Florida State vs. Southern Miss: Three Key Matchups For The Home Opener

Florida State is a large favorite over Southern Miss ahead of Week 2. What key matchups could help the Seminoles win big?

Kade Kimble | Sep 6, 2023

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The Florida State Seminoles opened up their college football season with an outstanding 45-24 win over the LSU Tigers. The win gave plenty of insight as to where the Seminoles are as a team.

Florida State was building hype all offseason. The positive transfers, which showed their impact in Week 1, getting hot on their recruiting trail in July and, now, a huge, top-ten win all have the Seminoles under the national spotlight.

Now, the No. 4 ranked team in the nation in the Seminoles will host the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. The Golden Eagles took care of Alcorn State handily in Week 1 themselves, but provide a lopsided matchup for the Seminoles.

It's hard to imagine a world where Southern Miss marches into Tallahassee and dethrones Florida State, but crazier things have happened in college football.

Here are three key matchups for Florida State's Week 2 matchup.

1. Jordan Travis vs. Southern Miss Defense

While the Golden Eagles' defense isn't going to pose much of an issue for Travis and the Seminoles, this could be a huge momentum-building game for the quarterback.

There's a chance Travis can make a run to win the Heisman this season, and games like this prove a golden opportunity to beef up his stats while building momentum for future weeks.

Last week, Alcorn State threw the ball against Southern Miss 14 times, completing just four passes. This week, they're facing a much more elite talent, and Travis will both be able to throw and run all over the Golden Eagle's defense.

2. Florida State Pass Rush vs. Southern Miss Offense Line

Jared Verse is a top pass-rusher in the entire nation, and he's facing a Southern Miss offensive line that offered up four sacks against an inferior opponent last week.

Verse isn't the only force on the defense line, either. Florida State picked up four sacks against LSU, playing against Jayden Daniels who is incredible on his feet.

Southern Miss had a solid spread of 38 rushing attempts and 31 passing attempts last week. Florida State's rush game will bother both aspects of the opposition's offense, making this game feel even more dominating by the Seminoles.

3. Trey Benson vs. Southern Miss Run Defense

Benson received 12 touches for Florida State against LSU. The team ran the ball 34 different times, and will heavily utilize Benson, Lawrance Toafili, and Rodney Hill out of the backfield.

Benson is one of the premier running backs in college football, and getting him going early this season will be huge and will only benefit the Seminoles' multiple running back approach.

Alcorn State lived with the round game against Southern Miss. They rushed the ball 29 times for 182 yards. Florida State will be able to attack the same aspect of the game, and as the team that's going to dominate, they'll be running the ball plenty.

Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State football throughout the 2023 season.

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Published Sep 6, 2023

KADE KIMBLE

Kade has been covering a wide variety of teams ranging from the NFL to the NBA and college athletics since joining Sports Illustrated's FanNation in 2022.