By Johnny Falduto
No. 4 Florida State (3-0, 1-0 ACC) travels to meet Clemson (2-1, 0-1 ACC) for one of the ACC’s premiere games of the 2023 regular season on Saturday as part of a loaded Week 4 schedule around college football. Kickoff at Memorial Stadium is set for noon ET on ABC.
Scouting the Seminole Offense
Early Heisman Trophy candidate QB Jordan Travis leads a dynamic Seminole offense that ranks 7th in FBS with 47.3 points and 33rd in FBS with 462.7 total yards of offense per game.
Travis is a dynamic thrower down the field (53-84 for 729 YDS, 8 TD, 1 INT in 2023) and extends plays using his legs outside of the pocket. He’s also a featured part of the Seminoles’ rushing game, totaling 96 YDS and 1 TD on 17 CAR so far in 2023. He went 24-42 for 254 YDS and 2 TD through the air and rushed 14 times for 64 YDS and a TD in a 34-28 loss to the Tigers last October.
Travis’ top two targets in the passing game are WRs Johnny Wilson and Keon Coleman, and at 6-foot 7 and 6-foot 4 respectively, OC Alex Atkins uses a lot of motion and misdirection to scheme up 1-1s and create opportunities for them down the field. Wilson, a former Arizona State transfer, has totaled 11 REC for 209 YDS so far this season. Coleman, who transferred from Michigan State this past offseason, has totaled 12 REC for 170 YDS and 4 TD. Former South Carolina TE Jaheim Bell (7 REC, 125 YDS, 2 TD) and RB Lawrance Toafili (7 REC, 64 YDS) are also featured in the Noles’ passing game that has averaged 273.0 YDS per game so far this season.
RB Trey Benson is the lead back for Florida State, totaling 164 YDS and 4 TD (T-15th in FBS) on 33 CAR so far this season. He has had only a single reception in each of the team’s three games thus far but is certainly capable of making big plays catching the ball out of the backfield when Travis is under pressure (13 REC for 144 YDS in ‘22). RB’s Lawrance Toafili (17 CAR, 85 YDS) and Rodney Hill (15 CAR, 102 YDS) are the other two featured backs in the Noles’ rushing game that has produced 189.7 YDS per game so far this season.
Scouting the Seminole Defense
Florida State’s defense came into the season as one of the more highly-touted groups on paper, and while it has gotten the job done so far, it hasn’t produced like initially anticipated– at least statistics-wise. The Noles rank outside of the top 50 in FBS in total defense, giving up an average of 393.0 YDS and 22.0 PTS per game to opponents through the team’s first three games (for reference, Clemson ranks 8th in total defense in FBS with 246.7 YPG and 47th in FBS with 19.67 PPG).
LBs Tatum Bethune (17 TKL) and Kalen DeLoach (10 TKL, 2.5 sacks) lead the second level of defense against the run but have struggled in pass coverage in the middle of the field- a vulnerability Garrett Riley will surely look to attack early and often throughout the game.
Their defensive line group is among the best position groups on the team, featuring Jared Verse, Joshua Farmer, Dennis Briggs Jr., and Braden Fiske. They will look to keep Will Shipley and the Clemson run game contained, forcing Cade Klubnik to beat them with his arm while under pressure.
On the back end, the Seminoles have given up 805 YDS to opponents through the air- ranking outside of the top 100 in FBS. Jarrian Jones and Renardo Green lead the group with 9 tackles and 1 INT a piece, and Greedy Vance Jr. has produced 8 tackles and 1 pass break-up. Fentrell Cypress II, Kevin Knowles II and Akeem Dent are also names to keep an eye on in the Noles’ secondary.
Kickoff between Clemson and No. 4 Florida State in Death Valley is set for noon ET on Saturday. For live play-by-play coverage, tune into 97.5/105.5 in the Upstate, right here on theroarfm.com, or on The ROAR mobile app.
