Florida State Football: No Deondre Francois will be a challenge
One player does not a team make, but Florida State football is in dire straights after losing starting quarterback Deondre Francois in their season opener.
The Florida State Seminoles started the season ranked No. 3 in the country. The Noles now sit at No. 12 and they are without powerhouse quarterback Deondre Francois. Their biggest ACC rivals, Clemson, played a definitive game against a loaded Louisville last weekend. Can the Seminoles survive the rest of their season without Francois at the helm?
Jimbo Fisher will have a great deal of pressure on him this Saturday as he takes on the NC State Wolfpack at home in Tallahassee. The Wolfpack has traditionally given the Noles a hard time. The Seminoles will start true freshman James Blackman. The 6-foot-5, 167-pound Blackman won’t have an easy task. The Wolfpack has a loaded defense that’s particularly strong against the run. They are the nation’s No. 11 run defense, allowing less than 90 yards a game.
Considering that the Noles are noted for their running game, this could make Saturday’s game a nasty one for FSU. Half the fan base might not be able to make it as they are still reeling from Hurricane Irma. The hurricane also wreaked havoc with the FSU schedule so the Noles will be returning to the gridiron after a two-week absence. Hopefully, the extra practice time will be good for their new quarterback.
Can the Noles regroup and save their season? It’s possible. The preseason rankings weren’t based on the efforts of a single player, but on the team as a whole. The Seminoles still have a knockout defense–they only allowed 269 total yards against the mighty Crimson Tide.
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Seminole fans will have to alter their preseason expectations without Francois as their gunslinger. They may not finish the season as national title contenders, but with their talented defense and a little luck they might just pull off an ACC title and a 10-3 finish. I don’t think the Wolfpack will win, but I do think they will cover. It could be a tough Saturday for Florida State.