FSU football: Top 5 substantial defensive improvements in 2021

By Kelvin Hunt | Dec 2, 2021

Sep 18, 2021; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Florida State Seminoles defensive back Akeem Dent Sr. (27) listens to defensive coordinator Adam Fuller (left) as he talks with the defensive unit during the second half against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Truist Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /

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Run Defense

The FSU defensive line should have been the strength of the team going into the 2020 season. However, that couldn’t have been farther from the truth as experienced players struggled and injuries mounted. The ability to stop the run is a must for any good defense, but FSU allowed a robust 5.12 yards per rush in 2020. That number likely would have been worst if the Noles played the likes of Clemson and Florida. Of course, those games didn’t happen because COVID was running wild. One of the reasons the FSU defense improved so much in 2021 was because they could effectively stop the run. They saw the average yards per rush decrease to 3.64, which was No. 36 nationally. Here’s a list of rushing attacks they faced in 2021(national rank):

UNC- No. 6 (5.47 ypc)
Louisville- No. 7
Florida- No. 9
Syracuse-No. 20
Clemson-No. 49
Notre Dame-No. 67(4.25 ypc)
UMASS-No. 68
Wake Forest-No. 75
Boston College- No. 77
NC State-No. 80
Miami-No. 98 (3.69 ypc)

They held nearly every team well below their season average, which was the key to the defense keeping them in nearly every game.

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