The Florida State spring game ended with a 17-7 Gold victory over the Garnet on Saturday. It was a defensive struggle for much of the contest, as an early Jacques Patrick rushing touchdown proved to be the difference in the end.

Observations

• Francois’ offensive line for Gold team was giving him enough time to throw. His receivers were not getting any separation however, so the Gold offense was unable to get anything going early on through the air. On the ground was a different story.
• J.J. Cosentino should not see the field this year barring injury. He is simply not an FBS quarterback.
• Jacques Patrick looks faster. He also appeared much more fluid with his feet at the line of scrimmage and more willing to bounce it outside.
• Garnet’s line was doing no favors for Ryan Green and Cosentino. They were getting pressured in the backfield on nearly every play.
• Derwin James is going to be something fierce when he’s called to blitz this year. He looked fantastic in the on Saturday when called to do so with blazing speed and the ability to sniff out where a play is heading.
• Francois did not complete a pass until the second quarter. It was around this time that Da’Vante Phillips began to be a problem for the Garnet defense. Phillips was deadly on the slants, showed a lot of burst and at times, good hands.
• Good news for Seminoles fans: Cam Akers looked every bit as advertised. His strength and quickness have successfully carried over to the college game. Akers was especially shifty and had impressive acceleration with the ball in his hands.
• The Gold offensive line declined pretty heavily after the first quarter. Garnet’s defensive interior of Demarcus Christmas and Cedric Wood started to really bully them and threw off much of their game plan.
• By the end of the first half it was 7-0. While the defenses were certainly a part of that, the offenses were fairly inept as far as most things go. Each offensive line had its moments, but the receivers on either team were really struggling to get open against the secondaries.
• Here’s the conundrum when it comes to the defensive end situation: expect this upcoming season to show a lot of depth at the position. Janarius Robinson, Brian Burns, Josh Sweat, Keith Bryant, and even Josh Kaindoh are all going to get significant snaps. But it still remains a question of who is going to become the consistent pass rusher that DeMarcus Walker was. Burns seems to be the obvious choice and in the game on Saturday, he was showing off a lot more moves than he had last season.
• This might be the most talented secondary since the 2013 team. While that should have been true last year, the injury to James threw off much of those expectations. If he remains healthy this year, teams will struggle to pass.
• The running back situation is fine for the Seminoles — great, even. The receivers are what might be a worry if anyone needs to miss time with injury. They really were lackluster off the line on Saturday.
• Bailey Hockman looked more mobile than anticipated. He also appeared to be more in control of the offense than Cosentino before him. Few would be surprised if he locked up the No. 2 spot by the beginning of the season.

Notable Numbers

Cam Akers (RB): 10 rushes, 87 yards, 2 receptions, 15 yards

Deondre Francois (QB): 13-for-28, 133 passing yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception

Da’Vante Phillips (WR): 5 receptions, 45 yards

Derwin James (DB): 7 total tackles, 2 sacks, 3 tackles for loss

Brian Burns (DE): 4 total tackles, 3 sacks, 3 tackles for loss