FSU FOOTBALL SHOWCASES SPEED
Florida State football seemed to have everything going in its favor this past Saturday afternoon as the Seminoles defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide by a score of 31-17. This was a surprising result for many, besides the coaching staff and the players.
They looked prepared and ready for the challenge ahead. Head football coach Mike Norvell made one of the most publicized moves of the offseason as he elected to hire Gus Malzahn to be the offensive coordinator.
It is well known that Coach Malzahn loves to run the football within his offensive schemes. That was something that he prided himself on with the UCF Knights last year, where the team averaged 248.1 rushing yards per game.
OPPOSING DEFENSES BEWARE
I know that Florida State added dual-threat quarterback Thomas Castellanos, and he was crucial in the victory against Alabama. However, it is nice that the Seminoles had speedy weapons to get the football in space to make Castellanos's job easier.
Florida State football has a good issue to have, as dynamic athletes Micahi Danzy and Jaylin Lucas had success against the Crimson Tide. Danzy finished with three carries for 56 yards and a touchdown, while Lucas had six attempts for 22 yards and two catches for 66 yards.
I expect this trend to continue. I remember head football coach Mike Norvell spoke to the media last year after the Georgia Tech season-opening loss and stated that they wanted to get Jaylin Lucas the football more. The speedster suffers a season-ending injury versus Boston College the following week.
Then Danzy got an opportunity against Clemson last year on a wheel route that was dropped, but he redeemed himself versus Charleston Southern on a 38-yard wheel route. All in all, neither athlete was used in 2024.
We won't see a drop in production for either of them. This is an offense that wants to get its athletes in space. Coach Malzahn emphasizes the importance of moving the chains to create shorter downs and distances, eventually wearing down opposing defenses.