Louisville Football: Defense shines in win over Florida State

2. Florida State’s offense is making progress

Not many teams have a surplus of elite quarterbacks to backfill injuries. Florida State is no exception. The loss of Deondre Francois is still having noticeable repercussions well into Week 8 of the college football season. Florida State’s offense has been lethargic and skittish since Francois went down, but Saturday proved that the Noles are finally starting to figure out a formula for success.

A. Run the dang ball

Cam Akers is a special player. There have been moments this season when it has looked like he might be the Noles’ encore to Dalvin Cook. Cook had the benefit of a much more diverse offense, while Akers is being forced to fight through tackles at the line of scrimmage to gain yards. Against Louisville, Akers carried the ball 16 times for 75 yards. Everyone knows a run is coming, but he smashes through the defense any way. Him an Jacques Patrick are the best one-two punch this offense has

B. Don’t put too much pressure on James Blackman

Blackman, Francois’ replacement, finished 16 of 28 for 248 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He made some mistakes down the field, but for the most part has been okay in shorter ranges. The Noles need to find ways to keep the pressure off Blackman and let him manage the game rather than have to win it.