The Wake Forest Demon Deacons will host the #11 Florida State Seminoles on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The Noles come to Winston-Salem with a 3-0 record. Florida State has been an unbelievable program under Jimbo Fisher. Below are my initial thoughts on the 2015 version of the Seminoles.
Dalvin Cook is going to be a problem.
That kind of analysis is why I get paid the big bucks, ladies and gentlemen. In all seriousness, he is averaging 7.44 yards/carry, and is one of the top running backs in the country. To spell him, the Noles have the luxury of bringing in Mario Pender. Both were blue chip recruits, and Pender would start on most other teams in the country. Given Wake's recent infatuation with arm tackling, Florida State can probably run the ball at will against Wake's defense.
Everett Golson is no Jameis Winston.
Again, a brilliant insight by yours truly. Winston had so much media attention surround him last season for his off-the-field episodes, that it got lost just how talented he was. Keep in mind, he did not lose a college football game until last year's Rose Bowl against Oregon. Golson was lights out against Texas St., but he completed just 54% of his passes for 163 yards against South Florida. Against Boston College, he threw for just 119 yards on 24 attempts. Boston College has a fantastic defense, but with the skilled receivers that Golson has, 5 yards/attempt is horrific.
The offensive line is quite young. The Noles are attempting to replace over 200 career starts on the line. Tackle Roderick Johnson is scary talented, but the line is a work in progress.
The defensive line is replacing some excellent talent in Mario Edwards, Jr. and Eddie Goldman. They're replaced with essentially all blue chip recruits, but their inexperience has shown so far this season. Their linebackers are one of the best linebacker units in the ACC. Sophomore Ro'Derrick Hoskins has stepped up, and is tied for the team lead with 16 tackles. In the secondary, Jalen Ramsey is one of the five best cornerbacks in the country. He had 12 passes broken up last season, and already has 5 this year.
Florida State is not as good as they have been the past two years, but that doesn't mean that they aren't an excellent team. They opened up as an 18-point favorite, and that seems low to me. While their offense isn't as consistent from series-to-series, they have the athletes at both running back and wide receiver to produce many explosive plays.
The bottom line is that FSU is once again a legitimate ACC Championship contender. Blogger So Dear will have more previews of the Seminoles as the week goes along.
