Opinion: Florida State Football is Trending Upwards
With UCF not playing until Sep. 1 against South Carolina State, it’s a good time to bring to light a few thoughts about Florida State’s resounding win over Duquesne and why I feel it’s a good sign for the Noles, as well as the three other major programs in the state of Florida.
Going ahead and say it. The Seminoles played Duquesne! Who cares!
Okay. That’s fine. That’s a team that is overmatched. Well, that’s what people believed about many Florida State opponents during the past five seasons. That does not mean the Noles ran over them. That’s what makes Saturday’s whitewashing of Duquesne considerably different, and on both sides of the football.
Here’s my take on Florida State, particularly the offense, and why it matters moving forward.
FSU rushed for a whopping 406 yards and six touchdowns. Perhaps most importantly, it was an array of runners making plays. Three running backs – Treshaun Ward, Trey Benson, and Lawrence Toafili – all surpassed the century mark on the ground.
That does not even take into account that quarterback Jordan Travis, a natural runner himself, only carried four times for 11 yards. If FSU can run the football that well without Travis being a primary ball carrier, that means there’s also five other players doing a much better job than during recent seasons.
That would be Florida State’s offensive linemen. Regardless of opponent, running for 406 yards and doing so without a big-time runner like Travis shows that the Noles are more fundamentally sound. That’s been an albatross for half a decade. The passing game improved as well.
Travis went 11 of 15 for 207 yards. His efficiency makes FSU a difficult offense to slow down, and his efforts are obviously bolstered by the ground game; it’s the classic situation of the rushing attack playing off the passing attack. A few additional points about Florida State’s offense.
*33 total first downs.
*Five of 10 on third downs.
*Travis averaged 13.8 yards per pass.
*FSU held the football for 35:13, controlling the clock and the game.
On defense, Florida State held an opponent to a total of seven points. Any way you slice it, that’s a good start to the season. A few statistical points about FSU’s defense:
*Only one sack, but Duquesne only passed for 71 total yards.
*Held Duquesne to 93 yards rushing.
*Six different Seminoles recorded at least a half-tackle for loss.
*No player recorded more than four total tackles, as the Noles rotated players in and out of the lineup quite often.
*Duquesne was held to one of ten on third down conversions.
Beyond my own opinion of what impressed me about Head Coach Mike Norvell and Florida State, I asked Fan Nation NoleGameday writer Dustin Lewis which players impressed him. He was hard pressed to come up with just three as I originally intended.
“Jordan Travis. Treshaun Ward or Trey Benson or Lawrance Toafili. Jared Verse or Jammie Robinson for defense.”
That’s a quarterback, three running backs, a defensive end, and a safety. FSU’s efforts were widespread and they will need similar efforts moving forward.
Can the Noles keep it going against a talented LSU team that’s underachieved each of the last two seasons when they meet next weekend in New Orleans? If FSU wins, that would be an even more clear sign that it will make noise this season and the program is trending in the proper direction.
Projected UCF Offensive Depth Chart: South Carolina State
Projected UCF Defensive Depth Chart: South Carolina State
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