Game Preview: Florida State Seminoles vs. Memphis Tigers

Can Florida State secure its first win against Mike Norvell's former team?

Sep 2, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles linebacker Justin Cryer (28) reacts during the fourth quarter against the Boston College Eagles at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images / Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Somehow, Florida State lost the bye week too. They lost their two best recruits along the defensive line and now Jaylin Lucas is out for the season with an injury. It might just be one of those years.

They'll look to pick up their first win against Mike Norvell's former team, the Memphis Tigers. They're no joke as one of the top teams in the Group of 5 conferences and have one of the better quarterbacks the 'Noles will play all season. If they can't win this one, an already hot fanbase will be on fire.

It's a noon kick in Doak Campbell Stadium to make things more miserable. I wish the best for every fan in attendance.

READ MORE: FSU Head Coach Mike Norvell Squashes Marching Chiefs Drama: 'Play On'

Seminole Headlines

Lucas Out, Hykeem In

The biggest news came from Mike Norvell announcing that Jaylin Lucas is out for the season. While he hadn't been utilized a ton early on, his speed and versatility made him an interesting option, both as a running back and receiver. While it wasn't announced what the injury was, we can only hope for a speedy recovery.

On a glass-half-full note, Norvell expects former 5-star wide receiver Hykeem Williams to suit up and play in this game after missing the first two. I have doubts about him making any real impact on the game given the offense's play through two weeks but it'll be good to see him on the field.

DJU is Still the Starter on the Depth Chart... For Now

The big talk coming out of the Boston College game was fans wanting a change at quarterback. DJ Uiagalelei has been a major disappointment under center but any potential change there is being kept under wraps for right now. If Uiagalelei starts on Saturday and continues to struggle, the booing and chants for Brock Glenn will only intensify.

This offense has to find a way to get going. Uiagalelei has only gotten in a rhythm from trick plays and quick underneath throws. The ground game is only averaging 2.5 yards per carry and while that's something a quarterback likely can't fix, it does show that teams haven't been respecting any downfield actions from FSU and are loading up against the run. It wouldn't surprise me to see one of Brock Glenn or Luke Kromenhoek in this game if things start going sideways.

Memphis' Explosive Offense

Florida State's defense has struggled early on, allowing 453 rushing yards at over 5 YPC through two games. Memphis has a dynamic offense led by quarterback Seth Henigan, who is one of the better QBs the Seminoles will face all year, but they can get the run game going when needed.

After only rushing for 59 yards against North Alabama, they set the tempo on the ground against Troy in Week 2, rushing for 211 yards at 7.3 YPC. Led by Mario Anderson, who had 707 yards for South Carolina last season, they've shown they can do just about anything on offense. FSU's defense needs to be prepared and more physical than they've been in the first two games.

READ MORE: FSU Football Head Coach Mike Norvell Challenging Team Ahead of Memphis Matchup

Burning Questions

If Florida State Could Instantly Fix One Thing, What Would Be the Top Priority?

The Seminoles have been an absolute mess at just about every position besides special teams. Their three biggest concerns are passing offense, rushing offense, and rushing defense. If they could magically fix just one of these, it would have to lean towards either rushing offense or rushing defense.

Norvell wants to use the run to set up the pass as it would help Uiagalelei settle in and open up the play-action. On the other side, Florida State hasn't been able to get off the field, allowing multiple drives of 10+ plays that eat up over six minutes. It's hard for their offense to get in a rhythm when they're hardly seeing the field early in the game.

If they could instantly fix one thing, I think it would be the rushing defense. They have the "talent" there with Joshua Farmer and Darrell Jackson, but it's time for them to make some plays to back up the hype.

Will Seth Henigan Torch the Seminoles?

Henigan has thrown for over 11,000 passing yards in his career with more than 90 total touchdowns. He's as experienced as they come and FSU hasn't played a team this year that has wanted to put the ball in the air. If FSU can't stop the run though, Henigan won't even need to put on a show.

If Henigan is asked to throw the ball, we might finally see this secondary in action. Azareye'h Thomas and Fentrell Cypress had great offseasons but they haven't really been tested early in the season since teams haven't needed to throw on them.

Is the Gameday Experience Going to be Better?

There was a lot of chatter coming out of the Boston College game about the experience in the stadium, but more specifically the War Chant not being played on 3rd downs on defense in favor of some DJ music. Seminole fans can tolerate a bad team for so long but you can't mess with the Warchant. The Marching Chiefs made a statement, AD Alford gave us a statement regarding the situation, and fans have been very vocal that this isn't acceptable. There are few things as intimidating in college football as a rowdy Doak Campbell stadium with the Warchant blasting with a key third down coming up.

Stephen Ponder for the Seminole Boosters has said on Twitter a few times that they're working on it and I would expect there to be some improvements on this front. It wasn't the reason FSU lost two weeks ago, but it could help a little.

Game Forecast

Florida State is favored by 6.5 on FanDuel with an over/under of 52.5.

I'm at the point where I was a few seasons ago and like I have been with basketball: until FSU proves me otherwise, I'm picking against them. They've shown nothing to this point for me to be confident in their abilities to win a football game. The spread of 6.5 in FSU's favor on FanDuel seems like a gift compared to other sites.

Florida State is going to struggle to stop the run again and it'll open up some deep shots for Seth Henigan, who is as experienced as it gets in college football. I'll begrudgingly take the Tigers.

Memphis 30, Florida State 20

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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READ MORE: SMU Names New Starting Quarterback Two Weeks Before FSU Travels To Dallas

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