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

More Passes on First/Second Down

The playcalling was predictable on Saturday. It's like Mike Norvell pre-determined that they could run all over Georgia Tech no matter what defense they ran. That was a wrong assumption, as Georgia Tech determined they would sell out to stop the run and force DJ Uiagalelei to beat them with his arm. Mike Norvell never gave him a real shot to do it until it was too late. FSU ran the ball 24 times on first or second down (77 percent of its run plays) for 94 yards (3.91 ypc). However, FSU passed the ball on first down 13 times and completed nine passes (69.2 percent) for 76 yards (8.44 yards per reception).

Why didn't we see more first-down passes after Georgia Tech adjusted to take the run game away? FSU only threw six passes on second down, completing four passes for 30 yards. I know the narrative surrounding DJ Uiagalelei is he isn't the most accurate passer, but there are passes they can go to to help him like they did when they chose to throw the ball on Saturday. If FSU throws the ball more on first down, they will help keep teams honest against the run. I also think it'll help Uiagalelei get into more of a rhythm.