Florida State football had a rough start to the season against Virginia Tech but the Seminoles are looking for a bounce-back against Samford.
Rough doesn’t even begin to describe Florida State’s opening loss to Virginia Tech. The Seminoles just couldn’t overcome the Hokies’ defense while the offense was almost comically bad.
Deondre Francois threw three interceptions and just didn’t seem to gain a footing in the offense. He’ll have a chance to rebound in Week 2 against Samford as Willie Taggart’s offense will likely live up to that high-scoring billing for the first time.
Samford, however, won its first matchup against a fellow FCS foe 66-9, but Florida State will be playing angry and we might see one of the better games from Francois, Jacques Patrick and Cam Akers as the offense gets back on track.
Defensively, Harlon Barnett has his work cut out for him. Florida State didn’t get burned, but it also didn’t force any turnovers against the Hokies. The Seminoles recorded three sacks, but can expect to approach the five mark against the Bulldogs.
Here’s how you can watch Saturday’s Florida State vs. Samford game:
Date: Saturday, Sept. 8
Time: 7:20 p.m. ET
Location: Tallahassee, Fla.
Venue: Doak Campbell Stadium
TV: ACC Network
Live Stream: TheACC or FuboTV
Keys to Victory
Akers and Patrick. That combination will be incredibly important as the Seminoles take on Samford. If Florida State can get those two going, it’ll be a long day for the Bulldogs as the pass game will open up when the Samford defense cheats forward.
On the defensive side of things, Florida State needs to ramp up its pas rush. Getting after Samford will undoubtedly force turnovers and get things going in the Seminoles’ direction moving forward into the coming weeks.
Samford will need to continue that offense attack it had in the opener to get it to 66 points, but defensively, following the game plan that Virginia Tech had would be most beneficial. Getting pressure on Francois and forcing him into some uncomfortable situations and forcing him out of the pocket and into the run will be the major key.
Betting Odds
Line: N/A
Over/under: N/A
Prediction
Honestly, Samford doesn’t have much of a chance. The Bulldogs may score the first touchdown of the game and Florida State fans may become slightly uneasy, but Taggart’s offense will turn things on and finish the game on a 44-3 run, smashing any hopes the Bulldogs have of an upset. It will be a long day for the Samford offense as Barnett dials up the pressure and gets Samford for six sacks and two interceptions.
Final Score: Samford 10, Florida State 44