Three Key Matchups For FSU Football's Friday Contest vs. The Duke Blue Devils

This will be the first true road test for the Seminoles with Brock Glenn as the starting quarterback.

Oct 5, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Ja'Khi Douglas (0) celebrates with quarterback Brock Glenn (11) after a touchdown against the Clemson Tigers during the second half at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images / Melina Myers-Imagn Images

The Florida State Seminoles will face off against the Duke Blue Devils in Durham, North Carolina, on Friday at 7 ET on ESPN2. FSU will look to bounce back after its somewhat hope-inspiring performance against the Clemson Tigers in Tallahassee on Oct. 5. Redshirt freshman Brock Glenn made his first regular-season start and showed promise, going 23/41 (with a decent amount of drops in there), two touchdowns, and one interception.

READ MORE: Florida State Releases Depth Chart For Friday Night Game At Duke

Florida State and Duke have met each other 21 times in the regular season and once in the ACC Championship Game. FSU has never lost to the Blue Devils on the gridiron.

Duke comes into this game with a 5-1 record with wins over Northwestern in overtime and a one-point win over North Carolina at the end of September. Their one loss comes from Georgia Tech, a 24-14 defeat on the road.

Many fans will be glued to their screens or making the trip to Durham this weekend to see their Seminoles in action, but if you’re looking for the pivotal matchups – the game within the game on Friday – NoleGameday has you covered.

1. Florida State Run Defense vs. Duke Rushing Attack

Surprise! For the first time all season, FSU is facing a team with a ground game outside the top 75. As we’ve mentioned almost every week, this has been a steady key matchup for FSU as they tend to give up a lot of yards on the ground. In the three games they’ve given up more than 200 yards rushing, they lost by at least two scores. In the three games they haven’t, they kept it within one score or won the game outright.

Duke is not only outside the top 75, but actually has a worse-ranking rushing offense (111th) than Florida State has a rushing defense (109th). FSU does give up a decent amount yards more per game on the ground (182.3) than Duke averages (112.8), but the ’Noles have faced significantly better rushing attacks than Duke thus far.

This matchup could finally yield some positive momentum for the ground defense for the Seminoles in quite some time.

2. Third Down Conversions

Both the Florida State and Duke offenses are abhorrent on third downs. In fact, they are ranked 127th and 128th in the country, respectively, in this aspect. Percentage-wise, FSU converts .289 of their third downs, while Duke sits at .288.

However, the stark difference is on defense. Duke is ranked 11th in the country in stopping third downs (.293), while FSU is 117th (.460). These numbers should indicate that Duke will be – especially at home – able to take advantage of Florida State’s inadequacies on offense when it comes to the money down.

3. Brock Glenn vs. Road Game Environment

We at NoleGameday do not wish to offend the great people of Durham or the fans of Duke University, but if you’re attempting to trot out your redshirt freshman QB to make the first true road game start of his career, then Duke is one of the best options in the Power Four. Coming in at a capacity of 35,018, Wallace Wade Stadium will probably be one of the most tame environments the ’Noles will face on the road all season. That doesn’t mean the students don’t get rowdy. We’ve seen the footage at Cameron Indoor Stadium. But the numbers simply aren’t there.

But Brock Glenn, like all of us, is human.

In the three games he has started at Florida State, at least half of the stadium has been cheering for him as he steps out on the field. This is the first time he will feel almost an entire crowd rooting for his demise, his failure. It’s different, psychologically.

It will certainly be interesting to see how he and the rest of the Seminoles play on Friday, as they have just one more allowable hiccup before they are bowl-ineligible.

---

READ MORE: Florida State Begins Second Half Of Season As Road Underdog At Duke

Stick with NoleGameday for more FREE coverage of Florida State Football Throughout the 2024 Season

Follow NoleGameday on and Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok

More Florida State News

•  Adam Fuller Takes Full Responsibility for FSU's Defensive Struggles

• FSU Football Drops Out Of Top 50 In ESPN SP+ Rankings

• FSU Football's Mike Norvell Recaps Brock Glenn's Performance Against Clemson

•  Florida State's Alex Atkins Discusses Offensive Ineptitude