Florida State Football Defensive Preview
They may be 0-3 but this side of the ball is tough
Despite an 0-3 record and some struggles against the run, Florida State has held their own on defense. They don’t give up a lot of points, are active in the backfield, but struggle in getting off the field and communicating consistently when handing off assignments. If the Seminoles are going to have a good shot at winning late in the game, the defense will be the genesis for that charge.
2023 Defense in Review
Gave up 19.29 points per game
Led by DC Adam Fuller, who runs a 4-2-5
Were a defense that made winning plays in close games last season, led by Jared Verse and others along the defensive line
were second in the ACC in scoring defense
led the conference in sacks and were in a tie for second in forced fumbles
2024 Changes
The Seminoles lost a TON of production along the defensive line, namely Jared Verse, Kalen DeLoach, and Braden Fiske
these three combined for 32 TFL’s, 22 sacks, and 152 total tackles for the Seminoles
Patrick Payton returns for FSU, netting 7 sacks and 14.5 TFL’s last season
As a result, FSU has struggled to stop the run mightily through three games, with Georgia Tech, Boston College, and occasionally Memphis imposing their will when they wanted to
If you want a direct comparison to the lack of run defense, you could look at a slow moving snowplow going up the middle, there’s nothing that can be one once it starts. Cal faced similar issues last season against Oregon State when they let the Beavers have too many 3rd and shorts
currently giving up 24 points per game
Provisional Starters
DE Patrick Payton, DT Joshua Farmer, DT Darrell Jackson, DE Marvin Jones Jr
ILB Blake Nichelson OR Cam Riley (injured last week, status known), ILB Justin Cryer
CB Fentrell Cypress II, Nickel, Kevin Knowles II, S Conrad Hussey, S Shyheim Brown, CB Azareye’h Thomas
Depth Chart
Players/Personnel to Watch
Through the first three weeks of the season, one of Cal’s big challenges has been blocking consistently and communicating protections on blitzes. For all of the struggles that the Seminoles have had (103rd in the nation in rushing defense, giving up 172.7 YPG vs 46th in passing defense at 174.7 yards per game), they are still generally a defense that can turn you over and set you behind the chains.
Despite a slow start, I’m looking at DE Patrick Payton and DT Daniel Lyons as players who can win matchups in 1 on 1, setting Cal into 3rd and longs. Payton has a long wingspan and throughout last year is able to use his leverage to his advantage and affect the quarterback in numerous ways. Payton and Lyons have combined for 5 TFL’s and 3.5 sacks, but still need to buckle up when it comes to their run support. In particular, Payton has taken more plays off in the early part of this season compared to last.
The other players to watch, are Manteca’s own ILB Blake Nichelson and S Shyheim Brown. Nichelson is primed for a bigger role with Cam Riley’s injury and DJ Lundy’s inconsistent play, working with Justin Cryer in trying to patch together the FSU defense. He has solid instincts at the linebacker spot, but there have been several mentions of the defense playing disconnected, which puts their responsibilities in a bind.
Brown leads the team in tackles, but was dinged up against Memphis and KJ Kirkland took his place. The veteran is a leader on the backend of the defense, and generally sets the tone over the middle of the field. If Florida State is going to right their ship, these are the players I’m looking at in case they throw Cal off schedule.
How Cal can win this game
Simply put, Cal needs to snatch Florida State’s soul at the line of scrimmage. The Seminoles haven’t proven they can stop a nosebleed on the ground and the Bears just came off a performance where they ran for 305 rushing yards (sack adjusted).
As I mentioned last season, there comes a point where when renowned programs face significant adversity, the team may quiet quit. USC managed to stay afloat in that case but the jury is still out on Florida State. They’ve been booed off the field several times in recent weeks and now have their backs against the wall. If Cal starts the game in Tallahassee the same way they did in the first half against Auburn, it’s not out of the realm of possibility to see the defense quiet quit with all of the responsibility they currently shoulder.
At some point, their own offense is going to have to help them out. If they don’t and Cal most importantly stays on schedule, they can take control of this game into the fourth quarter. The Bears need to limit their pre snap penalties, continually create rush lanes, and not put the ball in harms way. It sounds simple, but they need to be consistent or else FSU may have a shot late thanks to their defense.