Notre Dame at Florida State Preview

The Irish and ‘Noles will battle at Doak Campbell Stadium tonight. Here’s a preview of what to look for when Notre Dame invades Tallahassee to take on Florida State.

Brian Smith | Sep 5, 2021

Notre Dame at Florida State Preview /

Will Florida State finally begin to rebuild its once proud football program? Tonight is a chance to show that Florida State Football is headed in the right direction. On the other side of the field, Notre Dame looks to reach the College Football Playoffs once again. The Irish lost many talented players to the NFL, but still brought a very good roster to Tallahassee.

There are some trends and positions to watch. It’s potentially a game with two starting quarterbacks that came to each school by way of the transfer portal. Let’s take a look at each team, beginning with Florida State.

What to Know: Florida State

The Seminoles were an up and down team in 2020, and it was Head Coach Mike Norvell’s first season as the head man. In year two, more will be expected after a disappointing 3-6 mark last season. There are many transfers that came to Tallahassee, and the key transfer may be a quarterback.

Look for the ‘Noles to start either Jordan Travis or McKenzie Milton. Milton came to Florida State after a good career for UCF, but a serious leg injury cost him the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

A player with the ability to improvise and make plays inside or outside the pocket, Milton’s ability to be accurate with the football make him an attractive option for Coach Norvell. Is he ready for action against a quality front seven like Notre Dame?

Milton will be competing with Travis for playing time, and both could play against the Irish. Travis is more of a runner, but he does possess a strong arm. Perhaps there will be a package for both players in tonight’s matchup. Here are the stats for Travis from last season:

Passing: 72 of 131 for 1,056 yards, six touchdowns and six interceptions. Travis averaged 8.1 yards per passing attempt.

Rushing: 97 attempts for 559 yards and seven touchdowns. Travis averaged 5.8 yards per rush.

Offensive Player that Needs to Receive Touches

Sophomore Lawrance Toafili averaged a tremendous 9.6 yards per carry as a true freshman. He needs to get the ball in space, during option plays, lead draws and any other way the Seminoles coaching staff can place the football in his hands.

Area of Concern

The Seminoles have struggled to field a good offensive line for several years, and that’s a concern coming into tonight’s game. There have been some injuries leading up to the game, and despite all the starters coming back from last season, it could be an issue against an Irish defensive front seven that will likely bring different alignments and blitzes all night long.

Defensive Area to Watch

Florida State’s defensive line lost talent, but there’s also talent returning, plus yet another key transfer. Coming over from South Carolina, Keir Thomas is a really good player. He’s capable of defending the run, and is solid as a pass rusher, too. It’s not the deepest group in the country, but there’s size inside with Robert Cooper (350-pounds?) and quickness with Jermaine Johnson coming off the edge.

What to Know: Notre Dame

Notre Dame Head Coach Brian Kelly also brought in a talented signal caller from the transfer portal. Jack Coan comes to the Irish from Wisconsin. He’s mostly a pocket passer, but Coan can move his feet and slide outside the pocket and make passes as well.

Most importantly, reports out of South Bend are saying Coan had already gained a connection with some of the Irish wide receivers before fall camp concluded, and there’s reason to believe the Irish downfield passing attack will be much better this season. It’s the Notre Dame running game that’s most important to note, however.

Returning for Notre Dame will be redshirt sophomore Kyren Williams. He’s a slasher that leaves everything on the field. Catching the football, blocking, and running, this player is an all-around running back that will one day play in the NFL. He’s the every-down running back, and expect him to see several touches this evening. Here are Williams’ stats from last season:

Rushing: 211 attempts for 1,125 yards and 13 touchdowns. Williams averaged 5.3 yards per rush.

Receiving: 35 receptions for 313 yards and one touchdown. Williams averaged 8.9 yards per reception.

Offensive Player that Needs to Receive Touches

One of the fastest players in all of college football, running back Chris Tyree can score if given just the slightest amount of space. He scored multiple long touchdowns last season, including a 94 yard touchdown versus Syracuse. Watch for him to be more involved with the screen game against Florida State as compared to his freshman campaign.

Chris Tyree (#25) provides elite speed for the Irish :: Matt Cashore/USA Today

Area for Concern

Like Florida State, Notre Dame is probably not where it wants to be with its offensive line. There are some chemistry issues as the Irish replace four starters from last season. Watch out for true freshman left tackle Blake Fisher, however, as he’s the first true freshman to start at left tackle for Notre Dame. He’s a special talent at 6’6”, 335-pounds.

Defensive Area to Watch

The Irish will rotate several talented defensive lineman throughout the evening. The player on the rise would be senior defensive tackle Jayson Ademilola. He’s a penetrating interior defensive lineman that’s had an outstanding summer and fall camp. Combined with athletic defensive ends like Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, Isaiah Foskey and Jordan Botelho among several talented edge defenders, this is potentially a formidable group.

If Florida State struggles to handle the Irish defensive line, it’s going to be a very long night for the Seminoles. This particular area might be the most important matchup of the entire game.

Prediction

Notre Dame will struggle during certain stretches of the game because of its lack of offensive line chemistry. That being said, big plays will rule the day, and Coan should hit a few downfield shots that cause Florida State problems.

Finding out which quarterback is the true No. 1 might be the biggest objective for tonight’s game. Against Notre Dame, there will certainly be challenges for the Seminoles to get points on the board, and it’s difficult to project Florida State consistently moving the football against Notre Dame’s front seven, and that could lead to several third down and long situations. That’s a prime reason why the Irish should come out on top in Tallahassee.