FSU football: 3 EASY ways to improve defense next week against Boston College

CREATE LEVERAGE UP FRONT

Florida State's defensive line lost quality pieces to the NFL such as defensive end Jared Verse and defensive tackle Braden Fiske, who were unblockable in the ACC Championship Game versus Louisville last year.

It was difficult to envision how the Seminoles' defensive line could recover after losing them. They added Marvin Jones Jr., Sione Lolohea, Tomiwa Durojaiye, and Grady Kelly via the transfer portal in the offseason.

ESPN's Pete Thamel even suggested that the Seminoles had the best defensive line in the entire country, which was quite a bold statement. That thought process reared its ugly head on Saturday as the starting defensive linemen did not have a single tackle for loss or sack.

While I understand that Georgia Tech was running a ton of motion and misdirection runs, the Seminoles' defensive line looked to be getting outmatched up front. Even in the times of the Yellow Jackets running it up the middle, the interior looked lost.

If leverage is created up front where the defensive line holds its ground, it could give the second level enough time to come up in support. Quarterback Haynes King (much like DJ Uiagalelei) did not seem like a threat to throw the ball downfield so the defensive line could have pinned their ears back.