Battle-Tested Francois Can Make Plays to Beat Michigan

Looking back to the beginning of the season, Florida State had yet another quarterback battle. Not only did redshirt freshman Deondre Francois beat out senior quarterback Sean Maguire, but Francois managed to run away with the job, leaving no doubt in Florida State fans’ minds that head coach Jimbo Fisher made the right decision when he gave the Orlando native the keys to his complex pro-style offense.

With a freshman under center, mistakes are inevitable. It is how Francois has reacted to past mistakes that has proven how special his freshman campaign has been.

Besides the Louisville beat-down, where the entire team looked like freshmen, Francois has avoided that “freshman game” which often haunts young quarterbacks. Against Louisville, Clemson, Boston College, and Florida, four teams with top 11 defenses Francois has thrown for 708 yards and six touchdowns. In those games, Francois was intercepted just twice on 103 passing attempts and added a rushing touchdown.

Hurled right into the action, Francois got his first taste as a starting quarterback at the college level against then No. 11 Ole Miss on a Labor Day night prime time game in Orlando. The 6-2 signal-caller threw for 419 yards and two touchdowns, not only leading the Seminoles from behind in the second half, but also completing the largest comeback victory in school history.

Skipping the debacle that was the Louisville game, Florida State dropped a heartbreaking loss at the hands of North Carolina. Although the Tar heels jumped on Florida State early, Francois tried his hand yet again at stringing together another second-half comeback. While UNC ended up winning 37-35 on a last second field goal, Francois threw for 372 yards, completing 63 percent of his passes — not to mention a Houdini-esque scramble for a touchdown in the final minutes that gave FSU the lead.

Raleigh, North Carolina has been a nightmare for Florida State. The Seminoles had dropped three of their last five visits when traveling to play N.C. State. The Noles trailed the entire game, but with just under four minutes remaining, Francois and Travis Rudolph connected on a 19-yard touchdown and what would eventually be the game-winner.

Francois has been tested often in his first season under center. The 19-year-old dual-threat quarterback has been put in positions where Florida State leaned on him to deliver, and he has answered the call on numerous occasions.

Still, the Noles’ offense greatest test still awaits them. On Dec. 30, they are set to play the No.1 defense in the country in the Capital One Orange Bowl. That of course, is sixth-ranked Michigan

Although Michigan’s first priority will be stopping Dalvin Cook, its second goal will be to make Francois look like the first-year quarterback that he is.

For the sake of the story, let’s assume Michigan does in fact shut Cook down, can Deondre Francois produce without a run game? The short answer is, yes.

The Wolverines have allowed just nine touchdowns through the air, and on average, give up just 135 yards passing per game.

Francois has thrown for more than 135 yards in every game except for that Sept. 17 contest at Louisville that just refuses to go away. Averaging 8.4 yards per attempt, Francois has thrown for two or more touchdowns in five games.

Michigan has only allowed one multi-touchdown game through the air, against Colorado’s Sefu LiuFau, who threw for three touchdowns in the third game of the year. Opposing offenses have only thrown for six touchdown passes following the Sept. 17 contest against Colorado that the Wolverines won, 45-28.

Francois has thrown just six interceptions in his freshman campaign — a number that will be put to the test when he battles a Wolverines’ secondary that is full of experience.

Jabrill Peppers is the big name on the Michigan defense, but Francois’ biggest concern should be the senior corner combo of Jourdan Lewis and Channing Stribling. The two have combined to break up 22 passes and come away with six of the team’s 12 interceptions.

Lewis will likely spend his time on FSU senior receiver Kermit Whitfield, while Stribling, with more size, will likely be tasked with covering Travis Rudolph. Shutting down those two Florida State receivers will open the door for Nyqwan Murray and the big end-zone threat Auden Tate to put the next stamp on successful sophomore seasons.

In the Ole Miss victory to open the year, the Rebels did what Michigan will attempt to repeat — controlling the FSU run game. Cook picked up 91 yards on the ground, but was most explosive catching the ball. Cook had 101 yards on seven catches, adding yet another element to his game.

Obviously, there are many more factors other than Deondre Francois and Dalvin Cook.

There is an offensive line that has struggled all season, wide receivers that have to create separation against good cover corners — all while avoided those drive-stalling penalties. Yet, if Francois shows up in the Orange Bowl prepared for a fast and physical defense, this battle-tested freshman can make the plays that Florida State needs to come out of Miami with a bowl victory.