When Florida State finally takes the field against North Carolina State on Sept. 23, it will have been three weeks since the Seminoles last participated in a football game.
Thanks to Hurricane Irma, FSU has had to cancel its home opener against Louisiana-Monroe and postpone the scheduled ACC opener with Miami for Sept. 16 back to Oct. 7. While fans are anxiously awaiting watching their team play again, the extended time off has some positives and some negatives.
Here’s a look at the pros and the cons:
Pros
More practice time for James Blackman
When Florida State returns to the field, it will be breaking in a true freshman quarterback in James Blackman. Blackman didn’t enroll at FSU until June, but three weeks (although practice has been sparse) with the starting offense will allow him some extra time to get in sync with his supporting cast. Blackman became the team’s starter when Deondre Francois went down with a season-ending knee injury in a 24-7 loss to Alabama to open the season.
Time to heal
The Seminoles weren’t overly beat up coming into the opener in Atlanta against Alabama, but key secondary members like Carlos Becker and Nate Andrews did miss the contest. With three weeks off, those guys should have time to get back in the lineup. It will also give the opportunity to heal for several other guys fighting nagging injuries.
Little game film
For opposing teams scouting Florida State, they’ll have just one week of game film from this season to look at. That, of course, would be from the Sept. 2 contest against Alabama. When facing an elite team like the Crimson Tide however, it’s hard to capture the entire scope of what FSU brings to the table.
Cons
Less game experience
When Florida State takes the field against N.C. State on Sept. 23, it will have played just one game compared to the Wolfpack’s three. While N.C. State will have had more game experience and time to correct its wrongs, FSU could come out with plenty of rust and a lack of cohesiveness having not gone through the contests outside of Alabama.
Lack of momentum, routine
Having not played in three weeks, Florida State has faced a new challenge. Throughout the course of a season, teams get accustomed to being on a regiment or schedule, but that leaves without playing. After losing the opener, FSU will also have to wait three weeks to try and get that bad taste out of its mouth.
No mid-season bye week
After two straight weeks off, Florida State will be forced to play 10 weeks in a row. FSU’s bye week was originally scheduled for Oct. 7, which would have come a week after its fifth game against Wake Forest. That would have served as a nice mid-season breather and a chance to nurse some nagging injuries. From Sept. 23 on, the Seminoles will be in action every week.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
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