Florida State Football: Noles true contenders in ACC Atlantic
2017 wasn’t kind to Florida State football but Clemson needs to be on notice going forward. The Seminoles aren’t done yet.
FSU fans did not have a great 2017. It started with talented quarterback Deondre Francois getting knocked out of the season opener against Alabama, and continued, comedy-of-errors-style, until the team rolled to a stop with their worst season in almost 40 years. It wasn’t all bad, though.
They lost a coach, but gained something more valuable–a sense of their own identity, something they had lost in recent years. The Seminoles are a football powerhouse, period. They have had some great years–heck, they have had some great damn decades. (Let’s face it–the ‘Noles and Miami pretty much owned the 90s.) They have had some mediocre years. 2017 was one of them. But the Seminoles aren’t done, kids–not by a long shot.
I predict that the Seminoles are going to have a great 2018, and they are going to put the fear of God into Clemson. Don’t believe me? They had the Tigers on the ropes last year when the ‘Noles were struggling on both sides of the ball. So yes, the ‘Noles have the talent and the gumption to shake up the ACC Atlantic, maybe even win the division. Here is why.
They were plagued by a slow tempo and a myriad of mistakes last season, but that was also with an untried true freshman quarterback. To be fair, Blackman got better with every game. He now has both confidence and experience.
This year, the ‘Noles will have TWO talented quarterbacks in their stable, both of whom can run as well as they pass. Add that to an O-line with 2017’s top three running backs, four of six wideouts, and four veteran linemen with 11 career starts. The one-two punch of Cam Akers and Jacques Patrick should make for an explosive duo.
The passing game might need some work, but Taggart has always been brilliant at developing receivers and has recruited some blue-chip talent like Tamorrion Terry. Add to that the genius of new offensive coordinator Walt Bell, and you have an offense that could look like the Seminoles of old.
The defensive line is not as efficient as it was in the 90s when the Seminoles’ defense was a garnet-and-gold Berlin wall which broke offensive lines and destroyed all comers. That is not to say that the ‘Noles aren’t loaded on defense. Even in their wobbly 2017 season, the defensive line seemed to find some rhythm after the Louisville debacle and only allowed less than five yards per play for the remainder of the season.
With an incendiary mix of veterans and speedy sophomores, the ‘Noles D-line will be formidable. In addition, the team boasts the Five Horsemen of the Apocalypse with safety AJ Westbrook, CB Kyle Meyers, linebackers Adonis Thomas, Dontavious Jackson, and Emmett Rice.
Next: Does FSU have the best offense in the ACC?
Sure, all of this talent could just be style and no substance, but the Seminoles aren’t going to make it easy for Clemson to dominate the Atlantic division. Mark my words–keep your eyes on the ‘Noles this year–they’ve got nothing to lose.