What to Watch For: Citadel at FSU

Here’s what to watch for when Florida State hosts Citadel in its home opener.

After a 37-31 opening week win over Oklahoma State — one that shined a light on some of the Seminoles’ early season issues — Florida State returns to Tallahassee to host Citadel in its home opener.

Last weekend Florida State had issues on both sides of the ball. Offensively the run-blocking left something to be desired and — outside of Rashad Greene — it was clear that Jameis Winston was still developing trust with his receivers. Defensively, gap control issues and penalties kept the Seminoles from shutting the door on the Pokes.

But with Citadel in town FSU should have a good team to get back to form against. The Seminoles out-class the Bulldogs, but Citadel’s triple-option offense will provide a perfect test for a defense that needs to work on staying disciplined. And there should be plenty of opportunities to build confidence on the offensive side of the ball against an overmatched Bulldog defense.

Here’s what to watch for when the Seminoles and Bulldogs square off:

1.) Gap Control

Against Oklahoma State the Seminoles got off to a strong start but then ran into problems as defenders stopped playing assignment-sound football and started free-lancing.

“Everyone has responsibilities,” said Jimbo Fisher on Tuesday after practice. “The thing is you have your gap, but you can’t go jumping out of it and be greedy and want to make a play.”

Against Citadel’s triple-option offense gap control is going to be incredibly important. The Bulldogs don’t have elite athletes, but they will have the ability to move the ball if Florida State doesn’t stay disciplined. In many ways this is the perfect test at the perfect time for the Seminole D.

This isn’t anything new either. FSU had the same issues last year.

“As great as Timmy [Jernigan] was, the first two or three games [last year] a lot of the runs that came out early were Timmy trying to go and make plays,” said Fisher. “You have to stay in there and then learn to play within the scheme and go. I’m not criticizing him, it’s just natural instincts.”

It took until the BC game last year for FSU to learn that lesson– and that was a historically good defense.

We’ll see how long it takes for it to sink in with this year’s group.

2.) The D-Line rotation

Jimbo Fisher said he wanted to get more guys into the rotation last weekend but didn’t get the opportunity. A large part of that was because Oklahoma State attacked with a fast paced tempo and quick snaps– running those linemen in and out just wasn’t an option.

Get used to that. After Auburn had success against FSU last January using a fast pace and quick snaps, a lot of teams are going to take that tact against the Seminoles this year.

But, this week — against a more deliberate triple-option attack — that isn’t likely to be a problem. That means Fisher and company can use a deeper rotation on the line. It also means fans are likely to get their first glimpses at a number of young players– guys like DeMarcus Christmas and Derrick Nnadi.

FSU boasts a deep, but somewhat inexperienced defensive line. This will be a great opportunity to get the younger guys some good reps.

3.) Dalvin Cook

Cook was another player that Fisher said he regrets not getting into the game in Dallas. The five-star running back was named Mr. Football for the state of Florida last year before enrolling at FSU early.

By all accounts he is an incredible talent.

“He’s tough on himself, that’s what’s going to make him really good,” said LT Cam Erving last week. “Everybody knows he’s fast, but the thing people don’t really understand at this point in his career, he’s very shifty. He makes cuts and makes holes out of nothing. He’s special.”

Even Karlos Williams and Mario Pender — both of whom are ahead of Cook on the depth chart — have admitted that they can’t wait to watch him carry the ball for Florida State.

How much Cook gets to see the ball remains to be seen. Williams will likely get a good portion of the early touches as he bounces back from a tough opener. And Pender is likely to see 10-15 touches himself as Fisher eases him into the rotation.

But come the second half, Cook should be getting some touches of his own and — if his teammates’ praise is any indication — it should be worth paying attention to.

4.) Watch the Receivers

Last week Jameis Winston targeted Rashad Greene on half of his throws. This week, look for Winston to try to spread the ball out a little more against a secondary that will struggle to keep up.

Jesus “Bobo” Wilson is back. Kermit Whitfield, Jarred Haggins and Christian Green are all likely to see a few more looks. And Nick O’Leary should get involved early as well.

But after that, there will be plenty of opportunities to get a glimpse of the trio of freshman receivers that arrived this Fall. Travis Rudolph, Ermon Lane and Ja’Vonn Harrison are all extremely talented but they’re still developing and learning the concepts in a difficult offense.

“It’s going to take some time for everybody just because it’s different,” said Christian Green. “Its a lot more reads and you have to be able to read the defense and look at the blitz and see how they’re blitzing in terms of that. It’s different and it’s going to take some time to get used to that.”

Against Citadel though, fans should get a glimpse of the athleticism the trio brings to the table for the first time as the reserves enter the game sometime in the second half.

5.) Backup Corners

This will be a good chance for Florida State to get its back-up corners some playing time. PJ Williams will miss Saturday as he nurses a hamstring injury and Ronald Darby — who isn’t listed as injured but has battled a wide assortment of ailments since arriving in Tallahassee — isn’t likely to play for long either. In their places, Nick Waisome and Marquez White should get plenty of work.

The pair has already gotten extensive reps in Fall camp — when both Williams and Darby missed time — and will likely get a chance to play for most of the game against Citadel.

Waisome is a talented player that, frankly, doesn’t fit all that well into the system Jeremy Pruitt installed last year. Waisome made 14 starts for the Seminoles two years ago — under old defensive coordinator Mark Stoops — when he split time at boundary corner with Darby following the early departure of Greg Reid.

White was a two-sport athlete last season. He first showed his durability by flipping from corner to receiver and back again over the course of the season and then walked on to the Florida State basketball team in the Spring. He’s told reporters this year that he’s sticking to football from now on and the reports from camp were good.

“Marquez is going to be a heckuva football player,” said Fisher recently. “I really like him. He can do a lot of things. He [doesn’t] only play corner, but he can play safety too. He has tremendous ball skills, speed and athleticism to get over the top. He is a big, long guy who is really starting to get stronger now. He has a chance to be a good player in the future. I am very pleased with his progress.”

It will be interesting to see both of them get some extensive playing time tomorrow.