FSU Football: Willie Taggart must make assistant changes before season is lost

FSU Football dropped their third straight opener with a comeback loss to Boise State – and now is the time to make a change before the season is lost.

With just over four minutes to go in the first half on Saturday, the FSU football team was in cruise control mode after James Blackman and Keyshawn Helton connected on a 58-yard touchdown pass that put the Seminoles up 31-13 and had fans of the Seminoles happy because the offense looked like…well, a college football offense.

Then, Boise State got a field goal…and another field goal before halftime…then a touchdown…and another touchdown…and by the time the Broncos added another field goal to finish their astonishing comeback win over the Noles, the anger and venom started from Tallahassee all the way to Key West about the same thing taking place.

Last season, it was an offense that got one field goal in their opening game loss to Virginia Tech that led to a season of offensive woes that ultimately got three new assistants brought in to the program – including offensive coordinator Kendal Briles, who looked like a genius for the first 26 minutes of game action.

Florida State Seminoles Football

Now, head coach Willie Taggart has a very short leash to make changes to the coaching staff on the defensive side of the ball – and changes need to be made now before the 2019 season is lost and the pressure is put on Taggart to fall on the sword to save the program.

This isn’t met to say that Boise State was a bad team or that the FSU football team should be ashamed to lose to them – hell, I said multiple times leading up to this game that the Broncos were fully capable of winning the game and the Seminoles needed to be on guard – but a three possession lead in an unacceptable one to give up.

What are the changes that need to be made? Is it time for defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett to be demoted to just a position coach and promote one of the other assistants, like Odell Haggins or Mark Snyder, to the top spot? Does Taggart need to have more of a hands on roll with that side of the ball? Is there a remedy at all?

Taggart deserves credit for addressing the problems with the offense after the 2018 season – but now, it’s time to focus on the defensive side of the ball before it’s too late. At this point, there is no time left this season to take the lumps that may come with another rocky season like what took place in 2018.

If there are no changes made and the Seminoles suffer through anything close to what took place last season, it’s going to be a change at the head coaching spot that the Noles will be making.