The Daily Nole

FSU-Florida: Five Things to Watch

wlpearce.com/FSU athletics

Florida State will wrap up the 2016 regular season on Saturday against its fiercest rival, No. 15 Florida. The 14th-ranked Seminoles hope to win to keep their hopes for a 10-win season alive after three straight victories over N.C. State, Boston College and Syracuse.

At 8-3, FSU is coming off a 45-14 win at Syracuse. The 8-2 Gators clinched a spot in the SEC Championship last week with a 16-10 win at LSU. Florida will look to halt a 3-game losing streak to rival Florida State on Saturday. The Seminoles won in Gainesville last season by a score of 27-2. With a win on Saturday, FSU’s senior class would become the first to go a combined 8-0 against Miami and Florida.

Before the big game kicks off on Saturday, here are five things to watch for:

1. Quarterback Play
The match-up under center will feature a senior in Florida’s Austin Appleby and a redshirt freshman in Florida State’s Deondre Francois. The quarterback position however, looks to be one where FSU has the decided edge. Francois however, will be facing a very good secondary, headlined by cornerbacks Jalen Tabor and Quincy Wilson. Turnovers for the redshirt freshman have been few and far between this season and for FSU to have a good chance to win on Saturday night, it will need to stay that way.

Appleby, a senior transfer from Purdue, has been an upgrade over Luke Del Rio, but still less than stellar. Aside from a 98-yard touchdown pass last week against LSU, Appleby was just 6-for-16 passing for 46 yards and an interception. The Seminoles haven’t been as good on defense this year as LSU, but have improved in recent weeks and have the nation’s leader in interceptions in sophomore cornerback Tarvarus McFadden. If FSU can force Appleby into some bad decisions and avoid blown coverages, it could run away with this one.

2. Running Backs
Though the offensive styles of each team is a bit different, both Florida and Florida State will look to get the ground game going early and often on Saturday. The headliner of course, is FSU junior Dalvin Cook, who happens to be the school’s all-time leading rusher. Cook has nearly 1,500 yards on the ground this season and 17 touchdowns. Once a Florida commitment, Cook has 327 yards rushing on 50 carries in two prior games against the Gators.

On the other side, Jordan Scarlett is the workhorse for Florida. Scarlett hasn’t put up Cook-type numbers, but the 215-pound sophomore leads the team with 725 yards rushing and six touchdowns. Getting Scarlett going would take pressure off Appleby and keep the Gators out of long third downs.

3. The Battle in the Trenches
Winning at the point of attack will be key on Saturday and on each side of the ball, the defenses look to have the advantage. Although Florida is banged up, the Gators have been very good up front defensively with Caleb Brantley anchoring the middle. For FSU, the offensive line has been lackluster for the most part this season and could be playing a seventh different starting lineup on Saturday.

On the defensive side of the ball, Florida State’s front four is deep and tenacious. Senior end DeMarcus Walker leads a unit that tops the country with 41 sacks while defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi has been a man possessed in recent weeks. The Florida offensive line is very young with three sophomores and one freshman who starts. To make matters worse, the Gators could be without starting guard Martez Ivey on Saturday.

4. Linebackers
The corps of linebackers has been Florida State’s thinnest position all season, but entering Saturday, the Seminoles look to be in better shape than their rivals. Both Jarrad Davis and Alex Anzalone will miss Saturday’s game for Florida, leaving that contingent to be anchored by freshman David Reese. In recent weeks, Ro’Derrick Hoskins, Matthew Thomas ans true freshman Dontavious Jackson have really played well for FSU. It would have been crazy to think about weeks ago, but linebacker is a position where FSU looks to have the edge on Saturday.

5. Special Teams
If there is one area where Florida has a distinct advantage over FSU, it might be special teams. Kicker Eddy Pineiro and punter Johnny Townsend are upgrades over the Seminoles’ combination of Ricky Aguayo and Logan Tyler. FSU has also been dreadful when it comes to covering punts and Florida’s Antonio Callaway is a dangerous return man who could make a big difference in this one.

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply