Florida State vs. Syracuse Preview

Each week ChopChat’s Harlen Shackleford previews that weekend’s game; here’s the Florida State vs. Syracuse Preview.

Florida State vs. Syracuse Preview

This Saturday, ACC foes Florida State and Syracuse will square off in Syracuse, New York at noon. The ‘Noles will be sitting quite a few players out, including key components to the team like halfback Karlos Williams. While Jimbo Fisher seemed optimistic about WR Rashad Greene’s chances, he may nevertheless see limited action.

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When the ‘Noles have the Ball

The Seminoles descend upon the Carrier Dome this weekend with one of the more impressive red zone offenses in the country, as their attack ranks sixth nationally. The ‘Noles have just missed one attempt to score inside the 20. Much of this can be contributed to FSU’s Groza Award-winning kicker, Robert Aguayo, who has been perfect when the ‘Noles have decided to settle for three.

Thus far, the Seminoles have scored 15 touchdowns and eight field goals on their 24 visits to the red zone. Much of the same should be seen this Saturday against the Orange, as Syracuse is surrendering 5.26 yards per play. If Greene is limited in any capacity, Jameis Winston will have a great opportunity to show his proficiency at throwing to some of his younger weapons like Ermon Lane and Travis Rudolph. Matched up against a defense that has looked more than slow at times this season, speedster tailback Mario Pender could potentially have a career game if the ‘Noles can take control of this one early on.

When Syracuse has the Ball

Syracuse is in the midst of a three-game losing streak with an offense that ranks 108th in the country in scoring. Things got no better for the ‘Cuse in their last contest, when they lost run-threat quarterback Terrel Hunt to a broken fibula.

Hunt was the centerpiece to a struggling Syracuse offense, as he led the team in rushing yards as well as touchdowns on the ground.  Following that game, offensive coordinator George McDonald was demoted to wide receivers coach and will no longer be calling plays for the Orange. In his place, quarterbacks coach Tim Lester will take the reins. When asked about the change, head coach Scott Shafer had this to say:

"“I’ve made the decision to change roles to use our staff’s talents together more effectively. Coach Tim Lester will call the plays and coordinate the offense moving forward…(previous offensive coordinator) George and the offensive staff will continue to work alongside one another striving to improve our offense together. Tim will take charge of the play calling and the development of our young quarterbacks. George will continue to coach our receiver unit.”"

Lester will be limited, as he is working with an offense that, until now, has been developed with McDonald’s vision in mind. This week during interviews, Lester made this clear saying:

"“We’ve talked a lot about what we can change, what can I try to curtail to get done,…But the answer is nothing.  I’ve just got to do the best job I can do of running this offense the best I can, and worry about what I would preferably do later.”"

Conclusion

It would be a tough task for Syracuse to even keep this one competitive, as Jameis Winston is 42-54 with eight touchdowns and a QBR of 95.8 in games played north of D.C. during his career at Florida State. Fisher will have his core of young wide receivers ready to make big plays Saturday against an ailing Syracuse team. If this one’s still competitive in the fourth quarter, then Florida State has a lot of work to do before Notre Dame comes to Tallahassee for Gameday next weekend.

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