Florida State vs. Southern Miss: Three Players to Watch As Seminoles Take Field In Doak
The Florida State Seminoles are back. At least, that’s the narrative the national media has been riding with since their absolute beatdown of the LSU Tigers on Sunday night. The hype surrounding Mike Norvell’s squad has only swelled in the wake of their 45-24 victory, and the ‘Noles find themselves with their highest AP Poll ranking (No. 4) since 2017. Now, that hype is officially making its way to Tallahassee as the Seminoles quickly shift their focus and seek to continue their climb within the confines of Doak Campbell Stadium.
Whether or not the FSU Football program is “back” is up for debate. What’s not up for debate is the fact that the Florida State Seminoles (1-0) are back in Tallahassee on Saturday to face off against the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (1-0) under the lights (new LED lights at that). The Golden Eagles and the Seminoles are no strangers on the football field. Southern Miss has proven to be a constant thorn in FSU’s side with 8 total wins over the Seminoles; the most recent one coming in 1989 behind the stellar play of quarterback Brett Favre.
Favre may not be lining up for the Golden Eagles any time soon, but they remain a formidable team featuring the likes of running back Frank Gore Jr., Clemson transfer quarterback Billy Wiles, and senior wide receiver Jakarius Caston. Put simply, Southern Miss is not to be easily overlooked, and the Seminoles will need their impact players to perform in order to defend their No. 4 ranking.
Let’s take a look at three players that could step up big in FSU’s home opener.
1. Keon Coleman, Wide Receiver
Standing at 6 foot 4, 215 pounds, the transfer wide receiver burst onto the scene for the Seminoles on Sunday night, torching the LSU secondary for nine receptions, 122 yards, and three touchdowns. Coleman’s yardage and touchdown numbers broke the school records for FSU wide receivers in their debut, and his touchdown grabs tied for the most in a game by a Seminole in the past 25 years.
He demonstrated unparalleled physicality, dynamic space creation, and the ability to reel in the ball whilst heavily contested. TLDR: Keon Coleman is a bad man.
The Florida State offense will undoubtedly lean on Coleman going forward, and it will be his ability to find consistency week over week that will fuel the offense’s success. Keep an eye out for just how the freak athlete follows up last week's breakout performance against Southern Miss on Saturday.
2. Renardo Green, Defensive Back
Southern Mississippi cruised to a 40-14 victory over Alcorn State in Week 1 on the back of an impressive passing attack from former Clemson transfer quarterback Billy Wiles, who threw for 296 yards and 3 touchdowns. Meanwhile, senior wide receiver Jakarius Caston pulled in 104 receiving yards and 1 touchdown, helping the Golden Eagles offense eclipse 441 yards on the day.
Granted, there’s only one week of football to go on thus far, but Southern Mississippi appears to have an imposing passing attack. The Seminoles will need to rely on their defensive backs to close off the passing lanes and limit the effectiveness of the Wiles-Caston duo.
Enter defensive back Renardo Green.
Now in his fifth year with the Seminoles, senior Renardo Green has developed into one of the nation’s premier defenders, and that maturation was on full display against LSU. The Tigers possess a wide receiver room that is often heralded as the most talented in the country, headlined by junior Malik Nabers, who came off of a 1,000-receiving-yard season the year prior. But, none of that mattered when lining up against Green. He was tasked with matching up against the Tigers’ more prominent receivers, and he did so effectively.
In fact, LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels rarely elected to throw in Green’s direction with five total passes going his way during the first half and just one reaching its target successfully. The veteran defensive back, despite not having very many opportunities come his way, added an interception to his stat line when he picked off Jayden Daniels at the 40 yard-line after battling Nabers on the route.
Defensive Coordinator Adam Fuller has continually put Renardo Green into high-profile matchups, and that doesn’t appear to be changing any time soon. Green, alongside fellow veteran DB Jarrion Jones, will serve as a pillar of FSU’s presence in the secondary against Southern Mississippi. If Wiles looks to find Caston through the air, take a look and see if Renardo Green is close by.
3. Trey Benson, Running Back
Don’t let the box score fool you. Trey Benson is still one of the most prolific running backs in the nation. Florida State’s lead rusher carried the ball 12 times for 47 yards against LSU on Sunday. At first glance, those numbers appear to be low for a running back of Benson’s caliber, but they don’t tell the full story. The LSU Tigers have a talented defensive line and a strong corps of linebackers that committed to controlling the line of scrimmage all night long.
In response, the Seminoles attempted to stretch the LSU defense by attacking through the air and mixing in the likes of tight end Jaheim Bell into the running game. Also, don’t forget that it was the establishment of the rush out of the gate in the second half that allowed the ‘Noles to find a rhythm on offense. While the numbers may appear to be low for the NFL Draft hopeful back, don’t expect that trend to continue against Southern Mississippi.
Impressively, the Golden Eagles defense held Alcorn State to just 44 passing yards in their Week 1 matchup, but they yielded 182 yards on the ground. No disrespect to Alcorn State, but their backfield doesn’t possess the same level of talent as Florida State, and if the Eagles had trouble containing Alcorn State's rushing attack, then it stands to reason that Benson could find success on the ground come Saturday. For Benson, it's not a question of "if", but "when." It's only a matter of time before he finds his groove, and the favorable matchup this weekend would be a great opportunity for the talented back to find his rhythm before facing off against conference opponents in the weeks to follow.
We're now two weeks into the 2023 season. Thus far, we've broken down a total of six players to watch and we've barely scratched the surface of talent that this Florida State roster has to offer. It's a testament to the potential the 'Noles have to compete at the highest levels this season, and their No. 4 ranking is reflective of the belief in that increasing potential (especially after their performance against #5 LSU). However, now's not the time to get too caught up in rankings or talks of a playoff. For now, the Seminoles will look to block out the noise and focus on the primetime matchup at hand: A sold-out home opener against the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles.
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