FSU fans have bad flashbacks after Alabama gashes the defense on the opening drive

The big question going into Saturday was if FSU could compete with Alabama at the line of scrimmage. There are a lot of new bodies for the Seminoles on both sides of the ball and new coordinators.

So far, Alabama has shown no respect for FSU's ability to stop the run. Alabama didn't get a chunk play on its opening drive, but they got a ton of body blows, and it's clear their game plan is to wear down a Seminole defense that has questionable depth.

All in all, Alabama went 16 plays on its opening drive, and it took nearly nine minutes off the clock. The crowd was hyped and up for the challenge, but the defense couldn't meet their intensity.

​Third-down defense is a problem early

FSU did a good enough job on the early downs to put Alabama in some third-and-mediums, but it was there that the problems emerged. The Crimson Tide were 2-of-3 on third-down conversions and converted the fourth down. 

The trouble wasn't just that Alabama converted the third downs, it was the way it was done. The Tide didn't do anything fancy other than use their monstrous offensive line to push FSU around. On a 3rd-and-7, the Tide rushed for six yards and converted the fourth-and-1.

The next third down was a 3rd-and-5 at the FSU 42 and Richard Young plowed ahead with an inside run  for six yards. The final third down on the drive was a 3rd-and-six that Ty Simpson picked up with a scramble. Three plays later, he connected with tight end Josh Cuevas for a two-yard touchdown.

If FSU is going to have a shot at an upset, they are going to need a lot of big plays from the offense and enough from the defense to put Simpson in some uncomfortable situations. I expect Tony White to be better at making adjustments than Adam Fuller was. We'll see if I'm right.