The 2015 season gets underway for Florida State on Saturday as the Seminoles open the year against Texas State. The Bobcats finished 7-5 last season in the Sun Belt and hope to challenge FSU in the contest at Doak Campbell Stadium. Each of the Noled Out writers will look at five aspects of this weekend’s game in a segment called “Five Things”:
1. On Texas State
Mike Ferguson: Offensively, Texas State can score points in a hurry. The Bobcats went 7-5 last season and averaged nearly 34 points-per-game. They return their leading passer and rusher from 2014 and have made significant strides in a short time playing at the FBS level. Texas State doesn’t have the talent FSU does, but is a well-coached team and could make some plays against a young Seminole defense.
Clint Eiland: While the Bobcats only went 7-5 a year ago, they still have some good pieces that allowed their offense to flourish last year. They run an option-based scheme that’s not all that different from The Citadel last year and were able to score at impressive rates last season. Unfortunately for them, their defense was still mediocre at best and it’s hard to imagine them stopping Dalvin Cook or anybody else.
Jon Marchant: Florida State plays the Texas State Bobcats of the Sun Belt Conference this week in the season-opening tune-up. They’re a spread-option team that executes pretty well. On defense, they must replace several key players lost to graduation.
2. Players to Watch for FSU
Ferguson: For me, this is a simple one — it’s quarterback Everett Golson. Golson will be playing his first game in garnet and gold and the season-opener will give him a chance to validate being selected to start over Sean Maguire. It could also serve as a nice indication of how well he meshes in a new system. Along the defensive line, I’m also interested to see which players separate themselves from the others on the depth chart.
Eiland: Everett Golson will be the most watched FSU player by far on Saturday. Fans shouldn’t expect him to throw too much given the fact that the Seminoles probably won’t need to…but that of course won’t stop the hype. How he controls the offense and if he looks comfortable will be the main questions focusing around him.
Marchant: The player to watch this week is Everett Golson. How does he look operating the offense? How will Jimbo Fisher tailor the offense to Golson’s strengths? How does the chemistry between Golson and the incredibly young Seminole wide receiver corps look?
3. Biggest Concern for FSU
Ferguson: The biggest concern for Florida State on Saturday will be playing well early and staying healthy. With a number of new starters, FSU needs to play well from the start to get the confidence flowing and come out of this one healthy. The Seminoles should be able to beat Texas State and South Florida to open the year, but FSU needs to be as healthy as possible when it opens ACC play against Boston College on the 18th.
Eiland: The run-heavy offense for Texas State means that the FSU linebackers need to be disciplined and able to get some sort of impact. This shouldn’t be too much a problem if the defensive line does a good job, but the lack of depth at linebacker is still concerning. Terrance Smith and (maybe) Reggie Northrup will get the start.
Marchant: The biggest concern for this game is the focus of the team. We’ve heard all summer that this 2015 squad is hungrier than last year’s team that often gave lackluster performances and ended their season with a blowout loss in the playoff. Will the ‘Noles take this game seriously, be focused and ready to get to work?
4. X-Factor for FSU
Ferguson: The X-factor for the Seminoles in this one will be the true freshmen. Derwin James, Jacques Patrick, George Campbell and Josh Sweat are all expected to contribute this season. It’ll be interesting to see what impact they have on Saturday’s opener.
Eiland: Defensive line play will dictate if this becomes a scare or an FSU layup. On a pure talent vs. talent basis, FSU’s defensive line blows Texas State’s offensive line out of the water. Guys like Derrick Nnadi, Derrick Mitchell Jr., and Nile Lawrence-Stample will be given the opportunity to show how much power the interior line has. If they can get a good push consistently and disrupt the Bobcat offense, the Seminoles will cruise to a victory.
Marchant: The X-factors for this game are the brand new Seminole offensive and defensive fronts. There are lots of new names that are starters and the question will be this: can they play as cohesive units? That may decide whether the game is over at halftime or if it’s still a battle into the third quarter.
5. FSU Wins If…
Ferguson: For Florida State to win this game, it will need to simply not beat itself. Offensively, the Seminoles will need to take care of the football and on defense, FSU needs to avoid blowing coverages, committing penalties and allowing big plays. As long as that happens, the Seminoles will improve to 6-0 in openers under head coach Jimbo Fisher.
Eiland: An FSU victory will easily be achieved with two things: A prolific running game and a good performance by the defensive line. Texas State will get worn down easily if the ‘Noles start to ground and pound with a combination of Dalvin Cook, Mario Pender and Jacques Patrick thus not requiring Golson or anyone else to put the load on their shoulders. Refer back to the previous segment for the importance of the defensive line.
Marchant: Florida State will win because its massive talent advantage will simply be too much for Texas State to deal with or overcome. The size, length and speed of the ‘Nole athletes is not something Texas State could ever duplicate in preparation for this game. But, how long it takes the Seminoles to get into garbage time could be something to keep an eye on.
