Florida State will be doing its best to create a winning streak tonight, as they take on the Clemson Tigers at 7:00 PM EST in a not-so Death Valley. The Seminoles are coming off a promising victory over Wake Forest at home last week by a score of 42-7.
However, the pressure is on for Florida State to continue to deliver for its head football coach Mike Norvell with the "comprehensive assessment" potentially looming at the end of the year. This edition of the Seminoles and the Tigers might not get many individuals outside the programs excited, but the matchup presents two teams that need wins badly.
We already mentioned that big-bodied playmaker Duce Robinson is inching closer to the record books, but the Seminoles will likely need more than just the former USC transfer to get the job done on the road Saturday night.
THIS PLAYER NEEDS TO STEP UP
Robinson is an important aspect of the Seminoles' team, but Florida State generates its offensive game plan around quarterback Tommy Castellanos. The program picked up the former UCF and Boston College transfer signal-caller this offseason in hopes that he can flash his dual-threat ability.
Castellanos caught the attention of the college football world by storm after the season-opening victory over Alabama, where he mentioned that "Nick Saban couldn't save them". It allowed the Seminoles to be in the discussion for serious College Football Playoff contenders.
However, that thought process of being a championship squad came to a screeching halt, as the program suffered a four-game losing streak to Virginia, Miami, Pittsburgh, and Stanford. Some individuals suggest that the ankle injury that quarterback Tommy Castellanos suffered in the first half of a meaningless Kent State contest was the reason for the slump.
Even though Castellanos had good news that the injury wasn't serious, as he came running out of the tunnel of the second half of the game against the Golden Flashes, he hasn't been the same runner that created doubt in Alabama defenders with his 78 yards and one touchdown in the opener.
The quarterback has seemed to be hesitant when keeping the football in the offense. Castellanos has shown the ability to run if he has to, but he would rather hand the football off to eliminate the risk of nagging the injury at times. The electric offensive playmaker only had 10 carries for 9 yards and one touchdowns against Wake Forest, and that won't cut it against Clemson if they want to be successful.
This isn't to say that the signal-caller is a statue in the pocket, as he has accumulated 89 carries for 328 yards and six touchdowns (per ESPN statistics). However, the coaching staff would probably like that rushing total to be closer to the 550 mark to open up the explosive plays in the offense.
If Florida State's quarterback is not able to be healthy to show his running ability, Clemson's front seven can be able to pin their ears back and force Castellanos to progress through his reads and run the risk of the pressure getting home.