The college football season has begun, but Florida State University (FSU) has not had a promising start. Despite starting the season ranked No. 10 and investing nearly $2 million in their defensive line, the team’s performance has been less than stellar. They are currently 0-2, having suffered losses to unranked opponents and are also recovering from a brutal blow out in their own stadium at the hands of Boston College. This lackluster start is a far cry from the 13-0 streak FSU enjoyed in the ACC in 2023, which stands in sharp contrast to their recent failures.
Another significant challenge came from Georgia’s dominant performance against a depleted FSU roster, with a 63-3 victory in the Orange Bowl of 2023. In a bid to cope with these challenges, Coach Mike Norvell recruited heavily from the transfer portal bringing in 17 players aiming to replace the ten that had been drafted. This strategy had previously yielded positive results, but so far this season, it’s proving disastrous.
One of the new additions to the Seminoles team was DJ Uiagalelei, a former Clemson and Oregon State quarterback. Uiagalelei’s performance so far has been shaky at best, with a completion rate of 58%, just one touchdown, and an average of 6.7 yards per attempt. The team, which averaged 35 points a game in the previous season, has only managed to amass 34 points in its first two games this season.
Compounding FSU’s troubles has been the unfortunate performance of their defense. Their defense was heavily penetrated in both games, particularly by Boston College’s offense which had ten runs of at least ten yards. FSU now ranks at No. 124 across the country in run defense, a drastic drop from their No. 4 ranking in the country in sacks in 2023. Despite the effort to fortify the frontline defense with heavyweights like Darrell Jackson and Marvin Jones Jr., the results have been disappointing.
The team’s problems are not limited to defense alone: FSU’s offensive gameplay also leaves much to be desired. Currently, the Seminoles find themselves at the bottom of the ACC in third-down defense, as they’ve been unable to hold off conversions 56% of the time. Their offensive statistics are just as concerning, sitting No. 14 in the ACC for both third-down conversions and red zone touchdown percentage.
The team’s performance this early in the season has highlighted the need for immediate and resolute action. The players and the coaching staff have some time off before their next game against Memphis on September 14th. They will surely be using this opportunity to identify and address the various challenges that have contributed to their rather precarious beginning to the season.
