A bowl streak, winning streak against a rival, and sheer bragging rights are on the line Saturday afternoon. Florida State hosts the top-15 Florida Gators for one of the early contests of rivalry week, with the latter hoping to break a 5-year mire they’ve found themselves in. Motivation is not lacking for either team.
By now, it is pretty obvious what both teams are at their core. Yet, Florida State especially struggles with consistency. After an exciting win over No. 20 Boston College on Saturday, have the Seminoles figured out the recipe for success? We break down the four biggest questions facing the team heading into their match-up with the Florida Gators.
Are the Linebackers Up to the Task?
As mentioned in our instant reaction podcast, the Florida State linebackers put together one of their more solid outings against Boston College. Leonard Warner and Emmett Rice undoubtedly had their best games of the season, effectively stunting the Boston College run game and providing the extra thump that the team needed.
They will need to replicate that performance against the Gators. Florida likes to cover up some of quarterback Feleipe Franks’ shortcoming with quick passes and option plays, which can wear a defense down very quickly. That is especially true if the linebackers get picked on and let the offense get chunk plays. Florida also has a nice stable of running backs who can do a little bit of everything, so it will be important to get them down in the backfield before they have a chance to make plays.
Will Franks Melt Down Again?
There is no greater equalizer between teams than a quarterback who cannot hang on to the ball. Interceptions and fumbles tend to skew final results either way, and they can do wonders for a team who struggles on offense. Feleipe Franks was arguably the MVP for Florida State in 2017, throwing three interceptions and fumbling once. Two of those turnovers were returned for a touchdown, while another score was thwarted by a premature celebration at the goal line by Matthew Thomas before the Seminoles converted on the ensuing drive.
Franks has not improved all that much from last season. Florida head coach Dan Mullen has done a good job of working around his limitations, but there have been more than a couple of games where Franks is clearly holding back the team. Florida State’s defensive plan should involve pressuring him early and often, and forcing him to win the game for the Gators. If he is able to beat the secondary on enough passes…more power to him.
One More Offensive Line Combination?
Protecting quarterback Deondre Francois will be of upmost importance if Florida State wants to take advantage of a weak Florida secondary. The offensive line is still one of the worst in the nation, though they have seen slight improvement in both run and pass blocking in the past couple of weeks. Much of that has to do with continuity.
With Cole Minshew looking doubtful again for Saturday and Derrick Kelly appearing to be fine after a health scare against Boston College, Florida State will trot out a line that has at least four repeat players. Note that Jauan Williams was replaced by Brady Scott at right tackle after a particularly rough series for the redshirt sophomore. It will not guarantee that Francois actually plays well. But it is FSU’s best shot, and the line will need one more average showing against a quality Florida pass rush.
Is the Mental Pressure Too Heavy?
A legendary streak is currently on the line, at home, against one of Florida State’s biggest rivals, who it has not lost to in five years. Let’s not mention that FSU has a first-year head coach who is trying to prove himself on the biggest stage. Anyone trying to say they are not feeling pressure is lying to you.
Then again, there was a considerable amount of pressure at the end of the Boston College game. The team stared down a loss and came up big at the most important times. That is especially refreshing to see from a team that more or less gave up against a few of their previous opponents. There will not be any giving up on Saturday, and the leaders of the team will try and make sure of that.
Still, playing too tight will lead to a loss in the same way that playing too loose does. Florida State needs to strike a balance and figure out the mental approach to this game.
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