The 2014 season for Florida State will kickoff in a little more than one week. After finishing 14-0 and winning the BCS National Championship, many are expecting a repeat title run in Tallahassee. With the start of the season nearing, Noled Out editor Mike Ferguson and staff writer Jon Marchant took time to answer five questions pertaining to the upcoming season:
1. Which Player Are You Most Excited to See in 2014?
Mike Ferguson: Narrowing this down to one isn’t easy, but for me, it’s Rashad Greene. Greene doesn’t always get the recognition he deserves, but the senior has quietly become one of the best receivers ever to play at Florida State. Had it not been for his 49-yard catch and run on the final drive of the BCS title game, we may not be having a conversation about a potential repeat. Greene also enters the season just 1,134 yards of Ron Sellers’ career receiving mark. He’ll need a career year to get there, but he’s upped his production every season since first stepping on campus in 2011.
Jon Marchant: I thought about Karlos Williams here but I just love defense, so the player I’m most excited to see this year is defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. He’s a freak; he can do things that no person at 290 pounds should be able to do, such as a standing back flip, chasing down former defensive backs, and pancaking the 2nd overall pick in the NFL Draft. Yes, a defensive player PANCAKED an offensive lineman. Specifically, Greg Robinson. Add in violent hands and quick feet and he is truly dominant at the college level and it will be exciting and FUN to see him destroy opposing offensive linemen.
2. Which Player Will Have a Breakout Season in 2014?
Mike Ferguson: While Karlos Williams and Mario Edwards Jr. seem like the obvious answers, I’ll have my eye on junior cornerback Ronald Darby. After getting better as the season went on in 2013 and with Lamarcus Joyner now playing with the St. Louis Rams, Darby will man the second cornerback spot opposite P.J. Williams. With Williams locking down one side, teams are going to be more inclined to throw at Darby and I fully expect him to make the most of his opportunities.
Jon Marchant: Some will argue that Karlos Williams will break out this year, and indeed he may at the national level. But most of the FSU faithful already know what Karlos brings to the table. So the player I believe who will break out this year the most and force fans to learn his name is Travis Rudolph, the freshman wide receiver. If he can stay healthy and on the same page with Jameis (Winston) he could be a great outlet for Winston as opposing defensive coordinators will no doubt roll coverage towards Rashad Greene and Nick O’Leary. If Rudolph can take advantage of his opportunities, he will be a beast and quickly become a household name among FSU faithful.
3. Which Contest for 2014 is Most Intriguing?
Mike Ferguson: The schedule for Florida State is certainly beefed up from years past, but I’m going to say the regular season finale against Florida. Despite a 10-win difference between the schools last season, waking up on the day of the Florida State-Florida game still always seems like Christmas morning. While no one knows exactly what to expect from Florida, this year’s game could be riddled with story lines. Should Florida State run the table for the first 11 games, the Gators will be heading to a place where they handed the Seminoles their last loss. With Florida head coach Will Muschamp on the hot seat, it’s also possible that his fate as head coach in Gainesville could be sealed by his former colleague at LSU, Jimbo Fisher.
Jameis Winston and Florida State pounded Florida last season in Gainesville. (Kim Klement/ USA TODAY Sports)
Jon Marchant: While Clemson is breaking in a whole new cast on offense, it is Notre Dame that intrigues me the most. While an unresolved academic scandal looms over the program with several starters’ season’s hanging in the balance, it will be interesting to see how the Irish play in the first few games of the season. Whether or not those four players miss significant time, I still think Notre Dame has the talent to challenge FSU as much as anyone can during the regular season. Unlike Clemson, Brian Kelly has recruited (and developed!) well not just on the defensive line, but on the offensive line as well. Depending on who gets suspended and for how long, I feel the Irish could finish anywhere between 7-5 and 10-2.
4. What is FSU’s Biggest Concern for 2014?
Mike Ferguson: Talent certainly won’t be a concern for Florida State, but the youth on defense scares me a bit. It has been well noted that Florida State won’t start a single senior and reserve cornerback Nick Waisome may be the only senior on that side of the ball to see much of the field in general. Last year’s defense was certainly spectacular, but it was full of leaders like Christian Jones, Lamarcus Joyner and Telvin Smith. Even reserves like Jacobbi McDaniel, Demonte McAllister and Dan Hicks were fifth-year seniors that had been through the rigors of a 7-6 campaign in 2009. While reloading on talent never seems to be overly difficult for Florida State, reloading on leadership isn’t always as easy.
Jon Marchant: To me the biggest concern by far is the defensive interior. Timmy Jernigan, who went pro early, is a huge loss and replacing his production is a bit of a concern. Eddie Goldman is very good, and Nile Lawrence-Stample is quite solid if he’s healthy, but beyond him there is a bit of disappointment on the depth chart. Several veteran players who were expected to be able to contribute this year at the high level FSU expects, have somewhat busted and it appears they will not be able to contribute to any real, meaningful snaps. So FSU will have to rely on some stud true freshmen to help fill the rotation, and by all accounts Derrick Nnadi is a good one, and Demarcus Christmas is supposedly not far behind. But they are still freshman. As a result I believe FSU will run more formations with only three down linemen this year to help hide this deficiency and hope the light comes on for one of the other veterans on the roster. If either Goldman or Lawrence-Stample go down with an injury, FSU could be in trouble.
5. What Constitutes a Successful 2014 Season for FSU?
Mike Ferguson: Expectations are as high as they’ve been in a long time for Florida State and many are hoping for a repeat run at a national championship. While I don’t necessarily feel that anything short of that is a disappointing season, the Seminoles must be one of the nation’s best teams to avoid having 2014 be perceived as a failure. For this upcoming year to be called a success, Florida State must at the very least, win the ACC for a third straight year and be a part of college football’s first-ever playoff. When FSU finished 10-4 in 2010 and topped South Carolina in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, that season was considered a success. It’s hard to believe how far we’ve come since then.
Can Jimbo Fisher and Florida State repeat as national champs? (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
Jon Marchant: What constitutes a successful season? #FSUTwitter might disagree, but realistically FSU will not go undefeated in back-to-back seasons. The odds that FSU would go undefeated last year was around 10 percent at the beginning of the year if I’m not mistaken. Maybe even less. Halfway through FSU only had about a 45 percent chance of finishing the entire season without a loss. (The highest odds of any team at that point. The next highest? Alabama, who ended up dropping two games.) The chance FSU goes undefeated back-to-back? Tiny. But that doesn’t mean the standards aren’t high. This 2014 team is loaded, and Florida State will experience a drop off in 2015. So I’ll say this 2014 season would be successful if the ‘Noles finish the regular season no worse than 11-1, win another ACC Championship and make the first ever College Football Playoff. I draw the line there, since asking any team to beat two of the top four teams in college football in a row is a bit much. But with Jameis Winston, FSU will always have a chance.
