Florida State’s disappointing 2017 season has a chance to end on a high note on Wednesday as the Seminoles take on Southern Mississippi in the Walk-On’s Independence Bowl. At 6-6, FSU will look to notch a 41st straight winning season.
At 8-4, Southern Mississippi looks to get to nine wins and defeat an ACC team for the first time since 2011. Before things kick off in Shreveport on Wednesday, here are five things to watch:
1. James Blackman
It’s been an up-and-down 2017 for Florida State freshman quarterback James Blackman. Although a handful of drops have not helped in recent weeks, Blackman seems to be finally coming into his own. Blackman will be facing a good Southern Mississippi defense led by cornerback Curtis Mikell and leading tackler and interceptor, safety Tarvarius Moore. The last true freshman quarterback to start a bowl game was Chip Ferguson in the 1985 Gator Bowl.
2. Running Backs
The talent in the backfield on Wednesday will be plenty as both teams are very good at the running back position. For Southern Miss, Ito Smith has been the guy to watch all season long. Smith, a 5-foot-9, 195-pound workhorse, has nearly 1,700 yards from scrimmage this season, including 1,321 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground. Smith is averaging 5.7 yards per carry, has eclipsed the 100-yard mark seven times and has scored a touchdown in 10 of the Golden Eagles’ 12 games.
The FSU duo of Jacques Patrick and Cam Akers is coming off a contest against Louisiana-Monroe in which each eclipsed the 100-yard mark. Patrick, a junior, is more of a power back, but is among the ACC leaders at 5.8 yards per carry this season. Akers, a freshman, has become the go-to guy down the stretch of the year. He’s just 79 yards shy of breaking Dalvin Cook’s school freshman rushing record.
3. Korey Robertson
Aside from Smith, the other name to know for Southern Miss is junior receiver Korey Robertson. Robertson, a 6-1, 210-pound target, leads the team with 72 catches for 1,070 yards and 11 touchdowns. Robertson is more of a possession receiver, but has six catches of at least 40 yards, including a season-long 70-yard reception against Tennessee. Robertson should be a tough match-up for a talented slew of FSU cornerbacks.
4. Southern Miss Offensive Line vs. FSU Defensive Line
Led by center Devin Farrior, Southern Mississippi owns a very good offensive line. The Golden Eagles are averaging 4.8 yards per carry and have allowed just 14 sacks on the season. Against Power 5 competition however, Southern Miss is averaging just 2.2 yards per carry and has given up eight sacks in just two games.
That group, which starts two seniors, two sophomores and a redshirt freshman should have their hands full with a good FSU defensive front that won’t have junior defensive end Josh Sweat. With Sweat out, expect a lot of reps from sophomore Brian Burns and freshman Joshua Kaindoh, who both were outstanding over the final month of the season. To get Smith established as it was unable to do against Kentucky and Tennessee, Southern Mississippi must find a way to get defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi blocked.
5. Non-Offensive Touchdowns
Florida State and Southern Mississippi have both found ways to score when not on offense this season and that could be a big factor for Wednesday’s Independence Bowl. Southern Mississippi scored four defensive touchdowns this season, including two interception returns for touchdowns by Kelsey Douglas. FSU has scored five non-offensive touchdowns this season with four coming over the final three games.
Two of those players to score for the Seminoles — linebacker Matthew Thomas and safety Derwin James — will not be in the lineup on Wednesday. In bowl games since 2005, FSU has either scored or given up a non-offensive touchdown 10 times. The most recent was last season as Michigan linebacker Mike McCray returned a Deondre Francois interception 14 yards for a touchdown in a 33-32 Orange Bowl win for FSU.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
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