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FSU Football: Deondre Francois hasn’t surpassed EJ Manuel yet

By Kelvin Hunt

Dec 30, 2016; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Deondre Francois (12) runs off the field during the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2016; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Deondre Francois (12) runs off the field during the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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FSU football usually has good quarterback play under Jimbo Fisher. We discuss why Deondre Francois hasn’t surpassed EJ Manuel yet.

The title of this is just what it says and you’re probably wondering why you’re reading this right now.

Bleacherreport.com’s David Kenyon was writing about expectations for the FSU offense in 2017 and included them in his top 25 offenses.

He had the ‘Noles at No. 22 , and had this to say about one of the most important factors.

"Deondre Francois is already the second-best quarterback of the Jimbo Fisher era. That’s an important asset for Florida State, considering the offense lost Dalvin Cook and Travis Rudolph."

Let me get this out-of-the-way. He doesn’t directly say Deondre Francois is better than EJ Manuel. However, that statement implies that he believes that’s the case because of the following:

  • Christian Ponder was at FSU before Fisher was head coach
  • Francois isn’t better than Jamies Winston yet
  • Respect to Sean Maguire, but EJ Manuel would be No. 2 behind Winston according to most folk in the Fisher era

I don’t even see how this conclusion came about? Francois has played ONE year at FSU compared EJ Manuel playing over four years.

If you want to compare their first year a full-time starters, let’s look at the stats:

EJ Manuel (2011)

Games-12

Pass attempts-311

Pass completions-203

Yards-2,666

Y/A-8.6

Accuracy-65.3 percent

TD-18

INT-8

Passing efficiency rating-151.2 (Sports Reference.com)

Deondre Francois (2016)

Games-13

Pass attempts-400

Pass completions-235

Yards-3,350

Y/A-8.4

Accuracy-58.8 percent

TD-20

INT-7

Passing efficiency rating-142.1 (Sports Reference.com)

Factors

Both of these guys are/were incredibly tough. In fact, injuries to Manuel 2011 are huge narratives for that team and his personal stats.

He was banged up against Oklahoma and missed the entire Clemson game before coming into the Wake Forest game to replace Clint Trickett. FSU football lost all three of those games and lost a fourth game to Virginia later that year.

However, Manuel led the ‘Noles to a huge win over Notre Dame in the 2011 Champs Sports Bowl to finish the year with a 9-4 record. Did I mention he played in that game with a broken leg?

Manuel’s stats come over 11 games or so and not a full 12 that’s listed due to injury. Even still, his numbers are very comparable to Francois even though Francois attempted nearly 100 more passes.

Comparison isn’t fair yet

The comparison isn’t fair yet. It’s apples to oranges comparison now. Until Francois leads FSU football to an ACC title I don’t think you can put him ahead of EJ Manuel for the No. 2 spot in the Jimbo Fisher era.

Next: Four Reasons Deondre Francois Exceeded Expectations in 2016

However, I think Francois is in a prime position to close the gap between the two in 2017.

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