FSU football: Should Noles run tempo or not against Clemson?

FSU football has decisions to make in how they want to attack the Clemson defense. Should tempo be used on offense or not?

The FSU football offense has used tempo to its advantage under Kendal Briles to become a top 25 offense after being terrible in 2018.

Tempo allows for more possessions while also hiding the deficiencies of the offensive line by catching defenses off guard and not lining up properly.

It also makes it easier to take advantage of favorable matchups once they are identified as it’s harder for opposing teams to substitute players.

However, the question is should FSU football use tempo on offense or not against such a good defense. Clemson will field by far the best defense the Noles have faced all season.

It’s true FSU’s offense will be the best Clemson’s defense has faced all season too but something has to give.

I think FSU’s offense can have some success against Clemson, but I think they should be strategic about when they use tempo.

I wrote about how FSU’s offense has had awful field position most of the time against Clemson the past two games. In the event that’s the case this year, I think it’s wise of the Noles to slow things down much like they did against NC State.

There’s no sense in starting a drive on or inside their own 20 yard line and potentially going three and out in less than a minute and 15 seconds. I’d suggest going slow and if they manage to get a first down on the drive, then they can tinker with using tempo to try to catch Clemson off-guard or not lining up properly.

If the Noles start a drive at say their own 35 or 40 yard line, I think they absolutely should attack with tempo as their chances of scoring are much higher with less distance to travel.

So it’s a game of shortening the game somewhat and limiting possession, but also attacking and playing to the strength of the offense when situations arise.

At the very least I think this strategy could put the Noles in a favorable position to keep the game close on the scoreboard which would be a win for FSU football compared to what’s expected.