Charleston Southern at FSU: Gameday Primer

No. 3 Florida State plays its first game in front of the home crowd at a revamped Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday against Charleston Southern at 12:30 p.m. on the Raycom Sports Network.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Deondre Francois looks to build off a sensational first start as he accounted for nearly 480 total yards and two touchdown passes while running back Dalvin Cook looks to have a better day for the Seminoles on the ground after being held to fewer than four yards per carry in Monday’s 45-34 win over Ole Miss. The FSU defense is led by senior defensive end DeMarcus Walker, who leads the nation with 4.5 sacks.

Despite being a top-10 team in the FCS, things look bleak for Charleston Southern. The Buccaneers are not only at a huge disadvantage when it comes to talent, but they’ll be without a large chunk of their scholarship players. Players took to social media Thursday night to explain that they were punished by the NCAA for using excess textbook money to buy other school supplies.

Quick Hits

• Florida State is 6-0 in home openers under head coach Jimbo Fisher. The average margin of victory in those openers is 46 points. Three of those have come against FCS schools.
• FSU is 7-0 against FCS opponents under head coach Jimbo Fisher. The last contest came against Chattanooga last season where the Seminoles won 52-13. The closest of those seven victories is a 37-12 victory over The Citadel in 2014.
• Florida State comes into the game riding the nation’s longest home winning streak at 21 games. The last loss at Doak Campbell Stadium came to rival Florida to conclude the 2012 regular season, 37-26.
• Florida State will look to start 2-0 for the sixth straight season. The last time the Seminoles failed to do so was in 2010 when FSU lost to Oklahoma in Week 2, 47-17.
• Florida State hasn’t lost to a current FCS school since falling to William & Mary in 1959.

Good Times, Bad Times

All-time Series: Florida State leads 1-0.
Good Times: There are no bad times in this series. The Seminoles won the only meeting between the teams, beating the Buccaneers 62-10 in 2011. Six different FSU players scored touchdowns in that victory.

For Your Reading Pleasure

Here are all the TDN articles leading up to Florida State’s home opener against Charleston Southern. Enjoy:

FSU Football: A First Look at Charleston Southern
Preview: Florida State Opens Up Renovated Stadium Against Charleston Southern
FSU Football: Five Players Who Should Make a Bigger Impact This Week
Staff Predictions for FSU-Charleston Southern

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