Five Numbers that Must Improve for 2015 FSU Football

Oct 30, 2014; Louisville, KY, USA; Florida State Seminoles fullback Freddie Stevenson (23) runs into the end zone for a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Louisville Cardinals at Papa John

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While FSU struggled to get opponents off the field in 2014, it struggled to stay on the field when it needed to most, as indicated by the 0% conversion rate on fourth down conversions. The ‘Noles were the only team in the FBS not to convert a fourth down all season.

Now, Florida State did attempt a national-low six fourth-down conversions, but having a 0% success rate in anything is the definition of dismal. Plus, two of those attempts came in pivotal moments in the Rose Bowl– one was when Jameis Winston couldn’t quite stretch into the end zone on a play that would have given the ‘Noles a 10-7 lead, and the other was the infamous Winston fumble scooped up by the Ducks and returned for a score, the play that essentially extinguished any Seminole comeback hopes. It’s easy to say those plays didn’t matter, given the 39-point margin of defeat, but results hinge on a few key moments, and they don’t get much bigger than fourth down.

As Jimbo Fisher often says, it’s important for any team to be able to run in short-yardage situations, and fourth down is no exception. Power back Karlos Williams is gone, but FSU still has Freddie Stevenson, Johnathan Vickers, and early enrollee hammer Jacques Patrick.

The line will be fairly green, but Roderick Johnson and Ryan Hoefeld were able to get some needed burn in 2014.