3 individual Matchups to watch in the FSU vs LSU week one game

The best and most anticipated matchup of college football’s week one matchups is when LSU (5) takes on Florida State (8).

When these top ten teams face off, all eyes will be on the quarterbacks for each team. Jordan Travis and Jayden Daniels are expected to be high draft picks in the 2024 NFL draft for the Seminoles and Tigers, respectively. And when you are not looking at them, odds are you and NFL scouts will be watching a potential top-five pick, FSU’s defensive end Jared Verse.

But what will inevitably make the difference other than the star QBs and Verse are the one-on-one matchups that will take place throughout the game. These three matchups will go a long way in determining which team wins and how far players rise or fall in pre-draft rankings.

All statistics are provided by Sports Reference.

Fentrell Cypress vs. Malik Nabers

Defensive back Fentrell Cypress will have his hands full in his Florida State football debut. Opposite the Virginia transfer will be LSU wideout Malik Nabers.

Cypress played on both sides of the field while at Virginia, showing he can play wherever defensive coordinator Adam Fuller decides to put him. The odds are that he will be assigned to follow Nabers in man coverage. If that is the case, we are in for a treat.

Cypress is an excellent man coverage corner who likes to rely on his closing speed and long reach to knockdown passes. In 2022, Cypress finished with 39 tackles and 14 passes defended. The now-LSU Tiger was tenth in the nation in pass breakups. He was tied for third-most passes defended per game with 1.6.

If Cypress can stay in Nabers’ hip pocket or use his ball skills to get a couple of pass breakups against Nabers, the Senior cornerback could see his name rocket up the draft rankings.

Last season, FSU’s defense was 21st in passer rating allowed. With Cypress in the secondary, expect that ranking to improve.

Nabers is looking to get off to a good start against Cypress and the Florida State football defense.

Last season, Nabers finished with 72 catches, 1,017 yards, and three touchdowns. Those are incredible numbers. If he wants to surpass those impressive numbers, he must get off to a great start to the season. If he can begin the season strong, he could cement himself as the second-best receiver in the draft and a top-15 pick.

Nabers and Cypress each made ESPN’s top 100 players for 2023 list, coming in at 37th and 65th, respectively. This is going to be an incredible challenge for both players. Nabers, who is excellent at making contested catches, versus Cypress, who gets his hands on passes better than anyone, offers a wonderful clash of skills. Hopefully, it will be as fun for them to play against each other as it will be for us to witness.