supposedly opportunistic defense has generated just six turnovers (not even in the top 50 nationally) so far this year, a season after recording 21. So far the Seminoles have six interceptions, but they haven’t forced any fumbles. In 2012, FSU picked off 11 passes and recovered 10 fumbles.
The Noles have sacked the quarterback nine times (tied for 34th in Division I-A), including three against BC, but compared to last year’s aggressive defense, the pass rush hasn’t been quite as potent. The 2012 version saw the Seminoles take down the signal caller 36 times, one of the highest totals in the nation.
A more telling stat is FSU’s tackles for loss. They are currently ranked 51st in the country at 6.3 per game. For comparison, Maryland is tied for eighth in Division I-A at 8.8 per game.
Adjustment issues: Our colleagues over at the Florida State rivals site, Warchant.com, mentioned that it may be taking longer than expected to adjust to Pruitt’s system. FSU has traditionally run a standard 4-3 scheme with a few variations, but Pruitt has introduced a bunch of different looks, including three-, four- and even five-man fonts. Moreover, players are lining up in different spots than they’re accustomed to, which might be adding to the confusion.
Mental errors: FSU is hardly an undisciplined bunch, but they do average more than five penalties per game, tied for 43rd in Division I-A. Their 46 penalty yards per game, meanwhile, ranks right in the middle of the NCAA pack. Against BC, the Noles had five penalties for 44 yards.
Famous Jameis: By now you’ve all seen the highlights of Florida State’s redshirt freshman quarterback Jameis Winston (6-4, 227) scrambling around before uncorking a Doug Flutie-like Hail Mary to receiver Kenny Shaw for a 55-yard score. Ironically, Winston pulled the trick against Flutie’s alma mater, Boston College, though this throw merely gave FSU a lead going into halftime of a Week 4 game. Either way, the pass underscored how Winston’s season has gone thus far.
Aged angus prime: Florida State has an experienced, burly offensive line with five potential pros. Four of the five were starters last year, and one who didn’t, junior right tackle Bobby Hart (6-4, 315), still saw time in 2012. FSU is averaging 246 rushing yards per game (6.6 yards per carry) behind this crew, which ranks 19th in Division I-A.
But while the front five have played a major role in FSU’s averaging 540 yards per game, they did have some problems against Boston College last week. BC harassed Winston for three sacks in the first half (four total), while the Noles failed to get much push when running the ball either. For the season, FSU has surrendered eight sacks , putting them in the bottom half of the FBS in terms of pass protection. They’ve also allowed 21 tackles for loss, which is right in the middle of Division I-A squads.
Three-headed monster: There’s a few ways to look at Florida State’s running game. 1) They have three potent backs who all bring something to the table. 2) None of the three is a complete back, so FSU tries to put them in the best position to succeed depending on down and distance. 3) They have one elite back who is handcuffed by two other runners. 4) FSU relies on Winston and doesn’t always feed its running backs, despite their gaudy YPC average.
No matter how you break it down, it’s hard to argue with 246 yards per game and 6.6 yards per carry. To boot, FSU’s runners have lost just one fumble all season.
Junior Devonta Freeman (5-9, 203) is the lead runner with 37 carries for 322 yards and two touchdowns. He is considered FSU’s most complete, explosive runner, although last week he ran the ball just nine times for 49 yards.
Classmate James Wilder (6-2, 229) shares the ball with Freeman and acts as the power back. He has 30 carries for 179 yards and two scores as well, but was held to 15 yards on six carries against BC.
Field stretchers: Florida State’s receivers average almost 16 yards per catch, the eighth-best number in the FBS. All three starters pick up more than 15 yards per reception, and two of them are at 20 yards-plus.
The team’s leading receiver last year, junior Rashad Greene (6-0, 180) is FSU’s most reliable option. He’s tops on the team this season with 19 catches for 299 yards and five touchdowns. Two of those scores came last week, when he hauled in four passes for 85 yards against BC.
These guys aren’t Carradine and Werner: FSU graduated their top two pass rushers from last year, and so far the front four hasn’t been generating the same kind of pressure. Collectively, the starting group has accounted for two sacks this season.
Sophomore left end and former Friendship Collegiate (D.C.) star Eddie Goldman (6-4, 303) has shifted from defensive tackle. He has one sack and six tackles in four games and hasn’t lived up to the hype coming out of high school yet. Last week, freshman right end DeMarcus Walker (6-3, 270) started in place of sophomore Mario Edwards Jr. (6-3, 277), who had seven tackles, one TFL and zero sacks during the first three outings. Walker, meanwhile, has six stops and a team-high-tying two quarterback hurries, but he doesn’t have a sack.
Middl(ing?) tier: Florida State’s rushing defense is ranked 62nd in Division I-A, giving up 154 yards per game. As aforementioned, the Noles just allowed BC to run for 200 against them. Some of that responsibility falls on the D-line, but the linebackers share some of the blame as well. There have been several instances where FSU’s linebackers have missed tackles or failed to properly wrap up.
That said, senior weakside backer Telvin Smith (6-3, 218), the team’s leading tackler with 27, is one of FSU’s best defenders. He racked up 10 tackles, two TFLs and a sack against BC; he has four TFLs, a sack and a pick for the season. Underrated on a national level, Smith’s combination of size and athleticism should be enough to get him selected in the middle rounds during next year’s draft.
Sure footed: It’s hard to find reliable kickers in college, especially in the freshmen class, but FSU’s redshirt freshman Roberto Aguayo (6-1, 203) has gotten the job done so far. He’s converted all seven of his attempts, including both of his 40-yard-plus boots (his long is 45). Aguayo has also nailed all 26 of his extra-points, and his streak of 33-straight kicks made is a Seminoles record for converted kicks to start a career. On top of that, he’s averaging 61.3 yards on kickoffs and has eight touchbacks in 2013.
For punt returns, Kenny Shaw is fourth in the ACC and 21st in the country with a 13.2 average. Shaw has a long of 26 yards and hasn’t busted off a big one yet, though he’s certainly capable.
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