FSU Football: Breakdown of true freshman’s performance in first game

After a heartbreaking loss against Boise State, Sam Tschida takes a look at how the true freshmen on FSU football’s roster played against the Broncos.

Yesterday was a tough day in Tallahassee after FSU football lost their opening game of 2019 to Boise State. Despite building an 18-point lead in the first half, an offensive collapse and non-existent defense doomed the ‘Noles to a heart-crushing loss.

As many negatives as there were to take away from yesterday’s game, there were a few things that should make ‘Nole fans hopeful. Aside from a revamped offense that showed some spark, the freshmen from the 2019 class got a lot of playing time, and they didn’t disappoint. So let’s see how each one did, and how much they contributed to the ‘Noles on the field.

Offense

On the front line, Dontae Lucas received the most snaps out of any freshman in the game for FSU, and he played decently well. He also was the only true freshman to really receive any playing time on the offensive side of the ball. He won the starting spot at right guard over junior Mike Arnold and handled himself well against a good Boise front four.

For a quick example, on the first drive of the game, Lucas helped spring a Cam Akers touchdown run, seen here.

Lucas did a really good job here of turning his butt to the hole and walling off the interior defensive lineman. He stayed low, shot his hands into the defender’s chest, and created a hole for Cam to run through.

Although he did struggle at times against a good defensive front, Lucas showed why he was such a valuable recruit in the 2019 class. He played all 65 offensive snaps, and for a true freshman offensive lineman, Lucas was one of the few bright spots in a morbid position group.

Defense

Compared to just one on offense, six true freshmen received significant playing time on defense. Four of them played in the secondary and on special teams, and they all had an impact on the game.

Florida State Seminoles Football

Renardo Green totaled two tackles on the day, including one for loss, while Brendan Gant added three solo tackles of his own. Raymond Woodie III nailed a tackle on special teams, as did Gant, while Akeem Dent had excellent punt return coverage on the day.

None of the true freshmen saw a ton of time in normal defensive sets, save for third-and-long situations, but overall they all played well. Woodie and Gant both got picked on a bit by Boise when the ‘Noles were in zone coverage, but overall the freshmen played well against a good Boise offense.

In the front seven, both Jaleel McRae and Tru Thompson saw a decent amount of snaps on defense. Thompson recorded one tackle on the day and saw playing time in relief of Robert Cooper when the big man needed water. Thompson held his own against the interior Boise State defensive line, and while he did get pushed around a bit, it was nothing out of the ordinary for a true freshman in his first game.

McRae saw a little less time on the field than Thompson did, but had a major impact play during the second quarter. The ‘Noles dialed up a zone blitz that sent McRae on a stunt up through the middle of the o-line, and he took down Boise QB Hank Bachmeier.

McRae did get beach a few times while in zone coverage, but did well in run support and recorded a sack in his first-ever game as a Seminole.