Game Preview: No. 10 Florida State Seminoles vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

It's a Week Zero ACC Showdown in Dublin, Ireland.

Austin Veazey | Aug 22, 2024

Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell smiles to the crowd after the game against the Florida Gators at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, November 25, 2023. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun] / Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Florida State Seminoles

Florida State Football is BACK, folks. And not just in a video game.

For the first time since 2015, Florida State will start the season as the reigning ACC Champion with a target on their back. The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets were a surprise team last year, going 7-6 in Brent Key's first year at the helm. They returned a lot of offensive production while FSU made many changes. Who will the luck of the Irish favor in this game?

For those that didn't make the trip over to Ireland, this game will kick at Noon EST on ESPN from Aviva Stadium in Dublin. College GameDay will be in attendance before the game.

Seminole Headlines

Replacing Jordan Travis

There is no "replacing" Jordan Travis, who left FSU as the all-time leader in total touchdowns. His development throughout his five years in Tallahassee was incredible to witness, going from a gadget running quarterback to a decisive miracle worker and leader. He isn't someone you can just move on from, but you can find an experienced option to fill in.

Mike Norvell and his coaching staff went out to land old rival DJ Uiagalelei, who terrorized Florida State for 4 total touchdowns while playing for Clemson in 2022. He transferred to Oregon State last season and had a good but unspectacular year, finishing with 2,638 passing yards and 21 touchdowns to 7 interceptions. With Oregon State's conference future in the balance, many departed, including Uiagalelei and another new Seminole, Sione Lolohea.

Uiagalelei features a cannon of an arm and is a massive quarterback, listed on FSU's roster at 6'4" and 252 pounds. If Norvell wants to call a "Tush Push," as he did at times last year, he should have more success with DJ than he did with Travis. He's an experienced, durable quarterback and should fit what Florida State wants to do on offense this year. He just won't outright win games for the Seminoles as Travis did on countless occasions over the years.

No Alex Atkins

Alex Atkins, Florida State's offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, is suspended for this game and the two following it for a recruiting violation a few years ago. While he'll still be able to prep the team throughout the week, he won't be able to communicate on the sidelines with his offensive line like he's used to. Coach Norvell will continue calling plays as he did last year but the O-line will now meet with Gabe Fertitta, a senior offensive analyst who is entering his third year in Tallahassee.

Whether anything looks amiss with the front five will be one of the biggest things to watch out for. It's a deep and experienced unit with eight different players having legitimate starting experience. They have to stay healthy and stay connected, especially early on.

The run game was disappointing last year because of different issues along the offensive line, but a lot of Norvell's signature counter-pulls were never run correctly. For as good as the 2023 team was, they only finished 47th in yards per carry despite a loaded running back room. Linemen would run into each other or let a free runner through. I expect that to be fixed this season.

Reloaded Defense

Florida State lost seven names to the NFL this offseason on defense, yet this should still be one of the best units in the country, especially on the front line. The edge-rushing trio of Marvin Jones Jr., Patrick Payton, and Sione Lolohea will cause terrors for offensive tackles while Joshua Farmer and Darrell Jackson are two of the most athletically interior defensive linemen around.

Replacing Kalen DeLoach and Tatum Bethune at linebacker is no easy task but DJ Lundy is up for the challenge. The big question is who can consistently play alongside him. Blake Nichelson and Auburn transfer Cam Riley are listed as co-starters and their playing time will likely vary on opponent, but Riley's run-stopping ability will be needed in this first game against Georgia Tech.

As good as the front four is, FSU's cornerback duo of Fentrell Cypress and Azareye'h Thomas has the chance to be the best in the country. They've been locking receivers down all offseason and will have a tough task ahead of them against Eric Singleton and Malik Rutherford. Shyheim Brown returns to anchor the safety position while veteran Davonte Brown will play a more natural position at safety compared to playing cornerback for Miami last year. This should be a really good defense once again.

Burning Questions

Can Florida State Keep Georgia Tech's Run Game Minimized and Force Haynes King to Throw?

As someone who admittedly didn't watch every Georgia Tech game last year, I was shocked to look at Haynes King's stats to see over 700 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. He had 150 total rushing yards in three seasons at Texas A&M but GT unlocked that skill for him and it was huge for them down the stretch of the season. Pair him with his law firm running back, Jamal Haynes, and the Yellow Jackets have a dynamic running duo.

In games King ran for fewer than 60 yards GT was 3-5, with the three wins coming against Miami (a game they would've lost if Cristobal wasn't a moron), a bad Wake Forest team, and South Carolina State. They were also 0-5 when he attempted more than 30 passes. This is a team that wants to run the ball and Florida State will be tasked with stopping it and forcing him to throw on a vaunted secondary.

Will Georgia Tech's Run Defense Be Improved?

Georgia Tech's run defense was horrific last season, allowing 221 yards per game and 5.4 yards per carry, both among the five worst in college football last season, even allowing 2.6 yards before contact. They made some changes this offseason, bringing in defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci from Duke, who had a great defense last year, but that unit was mainly led by Mike Elko. They also had more talent up front than GT.

To fill in some of that talent, they've added Tyler van den Burg from Penn State and Thomas Gore from Miami, but I'm not sure they'll be enough. Van den Burg has a career missed tackle rate of nearly 30% and Gore was washed out in Miami's bigger games last year, having his best games against Bethune-Cookman, Boston College, and Temple. He was dynamite for Georgia State early in his career and will be needed for Tech.

If they can't step up, Florida State's incredible running back room should be running free. Norvell has a plethora of options at his disposal who can carry the rock and their offensive line should be improved from a year ago.

Who Steps Up For FSU At Wide Receiver?

Malik Benson has had an outstanding offseason for Florida State by all accounts. Outside of him, it's looking bleak. This group is talented but has been marred by inconsistency throughout the offseason. Jalen Brown, a speedy LSU transfer, and Ja'Khi Douglas are listed as starters on the depth chart but this is a group that will see constant rotation until someone steps up.

Fans have been clamoring for former five-star Hykeem Williams who has yet to stand out from the rest. Veterans Kentron Poitier and Darion Williamson have been around the block and hope they can stay healthy. Young freshmen like Elijah Moore and Lawayne McCoy have all the talent in the world and hope they can see playing time but Norvell tends to rely on more experienced options. Then there's Duece Spann, who I think I've given up hope on.

There is talent in this room but someone has to prove it. Even if this is a run-heavy offense as expected, players out wide need to make an impact at some point.

Game Forecast

Florida State is currently favored by 10.5 with an over/under of 55.5, according to FanDuel.

It's a Week Zero game in a different country. Wacky things are bound to happen. I still think Florida State wins this game while relying on the defense and special teams to pick up the slack. The offense may take time to get going but as long as they control the ball on the ground they should come away with the win. I'm curious to see if FSU's front four is as dominant as it looks on paper and if they are, things maybe get out of hand.

I'll take a 'Noles opening week win with a sneaky Yellow Jackets cover.

Florida State 31, Georgia Tech 23

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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