FSU football: 3 reasons Noles cover spread, 3 reasons they don't against Georgia Tech

Successful Run Game

Georgia Tech ran the ball 56 percent of the time last year. It's their bread and butter and they have many ways to do it. They'll run counter, jet sweeps, read option, sweeps from orbit motion, and more. They'll get Hayne King involved in the running game, as he was their second leading rusher last season. A QB running successfully could help open other things for the Georgia Tech offense. They return their QB, starting running back, and most of their offense line from last year that led the ACC.

They should be better with the continuity and they've had all offseason to prepare for this game. If FSU can't stop their run game, that essentially shortens the game. It would keep the FSU offense off of the field and potentially wear down a FSU defense with some new pieces. Georgia Tech was good on first and second down, creating manageable third downs last year. Once they got inside the red zone, they scored touchdowns 60 percent of the time. They'll have to score touchdowns if they want to win or cover the spread.