FSU football: Ranking top 5 defenses Noles will face in 2020
By Kelvin Hunt
Boise State
It’s probably a surprise to most but Boise State makes the No. 5 spot on the list. The Broncos finished the 2019 season ranked No. 49 according to S&P metrics.
That was a small bit of regression from the previous season, and they are projected to have the No. 41 ranked defense via the same metrics.
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Their defensive coordinator will be in his second season.
They were top 20 in yards per carry average, but Cam Akers did have 115 rushing yard while averaging 7.7 yards per carry in the opening game last season.
One of the main reasons they make the list is because of the amount of time they have to prepare for FSU.
The good news is they haven’t seen what Mike Norvell can or will do at FSU since it’s also his first year there.
Another flaw of Boise State last year was they tended to give up explosive plays. They gave up 191 plays of 10 yards or more, which ranked No. 92 in the nation.
They did a solid job of forcing turnovers but struggled to stop teams on third downs. Their defense allowed teams to convert those at a 39 percent clip.
The key against Boise State will be establishing the run game and attacking vertically off play-action.