The Daily Nole

FSU Football: Defense’s Progress to be Tested Against Clemson

Jeremy Esbrandt/FSU athletics

To say that Florida State has improved defensively over its last two games would be a tremendous understatement. After allowing its first four opponents to score better than six touchdowns per game, the Seminoles have largely held Miami and Wake Forest in check.

Over the last two games, FSU has held each of its opponents to fewer than 20 points, fewer than 300 yards and fewer than 2.5 yards per rush. The two teams have also combined to average slightly more than six yards per pass attempt, which is about a yard and a half below the national median.

Whether the change is mostly attributed to a players’ fulfilled promises to ramp up effort, a scheme change that implemented more man-to-man coverage and blitzes or improved communication, the difference has been night and day. Whether the Seminoles can sustain that level of progress will certainly be tested this week against No. 3 Clemson.

That’s because the Tigers have the same traits as the types of offenses that have given FSU fits so far this season: Talented corps of skill players? Check. A tendency to go uptempo? Check. A talented, mobile quarterback? Double check.

Led by quarterback Deshaun Watson, the Tigers enter Saturday’s contest ranked 35th in total offense, 17th in passing offense and 26th in scoring offense. Those numbers might not jump off the charts, but they’re still really good, especially if you consider that each of the six FBS defenses that Clemson has faced ranks in the top 45 nationally.

Five of the six rank in the top 30, three are in the top 20 and two rank in the top 10. Statistically, Florida State ranks just 55th in total defense, making the Seminoles the worst FBS defense the Tigers have seen this season.

With defensive coordinator Charles Kelly under fire, the defense for FSU has shown immense improvement in recent weeks. The solid effort against Miami however, was against a team that likely came in with inflated numbers due to a weak early schedule. From Florida State on, the Hurricanes have averaged less than 335 total yards and just 16 points as opposed to 474 yards and 47 points in the four games before.

Wake Forest has been one of the nation’s worst offenses all season long, ranking just 120th in total yards. Neither of those teams really pushed the tempo either. That’s something FSU had struggled against for the early parts of the year, often weakening the FSU pass rush and leading to breakdowns in the secondary.

Over the first four games against FBS teams, it didn’t take long for opponents to exploit FSU’s weaknesses, averaging nearly 25 points in the first half. With third-ranked Clemson coming to town, it won’t be long before we know whether FSU’s improvement on defense was legitimate or simply a facade that comes with playing weaker offenses. If it’s the latter, the Tigers will notice and they’ll probably notice pretty quick.

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

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