FSU Football: Alabama vulnerable in the secondary?
By Kelvin Hunt
FSU football will take on Alabama in their 2017 opening game. Could the Alabama secondary be vulnerable to FSU passing attack?
All college football teams are counting down the days till their 2017 opening game. However, everyone will have their eyes on the FSU football showdown against Alabama on September 2nd.
It’ll likely be a matchup between two top five programs for the first time ever during opening week.
Every team has weaknesses, even the elite teams, it’s how teams work around those weaknesses that make them great.
We’ve covered some perceived weaknesses of FSU football heading out of spring camp recently.
One ESPN writer thinks Alabama’s weakness continues to be their secondary:
"Remember all those explosive plays Alabama gave up during the championship game loss to Clemson? They reared their ugly head again during the spring game, as the secondary was torched for at least five completions of 30 or more yards."
A lot of pundits hailed Alabama’s defense as one of the greatest ever last season, but they lost seven defensive players in the NFL draft.
Of course they reload with talent, but that’s a lot to replace. I think Alabama’s defense was good, but like Michigan, was a benefactor of playing against relatively weak offensive teams throughout the season.
When they played good offenses, they got lit up. Just look at the Ole Miss and Clemson games. Alabama’s secondary was suspect as Chad Kelly lit them up for 426 passing yards and three touchdowns.
Deshaun Watson smoked the Alabama secondary for 420 yards in the national championship game.
How FSU can benefit
The biggest differences in the passing attack for FSU football in 2017 will be the following:
- Deondre Francois experience
- Better offensive line
- Taller receivers
The experience Deondre Francois gained last season is invaluable as went up against several top defenses as a redshirt freshman. The offensive line is improved hopefully and some players from last season have more experience under their belt.
Finally, Francois will have much larger targets to throw to in 2017. No disrespect to Bobo Wilson and Kermit Whitfield, but they were very small receivers where the margin for error was extremely small.
Francois will have two or three huge targets over 6 feet 2 inches in Auden Tate, Keith Gavin and possibly George Campbell to do damage against Alabama’s secondary.
Their height alone could help improve Francois’s accuracy over the long haul because there’s greater room for error.
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If the offensive line can give him time, Alabama’s secondary could be vulnerable to the passing attack of FSU.