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FSU Football 2016 Gameday Preview: vs. Clemson
Here’s a preview of FSU football and their next battle during the 2016 football season.
It has come to this point of the season for the Florida State Seminoles. What was supposed to be a game that would decide the ACC Championship and a likely spot in the college football playoff has become a game that is about survival and finding out what the ‘Noles want the 2016 season to be about.
FSU football can come out Saturday, pull off the upset over Clemson and finish the year with plenty to be proud about – but can just as easily drop another game and continue what could end up being the most disappointing season in program history based on preseason predictions. What the team wants is up to them – and it couldn’t come against a tougher opponent.
Here’s our preview of this week’s game between the Seminoles and the Tigers.
Oct 15, 2016; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles running back Dalvin Cook (4) is tripped up during a run in the game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports
Last Time FSU Football Took The Field
It’s been a few weeks, but that may be the best thing for the Seminoles after looking, to be frank about it, hung over from their win over Miami on October 8th when they took the field the following week against Wake Forest.
The defense continued what looks to be a resurgence at the midway point of the season against the Demon Deacons, but the offense looked lethargic at times and escaped with a 17-6 win before heading into the bye week with a 5-2 record and plenty of questions (and worries) for fans of the program and head coach Jimbo Fisher.
Nov 7, 2015; Clemson, SC, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) carries the ball while being defended by Florida State Seminoles linebacker Terrance Smith (24) during the first half at Clemson Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports
Key Matchup
Deshaun Watson vs. FSU’s Front Seven
It’s no secret that Watson is one of the best players in college football. For the last two seasons, he has given the Seminoles all they could handle in the previous meetings – coming up just short in 2014 and getting the win last year. He is perfectly capable of beating FSU football either with his arm or his legs, so it’s pick your poison for the ‘Noles.
Watson is going to get his share of yards – there is no way around that for the FSU defense and their coordinator, Charles Kelly. What the front seven of the ‘Noles have to do is contain that yardage to the point where the offense (namely Davlin Cook) can keep them in the game and possibly pull off the upset. If Watson runs free and keeps the ‘Noles at arms length, it could be a long night in Tallahassee.
Interesting Note
Not only are the Tigers looking to break a winless streak in Tallahassee that dates back to the 2006 season, but also Clemson is looking for the rare win in Florida’s capital city all time in the series. In the previous 15 games where FSU has hosted, the Seminoles hold a 12-3 record with Clemson’s wins coming in 1976, 1989 and 2006. The ‘Noles have had less luck in Clemson with an all-time record of just 8-6 in the Tiger’s den – with all six of those losses coming since 2003 and FSU getting just one win on the road in that span (2013).
Oct 1, 2016; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Jimbo Fisher before the game against the North Carolina Tarheels at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports
Prediction
Every common sense thing in the world says the Tigers are the right pick in this one – and maybe they just are. Clemson has come into Tallahassee has the higher ranked team just one time and left with a rare win in that game back in 1989. That being said, the ACC’s best rivalry over the last half decade is one that will be a lot closer than what people might think. If…and it’s a big if…the Seminoles’ defense can play the way they have the last two weeks, they have a legit shot of pulling off the upset.
With salvaging the season on the line for the Seminoles, you have to think they can do just enough to shock the world and make things very interesting in both the ACC race and the college football picture as a whole. Florida State 28 Clemson 24
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