FSU Season Preview: The Seminole Offense

Nov 23, 2013; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston (5) signs autographs for fans after the game against the Idaho Vandals at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports

Quarterbacks

Jameis Winston might be the first returning Heisman trophy winner to enter the next season as a Heisman underdog. But that’s where we are after Oregon QB Marcus Mariota seems to have passed Winston this offseason in the eyes of many national pundits. The Fox Sports preseason All-American team, the ESPN preseason All-American team and numerous others have Mariota ahead of Winston. Curious that at the end of last season Winston was affirming his status as the Heisman winner by leading a game-winning drive in the final minutes of the BCS Championship game, yet somehow over the past seven months — despite not one snap of football being played — he’s no longer considered the nation’s top player. It’s almost as if it’s not really football-related…

That should matter little to Florida State fans though. Winston rewrote the Florida State record books last season, doing things no QB in the history of the program — and that includes two other Heisman winners — had ever done. Winston’s 40 touchdown passes last season are made all the more remarkable by the fact that he rarely played beyond the third quarter in 2013.

Of course, Winston also put up good numbers when Florida State wasn’t blowing out its competition too. In addition to that clutch game-winning drive to finish off Auburn in Pasadena last January, FSU’s redshirt sophomore QB was 33/46 for 466 yards, 6 TD’s and no picks when playing from behind last year.

This season, Winston will be without two of his best targets (Shaw and Benjamin), but should have plenty of talented new options looking to emerge behind Rashad Greene and Nick O’Leary. Coupled with a dynamic rushing attack, Winston will have a full complement of weapons at his disposal.

An increased emphasis on the run game — along with Winston’s work on taking more check-downs — may mean he doesn’t put up the eye-popping numbers he did last year in terms of touchdowns and yardage, but his completion percentage (and by extension, decision-making) should both see nice improvements over his first season.