FSU football: 5 takeaways from blowout win over Duquesne
By Kelvin Hunt
Defensive Ends/Pass Rush
I know some FSU fans expected more sacks from the defensive ends, but Duquesne only threw 17 passes, and most of those passes were quick to get the ball out quickly.
Jared Verse finally broke through for his first sack as a Nole late in the fourth quarter, but he and Derrick McLendon had several QB hurries in the game.
Those pressures were one reason Duquesne only converted 1 of 10 third downs. The Duquesne QB only completed 7 of 17 passes (41 percent), though his wide receivers did have a couple of drops.
There were a couple of times the defensive ends failed to set the edge in the run game. Dennis Briggs(and Amari Gainer at LB) crashing towards the middle allowed a big run around the end for one play I remember.
There was another play where Jared Verse didn’t do a good job setting the edge, which allowed a runner to get around the corner.
That’s something I’m not surprised to see from Verse, and I’m sure that’s something they’ll continue to coach him on. This position will be key next week against LSU with a mobile QB.