FSU football: The Noles’ defense should be able to have success against Duke’s offense

FSU football enjoyed its comfortable 41-3 victory against the Syracuse Orange on Saturday afternoon in friendly confines of Doak Campbell Stadium.

The Seminoles are currently listed as 14-point home favorites against the Blue Devils. The question mark surrounding the contest is the injury status of do-it-all quarterback Riley Leonard, who is dealing with an ankle injury.

As a result, head football coach Mike Elko had to insert redshirt freshman quarterback Henry Belin IV in their game against North Carolina State, which they ultimately won by a score of 24-3. It certainly was not due to Belin IV’s performance, given that he only completed four of twelve passes for 107 yards and two touchdowns with only one interception.

The Blue Devils’ offense struggled to keep drives alive on three down where they only converted one of their nine conversions. However, they relied heavily on the running game to keep their offense churning. They ended up having 194 rushing yards.

The Seminoles’ defensive unit is coming one of its best games of the season against the Orange, where they limited Syracuse to 261 total yards.

FSU could be having to go against a quarterback in Henry Belin IV that struggles to throw the football downfield. Even with Leonard were to play with his ankle injury, that should benefit FSU. That should allow the Seminoles to play aggressive and generate turnovers. However, they still need to find a way for stopping veteran running back Jordan Waters, who had 13 rushing attempts for 123 yards and one touchdown in their 24-3 victory over the Wolkpack.

The Blue Devils rank No. 72 in the FBS in total offense (388 yards per game). While the Seminoles’ defense has not been elite this season, they have been quite serviceable, where they rank No. 56 in the FBS in total defense (362.8 yards per game).

Head football coach Mike Norvell always want to emphasize the importance of trying to get 1% better each and every day. While the Seminoles are the talk of the college football world at 6-0, they cannot allow themselves to not take this No. 16 Duke team seriously.