Use Running Backs As Extension of Running Game if Teams Stack The Box
There’s no question that teams know Gus Malzahn wants to run the ball, and their priority is to stop that and make Thomas Castellanos beat them with his arm. This goes back to Castellenos making the right reads at the line of scrimmage.
Gus Malzhan has an array of screens they can check into, and the running backs can all catch well. We’ve seen Ousmane Kromah and Gavin Sawchuk do damage in the passing game. They can get the ball out quickly on the perimeter with a quick game to slow the pass rush and help out the offensive line.
Castellanos showed he can do this well enough in the first three games to be effective. It’s like FSU had so much success with explosive plays in the first few games, they thought they could hit them at will.
The frustrating thing about the Miami game is that there were plays out there to be made all night. FSU either turned it over or failed to execute. Credit to Miami’s defense, causing some havoc and speeding up the clock in Castellanos’s head, but someone with his experience shouldn’t be making that many mistakes.
The good news? FSU should have its way with most of the defenses remaining on the schedule, as long as they don’t beat themselves.
The biggest difference in the first few weeks and the last two? Multiple turnovers and getting greedy instead of taking what’s there. It’s an easy fix if they execute.