FSU football: 3 defensive performance goals for Noles against UNC

Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell coaches a player during a drill. The Seminoles work on stepping up their game in the offseason during a spring practice, Thursday, March 12, 2020.Fsu Football Practice537
Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell coaches a player during a drill. The Seminoles work on stepping up their game in the offseason during a spring practice, Thursday, March 12, 2020.Fsu Football Practice537 /
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Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Daniel /Allsport /

Hold UNC to 6.5 ypp or less

I know, I know. A defense allowing 6.5 yards per play isn’t a very good defense. However, it is when your previous opponent probably could have averaged 10 ypp for the game if they wanted to.

Florida State Seminoles Football
Florida State Seminoles Football /

Florida State Seminoles Football

Listen, something has to give with these players and coaches. The 2019 defense started out allowing more points than this year’s defense through four games, so why can’t this defense find some way to get better? North Carolina is averaging 7.56 yards per play through three games.

Granted, those three games are against Syracuse, Boston College, and Virginia Tech. It’s still impressive, but holding them below their season average would give FSU a shot of pulling off the upset.

The biggest obstacle will be limiting the explosive plays, but unfortunately, they can get them both running and passing the ball. One of their running backs is averaging over 10 yards per carry.

If I’m FSU football coaches, I’m selling out to stop the run and take my chances against Sam Howell through the air.

At the very least, if they give up a long pass for a score, it doesn’t eat up a ton of clock and gets the ball back to the FSU offense.