The Daily Nole

FSU Football: First Look at Florida

Mike Ewan/FSU athletics

Florida State football received a jolt of momentum with a win over the No. 20 Boston College Eagles on Saturday afternoon. Despite an unfavorable match-up against a relatively healthy Boston College team, the Seminoles pulled out a thrilling 22-21 victory and may have saved their season. If nothing else, they let the bowl streak live another week.

Now they must prepare for what might be the biggest FSU-Florida game of the past decade. Florida has lost five straight to the Seminoles and is itching to break out of the funk of the Will Muschamp/Jim McElwain years. Florida State is hoping to extend the bowl streak and finish the year with wins over two ranked opponents. There is a lot on the line for both squads.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Gators? We examine below.

2018 Record: 8-3 (5-3 SEC)
2018 S&P Offensive Ranking: 31st
2018 S&P Defensive Ranking: 29th
2018 S&P Special Teams Ranking: 10th

On Offense

Thanks to the coaching of Dan Mullen, the Gators have rebounded this year on offense. They still have some glaring limitations but overall they can give the team a chance to win.

Most threatening is the rushing attack. The offensive line has suffered very few injuries and has been able to open up some running lanes for its option attack. Jordan Scarlett, Lamical Perine, and Dameon Pierce all average above five yards per carry, with Scarlett leading the way at 629 yards and three touchdowns. Kadarius Toney is another do-everything option who averages more than 11 yards per carry, but he is used less.

The Gators’ passing game goes as far as Feleipe Franks will take them. Which is to say, not too far. His numbers look respectable at first glance: 20 touchdowns, six interceptions, and just over 2,000 yards on 58 percent completions. But eight of his passing touchdowns came against Charleston Southern and Idaho. Remove those two games and he looks a lot more like the Franks of 2017. His games against Georgia and Missouri were especially worrying for Florida, as he completed around 50 percent of his attempts and combined for less than 200 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

It still has a talented receiving corps that could cause trouble. Ole Miss transfer Van Jefferson is the leading option at 37 receptions for 347 yards and five touchdowns. Behind him is five receivers within 100 yards of each other: Josh Hammond, Freddie Swain, Trevon Grimes, Kadarius Toney, and Tyrie Cleveland. Suffice to say, the Gators like to spread the ball out. Swain is their primary deep threat, while the others are more short-range or intermediate options.

On Defense

Todd Grantham has surprised a lot of people with his defense’s performance this year. Despite the lack of talent at key positions, the Gators have risen to a top-40 unit.

That is mainly off the backs of their defensive front. Jachai Polite and Jabari Zuniga are very talented pass rushers who have combined for 14 sacks and 23.5 tackles for loss. Polite does it from the BUCK position while Zuniga does it from one of the end spots. The middle of the line is manned by a rotation of Kyree Campbell and Adam Shuler, who are solid if not spectacular.

Behind them are an interesting group of linebackers led by Vosean Joseph and David Reese. Their tackle numbers are good (151 combined and 10.5 tackles for loss) but they are somewhat exposed in coverage and can have inconsistent games in run defense. Still, they are an imposing group who will be fired up regardless.

Where the Gators really struggle is the secondary. Their best cornerback Marco Wilson went down in the second game of the season with a torn ACL. Along with an already shallow depth chart at safety, Florida can be beat through the air. C.J. Henderson is probably their best cover corner. Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and Trey Dean are solid at cornerback, but the former is downright embarrassing in tackling. Yet, Brad Stewart and Donovan Stiner at safety make their job a lot harder.

On Special Teams

The Florida special teams is an elite unit. Punter Tommy Townsend is in the running for national awards after averaging over 44 yards per attempt and downing 20 punts inside the 20-yard-line. He has had 11 kicks go for 50-plus yards and even recorded a 71-yard punt earlier this year.

Kicker Evan McPherson is reliable. He has gone 13-for-15 on field goals with a long of 48 yards. He is a perfect 7-for-7 on kicks under 30 yards.

The one area where Florida does not overly excel is the return game. Freddie Swain is a decent punt returner, but he has been on a slight cold streak every since the Vanderbilt game. Kadarius Toney is the main guy on kick returns, but Florida tends not to take it out much. He is still a shifty player who has all the ability to break off a big one.

Summary

Prior to the Boston College game, Florida State had a very small chance against the Gators. The defense could not stop the bleeding and the offense lost its way. After beating the Eagles, Florida State has shown it has the tools to do it.

It is going to depend on if the Seminoles can hold off the pass rush long enough to give quarterback Deondre Francois time. He was not good against Boston College, save for the final quarter. Grantham loves to blitz, though Tamorrion Terry getting behind his cornerbacks might provoke him to keep the safeties back and play conservatively. Florida State has the receivers to produce against Florida’s secondary. Check the Missouri tape to back that up.

A strong performance by the linebackers against Boston College needs to be repeated. The defensive line should hold their own against Florida, which means it will be on the linebackers to sniff out the option in the backfield. It would also help a lot if the Seminoles can get pressure on Franks and force him into mistakes, much like they did last year. That is asking for a lot however.

Overall, Florida should be a favorite heading into the annual rivalry contest. But the Gators and the Seminoles are much closer than their records would indicate. The recipe is there for beating Florida, and it will require one of the better performances of the year to pull it off.

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