FSU football: 5 bold predictions for Notre Dame game
By Kelvin Hunt
Jack Coan Completes Less Than 65 Percent Of His passes
I’m not sold on Jack Coan, and there’s a reason why he had to transfer from Wisconsin. There’s also a reason why Mike Norvell called him a game manager in his press conference Wednesday.
Can Jack Coan make throws downfield? Yes, he can do that when he has all day to throw in the pocket, but most decent college quarterbacks can do that.
However, can he do that when it’s third and long? No, he hasn’t shown he’s capable of doing that consistently (most college quarterbacks can’t).
I know Notre Dame folks believe he’s not a dink and dunk guy, but he hasn’t had to be the guy to make throws downfield in his career. I expect a lot of short or intermediate passes to the tight-end, but I can see Notre Dame attempting to stretch the field vertically off first down play-action.
The latter could happen if FSU can’t stop the run. I know FSU’s secondary hasn’t looked great in recent years, but a lot of that is due to a lack of pass rush.
The secondary has excellent athletes and speed Coan didn’t typically see when he was in the B1G. I’m sure he’ll target their star tight end a ton and will connect on some throws, but the rest of their receiving core isn’t proven.
FSU’s defense allowed teams to complete 66 percent of their passes last season, and Coan completed 69 percent in his lone season as starting quarterback in 2019.