FSU football: Ranking top offenses Noles will face in 2023
By Kelvin Hunt
The FSU football defense caught a bad wrap last season from fans and some media that don’t look at the finer points.
The offense turning the ball over near midfield to provide a great field position for the opposing offense or the kickoff unit allowing a huge return. Both things happened in the Clemson game. A turnover of that nature happened in the Wake Forest game, and the NC State loss was squarely on the offense.
The raw stats paint a picture, and the advanced metrics state the FSU defense wasn’t bad at all last year. Not to mention they played over half of the season with two of their best defensive players out or at less than 100 percent.
Despite that challenge, the defense gave the offense chances to win in the three losses and got enough stops in a couple of other games to win. The biggest issue with the defense and its faults centered around a lack of depth at some key positions and overall talent.
It’s why the FSU coaches turned to the transfer portal to upgrade at positions of need. The defensive line has the best depth since over five years, and the cornerbacks shouldn’t be a liability in 2023.
Adam Fuller has improved the defense year over year, and the defense should continue its ascend towards top 20 status. Here’s a look at the top offenses they’ll face on the 2023 schedule.
No. 12
North Alabama
- 28.5 PPG
- 5.8 YPP
- 40 percent third down conversion
- 71 percent Red Zone TD percentage
Listen, I’m not gonna waste your time here. North Alabama is a team FSU should beat like a drum. While the raw numbers suggest they are not terrible for an FCS team, they won’t be able to do much agaisnt FSU, and the game should get to garbage time quickly.