Chop Chat
Fansided

FSU Football: Do recent departures put Noles at risk of bowl loss?

By Jason Parker

ORLANDO, FL - SEPTEMBER 05: Derwin James #3 of the Florida State Seminoles reacts in the first half against the Mississippi Rebels during the Camping World Kickoff at Camping World Stadium on September 5, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL - SEPTEMBER 05: Derwin James #3 of the Florida State Seminoles reacts in the first half against the Mississippi Rebels during the Camping World Kickoff at Camping World Stadium on September 5, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

FSU football will be without some big names for the Independence Bowl due to those leaving for the NFL – does this mean the Noles are ripe for an upset?

In the days following the announcement that FSU football would be heading into the Independence Bowl for a battle with Southern Miss, the news broke that the Seminoles would be playing without star safety Derwin James – who didn’t surprise anyone by going pro but did surprise some by saying he wouldn’t play in the bowl game.

At the same time, the Seminoles did find themselves somewhat shocked by the news that defensive end Josh Sweat was leaving the program before the bowl to prepare for the NFL Draft – and interim head coach Odell Haggins confirmed this week that senior starting linebacker Matthew Thomas and senior wide receiver Ermon Lane are not preparing for the bowl game.

So, for those of you scoring at home, the Noles will now be without their top three tacklers this season – who combined for 225 tackles, eight and a half sacks, three interceptions with one (almost two) returned for touchdowns, a fumble recovery for a touchdown and two blocked kicks – along with a receiver who averaged over 20 yards a catch since moving back to offense.

If you aren’t panicking a little bit before Wednesday’s battle in Shreveport, this might be a good time to get a little worried.

This coming Wednesday, the defense for FSU football will be playing their eight team this season with an offense ranked in the top 40 of the FBS, as the Golden Eagles are currently ranked 38th nationally while averaging almost 440 yards of offense and over 30 points a game.

Granted, a lot of that was against defenses from Conference USA and some of the worst in college football who are far below the 25th ranked defense of the Seminoles. That being said, losing over 28 percent of your tackles, almost 30 percent of your sack production and a key piece of all three defensive units is recent to be sweating heading into Shreveport.

Don’t think the Seminoles should be bothered? It might be a good idea to remember that bowl game a few years ago when the Noles were supposed to have no problem with a Houston team who, while 12-1 at the time, hadn’t played anyone like the Seminoles at that point – and then went out and beat Florida State by two touchdowns.

Not everyone is putting the NFL ahead of FSU football – as star defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi said he wouldn’t miss the bowl game for anything according to the Tallahassee Democrat:

"“I like playing the game of football. And my mindset is I want to help this team win another bowl game….How I see it, I want to make sure we push the record, and help our organization win another one.”"

Next: Three reasons FSU fans shouldn't worry about 2018 recruiting

Nnadi has the right attitude – and here is hoping that spreads over to the rest of the FSU football team in what may be one of the biggest bowl games for the Seminoles in hopes of avoiding their first losing season since 1976 – the same year new head coach Willie Taggart was born.

Home/FSU Football