Watched the 30 minute version of this game last night and I have a few things pertaining to this season and the overall state of the team.
1. I pray that our offensive line comes out ready to play against Alabama. This was one of the worst played games for a FSU Offensive Line I would say ever. The second half was much better than the first but overall it was just a terrible performance. Will need to get a solid group of 5 guys to mesh this spring and gain some trust and consistency and get ready to go for Labor Day Weekend.
2. McFadden improved so much throughout the season. In this game he got beat a few times, had a handful of missed arm tackles, tipped a pass right into the Ole Miss WR's hands for a TD and just looked young. He made up for it by making the game sealing int but overall i'm looking forward to him being eve more of a factor this season. Having Derwin out there with him could really put us in position to have 2 All American DB's.
3. Francois made a couple huge plays in this game with his feet. Despite getting rocked and running for his life a few times, he also came up with some clutch 1st Downs late in the game to keep drives alive. He had a huge run off of a broken Jet Sweep to Bobo and he took the ball inside the 5 to set up a TD. Don't want him taking unnecessary hits but as he grows more confident I hope he will continue to use his legs to move the chains and keep Defenses honest.
4. Trey Marshall is a bonafide head hunter. Even in this game he could have got called twice for helmet to helmet. Look I love aggressive DB's and I want our guys willing to come up and hit but he must learn how to go low. He was kicked out of 2 games last season and called 2 or 3 more times for it..1 was major BS but overall he's a guy Coach Kelly will count on to contribute and we can't see him getting escorted off the field every other week.
5. Our D-Line has a chance to be really good. Yes Clemson in terms of their Top 4 may be better w/ Ferrell, Watkins, Lawrence & Bryant but in terms of the quality guys that we have and the depth at each spot, we're not very far behind. Nnadi, Christmas & Aime are just people eaters and are so hard to move inside.
6. Who is getting touches? Last year our offense was centered off the best RB in the country. This year we have a lot of new guys stepping into bigger roles. I'm curious to see who emerges from a group of talented WR's and a stable of young RB's.
7. Kickers Matter - Lost in the mix from this game was how clutch Aguayo was. He was hot that night and kept us in the game when our offense couldn't get anything going. Him getting that year under his belt will hopefully be huge. Roberto spent his Freshman year as a RS learning from Dustin Hopkins so for Ricky to get thrown right into it and perform was great. Now he needs to get stronger and mature and become a reliable option anywhere from 40 yards and in..
8. Spring Health - Biggest concern of mine is our health. Not because of anyone in particular but I just want to get this 2017 team playing at full strength. Regardless of what happens lets have everyone healthy and see what this group is capable of. Too many skilled football players on both sides of the ball not to make it to the playoffs.
1. I pray that our offensive line comes out ready to play against Alabama. This was one of the worst played games for a FSU Offensive Line I would say ever. The second half was much better than the first but overall it was just a terrible performance. Will need to get a solid group of 5 guys to mesh this spring and gain some trust and consistency and get ready to go for Labor Day Weekend.
2. McFadden improved so much throughout the season. In this game he got beat a few times, had a handful of missed arm tackles, tipped a pass right into the Ole Miss WR's hands for a TD and just looked young. He made up for it by making the game sealing int but overall i'm looking forward to him being eve more of a factor this season. Having Derwin out there with him could really put us in position to have 2 All American DB's.
3. Francois made a couple huge plays in this game with his feet. Despite getting rocked and running for his life a few times, he also came up with some clutch 1st Downs late in the game to keep drives alive. He had a huge run off of a broken Jet Sweep to Bobo and he took the ball inside the 5 to set up a TD. Don't want him taking unnecessary hits but as he grows more confident I hope he will continue to use his legs to move the chains and keep Defenses honest.
4. Trey Marshall is a bonafide head hunter. Even in this game he could have got called twice for helmet to helmet. Look I love aggressive DB's and I want our guys willing to come up and hit but he must learn how to go low. He was kicked out of 2 games last season and called 2 or 3 more times for it..1 was major BS but overall he's a guy Coach Kelly will count on to contribute and we can't see him getting escorted off the field every other week.
5. Our D-Line has a chance to be really good. Yes Clemson in terms of their Top 4 may be better w/ Ferrell, Watkins, Lawrence & Bryant but in terms of the quality guys that we have and the depth at each spot, we're not very far behind. Nnadi, Christmas & Aime are just people eaters and are so hard to move inside.
6. Who is getting touches? Last year our offense was centered off the best RB in the country. This year we have a lot of new guys stepping into bigger roles. I'm curious to see who emerges from a group of talented WR's and a stable of young RB's.
7. Kickers Matter - Lost in the mix from this game was how clutch Aguayo was. He was hot that night and kept us in the game when our offense couldn't get anything going. Him getting that year under his belt will hopefully be huge. Roberto spent his Freshman year as a RS learning from Dustin Hopkins so for Ricky to get thrown right into it and perform was great. Now he needs to get stronger and mature and become a reliable option anywhere from 40 yards and in..
8. Spring Health - Biggest concern of mine is our health. Not because of anyone in particular but I just want to get this 2017 team playing at full strength. Regardless of what happens lets have everyone healthy and see what this group is capable of. Too many skilled football players on both sides of the ball not to make it to the playoffs.
