Stacking Up: Notre Dame Offense vs. Florida State
The 5th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish get back onto the field this Saturday when they host the Florida State Seminoles. The Irish will look to improve to 3-0 on the season and 2-0 in ACC play.
Notre Dame's offense struggled in the opener but destroyed South Florida in game two. Against Florida State, the Irish offense will need to be at its best. The good news is Notre Dame holds a significant on paper advantage.
Let's take a look at how the Notre Dame offense stacks up on paper against the Florida State defense. (Note: There are just 74 teams currently factored into the rankings, compared to 130 last season)
Notre Dame Scoring Offense vs. Florida State Scoring Defense
Advantage: Notre Dame
Notre Dame was balanced against Duke in the opener, but the Irish largely lacked explosiveness, something that was also an issue against South Florida. The Irish aren't ripping off a lot of big plays, but they have been able to consistently move the chains and put the ball in the end zone in the last six quarters.
Consistency has been a strength of the offense through two games, but it needs to become more explosive.
Florida State has been wildly inconsistent on defense. It was solid in the opener against Georgia Tech, a 16-13 loss, and it was dominant in the second half against Jacksonville State. The Seminoles were shredded by Miami in game two and gave up 21 points in the first half against Jacksonville State.
This was supposed to be a strength for the Seminoles coming into the season, and there is plenty of talent on the defensive side of the ball. The danger for Notre Dame is that this is the game that Florida State's talent starts turning into better production.
Notre Dame Rush Offense vs. Florida State Rush Defense
Advantage: Notre Dame
Notre Dame struggled to run the ball in the first half against Duke, but in the last six quarters the Irish offensive line has played at a very high level. The offense rushed for 115 yards in the second half against Duke and ripped off 270 yards against South Florida.
The line was physical against the Bulls and got impressive movement. If that unit can carry that high-level of play into this matchup the offense should be able to get its ground game going.
Running backs Kyren Williams and Chris Tyree have combined for 259 rushing yards, 6.0 yards per carry and three touchdowns through two games.
Florida State dominated the JSU run game, holding the Gamecocks to just 60 yards and 2.9 yards per carry. In the two previous matchups, against Power 5 opponents, the Seminoles struggled mightily.
Georgia Tech and Miami combined to average 180.5 rushing yards per game and 4.7 yards per rush in their victories over the Seminoles.
The matchup to watch is Notre Dame center Jarrett Patterson and guards Aaron Banks and Tommy Kraemer against Florida State's talented interior defenders Marvin Wilson, Robert Cooper and Cory Durden. Wilson is arguably the best defensive tackle Notre Dame will face this season.
The last time these two teams met was in 2018, and the Irish rushed for 365 yards in the win.
Notre Dame Pass Offense vs. Florida State Pass Defense
Advantage: Even
This is the most intriguing matchup when it comes to the Notre Dame offense against the Florida State pass defense.
Notre Dame has struggled throwing the ball this season, and its inability to stretch the field is especially problematic. Florida State has safeties that can impact the run game, and that will hurt the Irish offense if the pass game can't make them pay for it.
Having a healthy Braden Lenzy should help, and I'm curious to see how the staff decides to use Kevin Austin and Ben Skowronek upon their return from injuries. The unit is getting healthier, but will offensive coordinator Tommy Rees have the plan to use it all effectively?
We will see.
Florida State cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. is talented and one of the better corners the Irish will face all season. The secondary is getting healthier, but it's been relatively abysmal thus far in the season. Opponents are completing 69.9% of their passes.
Georgia Tech completed 67.6% of their throws against the Seminoles for 8.1 yards per attempt, but they've gone 48.6% (6.6 YPA) and 46.9% (5.6 YPA) in the two games since (UCF, Syracuse).
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