FSU Football: ACC coach thinks Noles could struggle offensively in 2018?

FSU football will look a bit different on offense in 2018 under Willie Taggart’s Gulf Coast offense.

There seems to be a lot of people questioning FSU football going in to 2018. The 2017 season was an utter disappointment due to several circumstances.

However, those things have led us to where we are now with a new energetic coach that’s continuing to recruit at an elite level like the old regime.

Yet, a number of media members are not sold on Willie Taggart or seem to forget how talented this FSU football team really is.

There’s a reason those same media members had them ranked top three in the 2017 preseason. Not a lot has changed from that team but for some reason expectations seem to be tremendously lower according to most of the previews I’ve read.

One interesting thing is how other ACC coaches view the Noles going into 2018. Athlon Sports was able to speak with some coaches anonymously, and you can read those thoughts below:

"“The big problem the new staff will face is the offense was recruited as a pro-style unit, and the new staff runs more of a spread, power-run type deal. Taggart likes to run his quarterback and likes to have that extra threat in the backfield. None of those quarterbacks on the roster are going be a run game threat. They can scramble and pick up first downs, but something is going to have to change.”"

Thoughts

It’s so funny to read that and realize the coach hasn’t done his homework on Coach Taggart. The fact of the matter is Taggart will run his quarterback if he’s not a great passer.

If the quarterback is capable of passing he won’t run him as much. The coach may not think none of the quarterbacks on the roster can be a run threat but that’s not true.

Jimbo Fisher wasn’t a big proponent of running his quarterback, especially not when there was a Dalvin Cook in the backfield during Deondre Francois’s redshirt freshman season.

However, Francois did run the ball 108 times (eight carries per game average) and had specific plays designed specifically for him to run as you can see in the posted video.

The staff couldn’t afford to run James Blackman in 2017 because there was literally no quarterback depth and he weighed 176 pounds.

Willie Taggart had to play several QB’s at Oregon due to injuries in 2017 and none of them averaged more than nine carries per game.

It’s true the old regime ran a pro-style offense, but that shouldn’t impact Taggart’s style that much.

For some reason people believe Jimbo Fisher was a pass happy coach when he was extremely balanced and only had one year where he passed more than he ran the ball (2014).

So it’s clear this particular coach didn’t watch much or any of Oregon last year and is basing his thoughts on what he saw Coach Taggart do while at USF.

His mistake and FSU football should benefit from it in 2018.