Game Preview: Florida State Seminoles vs. Charleston Southern Buccaneers

Florida State is favored by a wide margin for this game. Will they make it count?

Austin Veazey | Nov 21, 2024

Oct 26, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Brock Glenn (11) run with the football against the Miami Hurricanes during the first quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

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Florida State Seminoles

Florida State has a chance to pick up its second win of the season... in the eleventh game. This season has been over since September, and there's been nothing redeeming about this team whatsoever, yet they find themselves favored over their opponent this week by more points than the Seminoles have scored all season. How is that possible, you may ask?

FSU will be playing the 1-10 Charleston Southern Buccaneers in Doak Campbell Stadium. Charleston Southern is an FCS team whose only win has come against Furman, and they've yet to score more than 24 points in a game. This may not be the most entertaining game to watch.

This game will be at 1:30 p.m. EST (gross) on ACCNX/ESPN+ (grosser) from Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, FL.

Seminole Headlines

Necesssary Staff Changes Were Made, But More Could Be Used

Before the bye week, Florida State and Mike Norvell let go of Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach Alex Atkins, Defensive Coordinator Adam Fuller, and Wide Receivers Coach Ron Dugans. Atkins and Dugans both made sense, as their position groups were sorely underperforming. Fuller was a little more surprising, as his defenses had kept FSU in some games this year (not enough to make a huge difference, but they could've won three more games if the offense did anything).

There will surely be more moves to come after the season. Even if Randy Shannon is the interim, his job isn't safe with the linebacker recruiting and performance, Tight Ends coach Chris Thomsen isn't safe... frankly, nobody should feel safe given how bad the product has been this season.

No Turquoise Jerseys

With FSU using turquoise jerseys in the spring game, selling them online, and putting them in EA's College Football 25, there was thinking FSU could roll them out this weekend against Charleston Southern with it being the Seminole Heritage game.

Mike Norvell announced on Wednesday that wouldn't be the case, and FSU would roll with traditional uniforms. Because the team is bad, it's a good thing they didn't debut the uniforms this year, and it seems like Norvell wants the team to earn the right to wear turquoise. Not everyone can be like the basketball team, who won in their turquoise uniforms on Tuesday night.

Burning Questions

Will the Coordinator Changes Matter?

More than likely, no. Taking over for Atkins as the offensive line coach is Gabe Fertitta, who coached the O-line in the first three weeks as Atkins dealt with a suspension. The front five still wasn't good then and it won't be good now. Mike Norvell will still be calling plays, nothing has changed there.

Randy Shannon has experience as a defensive coordinator, running Miami's defense from 2001-2006, Florida's in 2017, and UCF's from 2018-2020. I can't imagine he's too safe, and the defense has really only played poorly against the better teams on FSU's schedule and Georgia Tech. Whether he'll be able to get anything else out of this defense will be something to watch.

Was Randy Shannon the Right Choice to Take Over as Defensive Coordinator?

FSU's staff isn't full of a lot of ideal candidates for interim defensive coordinator. Shannon already had the title of Co-DC before Fuller was fired, and Shannon can take over for now, but why not let Shannon go as well and let someone else call plays?

John Papuchis has been a defensive coordinator at Nebraska and North Carolina, but he seems to be set as the Special Teams coordinator, and that's the only unit that's played well. Odell Haggins has never been anything more than a defensive line coach and interim head coach, but he wasn't calling plays then. Patrick Surtain has only been in college for two years as FSU's DB coach. Prior to that, he was a defensive analyst for the Miami Dolphins and rose from DB coach to defensive coordinator to head coach at American Heritage School. That's his coaching journey, so he doesn't have experience calling plays at this level, either. Shannon is the only one who does, and this season wasn't getting turned around anyway. Might as well let him ride it out for this season.

Game Forecast

Florida State is favored by 33.5 points with an over/under of 44.5, per FanDuel Sportsbook.

The Seminoles have yet to score more than 21 points in a game, and they're going against a team that has yet to score more than 24 at the FCS level. Charleston Southern is not a good team, and even if FSU isn't either, they better win this one, just for sanity's sake. Zero chance they cover the spread though.

Florida State 23, Charleston Southern 9

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