Passing Defense
Listen, I’m very nitpicky here, but if there was one area of the defense that needs more work, it’s the pass rush and secondary play. I know nearly every player on the roster touched the field against East Texas A&M, so I’m referring mostly to the Alabama game.
FSU defenders must get the quarterback on the ground when they have him under pressure in the backfield. There were too many instances where he was in their grasp or close, and they dove at his feet instead of continuing the pursuit.
Alabama’s quarterback can move, and East Texas A&M had a guy who could move some. FSU will face other quarterbacks who are mobile, so honing in on that aspect is needed.
The other part is Alabama’s quarterback simply threw some poor passes, and Alabama receivers dropped some passes. Some of that was because Alabama felt the physicality of FSU’s defense. However, Alabama left some plays on the field, and that could come back to haunt FSU against a more experienced quarterback. They need to work on better communication and better spot drops in their zone coverage.