It’s come as little surprise early on this season that sophomore running Dalvin Cook has been the heart and soul of the Florida State offense, but there could be some new faces carrying the ball behind him this week as the Seminoles visit Wake Forest.
Redshirt junior Mario Pender has been the main guy spelling Cook, but was forced to have surgery after leaving practice last week with a collapsed lung. Through three games this season, Pender has 140 yards rushing and a touchdown. He rushed for a team-high 70 yards and a touchdown in last season’s 43-3 victory over Wake Forest.
Cook leads the ACC with 476 yards on the ground through three games and ranks fourth nationally in rushing yards-per-game. Cook was banged up a bit in the Seminoles’ last game against Boston College on September 18th, but all indications are that he has fully recovered.
With Pender out, freshman Jacques Patrick and redshirt sophomore Johnathan Vickers will likely be tasked with relieving Cook. The two have just four combined career carries, but FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher seemed confident in their abilities during the ACC teleconference on Wednesday.
“I’ve been saying all four of these guys are really good,” Fisher said. “Those guys run with our ones and twos in practice.”
Patrick has three carries for 13 yards, but is a 5-star recruit out of Orlando, who shined with 81 yards rushing and a touchdown on 16 carries in April’s spring game. Vickers’ only touch this year was a 24-yard touchdown reception on a swing pass against Texas State.
“Johnathan Vickers is a 220-pound guy that has really good hands,” Fisher said Wednesday. “Patrick catches the ball really well, big, 235 pounds.”
With an infection forcing Pender to have surgery on his lung, the timetable for a return is up in the air. But even in his absence, the Seminoles hope to rebound from a sluggish rushing performance against Boston College. FSU managed just 215 yards of offense, including 98 on the ground, while averaging only three yards-per-carry.
“We like what we’re doing,” Fisher said. “Our schemes are good, we got to coach them a little better and we got to play a little better.”
The Seminoles rushed for 171 yards against Wake Forest in Tallahassee last year. The Demon Deacons are giving up more than 149 yards-per-game on the ground this season.
“We need to execute a little better and try not to leave points on the field,” Fisher said. “I think we did that (against Boston College).”
