Behind Enemy Lines: Florida State
All Syracuse caught up with Dustin Lewis of Nole Gameday, the Florida State site on Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network, to get the inside scoop on the the Seminoles for Saturday's matchup in Tallahassee.
1. Florida State is 0-4, which is a surprise to everyone. What has been the biggest factor in that start?
Dustin Lewis: Coming out of the gates winless through four games for the first time in 47 years wasn’t expected by anyone around the program. There have been a lot of factors that have led to the poor start such as questionable coaching decisions, an inconsistent offense, a struggling defensive backfield and mind-boggling penalties. To say the least, it’s been ugly, but else can be expected from an FSU team that lost to Jacksonville State on a Hail Mary at home? They’ve shown flashes of potential, such as competing with Notre Dame and the second half against Louisville last week. It just hasn’t been consistent enough to earn a victory yet.
2. Offensively, what are the biggest strengths for the Seminoles?
Lewis: Definitely, the running backs. Florida State has a stable of backs in Jashaun Corbin, Treshaun Ward, Lawrance Toafili, and DJ Williams. Expect Corbin and Ward to see the bulk of the work. They are both strong runners that have big play ability whenever they find an open hole. The Seminoles also have two veteran tight ends in Cam McDonald and Jordan Wilson. They haven’t seen a ton of usage to this point but they are capable threats in the passing game.
3. Offensively, what are the biggest weaknesses for the Seminoles?
Lewis: One of the things that has really plagued this team in recent weeks is a banged-up offensive line. Coming into the season with not much established depth, it was important for the starters to stay healthy and that hasn’t happened. The three guys who were expected to be FSU’s top options on the line, center Maurice Smith, right guard Devontay Love-Taylor, and left tackle Robert Scott are clearly not 100%. Outside of that, the quarterback play has been inconsistent. The offense constantly flip-flopped between McKenzie Milton and Jordan Travis until the game against Louisville. That was the first time we saw Milton take every snap and he was pretty inconsistent. He just doesn’t seem to have the same velocity on throws as he did prior to that devastating knee injury. Travis has improved as a passer but he still tucks it too often and gets flustered in the pocket.
4. Defensively, what are the biggest strengths for the Seminoles?
Lewis: A year ago, the defensive line was arguably the worst position group on the defense. Florida State revamped the room over the offseason, bringing in multiple quality transfers and high school signees. It all starts with Jermaine Johnson, who is currently leading the team in tackles (31) and the nation in sacks (5.5). He came to Tallahassee to develop into an every-down defensive end and it has paid off so far. Keir Thomas, Marcus Cushnie, Quashon Fuller, and Derrick McLendon are all capable players on the edge as well. On the interior, Robert Cooper, Dennis Briggs, and Fabien Lovett will soak up the majority of snaps. All in all, it’s a talented rotation with plenty of depth.
5. Defensively, what are the biggest weaknesses for the Seminoles?
Lewis: The linebackers are arguably the position group in biggest need of an upgrade but the defensive backfield has been playing poorly as well. It’s puzzling because FSU has multiple former five-star and four-star prospects manning the secondary. Unfortunately, guys like Jarvis Brownlee, Jarrian Jones, Jammie Robinson, and Travis Jay just haven’t been able to put it together yet. There have been a lot of miscommunications and frustrating penalties on passing downs. The linebackers also struggle with positioning and consistency. Amari Gainer is solid but outside of that, this is a pretty young unit. Kalen DeLoach is the second-most experienced linebacker in the lineup and he entered the season with 10 total tackles.
6. How is Florida State on special teams?
Lewis: Average at best. The Seminoles have a terrific punter in Australia native Alex Mastromanno. Outside of that, there’s not a ton to write home about. Kicker Ryan Fitzgerald has struggled in critical moments. FSU has already had to switch punt returners and they might need to make a third change. Plus, they’ve got a few fantastic kick returners in Corey Wren and Travis Jay who rarely make a play due to blocking issues.
7. What is the mood of the team, the coaches and the fans with this start?
Lewis: Rightfully, fans are displeased with the outcome of the first four games of the season. I would say that there is definitely some pressure for the coaching staff to get a win in the column starting this weekend against Syracuse. Head coach Mike Norvell has continued to say and do all of the right things. He got a little animated during his presser on Monday but he’s a guy that coaches with emotion. Fans are beginning to question the process, particularly, the offensive and defensive coordinators.
8. How do you see Florida State attempting to defend Sean Tucker and limit his impact?
Lewis: Thankfully for the Seminoles, one of the only things the defense does well is limit the running game. A lot of that credit goes to the defensive line that I mentioned earlier. Through four games, the defense has totaled 30 tackles for loss with a combined 11 of those going to Jermaine Johnson and Keir Thomas. I expect FSU to stack the box consistently with eight or nine man fronts to try and force Syracuse to the air. It’ll likely be a similar game plan to what they did against Notre Dame, which was to make Jack Coan beat them. It didn’t work on Labor Day night but we’ll see if things change against Garrett Shrader.
9. How is the team looking at this game against Syracuse? Extra motivated to get that first win? Down because of the struggles?
Lewis: After the way this program has handled adversity over the past couple of seasons, you would think they would start to lower their heads after the worst start in 47 years. Instead, the players still seem locked in and focused. Multiple guys spoke after the game about believing they can still right the ship. The energy was noticeably up during Tuesday’s practice. I’m interested to see if the Seminoles carry over the effort we saw in the second half against Louisville.
10. What does Florida State have to do to win, and conversely, what will lead to them losing this game?
Lewis: In my opinion, the three things that Florida State will have to do to beat Syracuse are limit Sean Tucker, don’t turn the ball over, and play a consistent four quarters. For the defense, this game is going to come down to how they do against Tucker. If the defensive line and linebackers can step up and hold him to 100 yards or less, that’ll go a long way in stopping the Syracuse offense. The Seminoles will need to limit turnovers so they don’t stall on the offensive side of the ball. FSU is currently tied for last in the country with 11 giveaways in four games. Six of those turnovers came against Wake Forest. Consistency is another area that has plagued this team. They haven’t been able to put four quarters together all season and we saw that last week. Louisville went up 31-7 in the first half before Florida State stifled the Cardinals in the final 30 minutes and nearly completed a massive comeback. Will they play a complete game on Saturday? Honestly, I’m not confident enough that this team will be able to do all of those things against the Orange. I’m leaning towards a narrow Syracuse victory at this time.
