FSU football: 5 reasons FSU will easily have a top 25 offense in 2024
By Kelvin Hunt
DJU Offenses On Third Down
Another facet that made the 2022 FSU offense so great was the ability to convert on third downs. The Noles converted 51.19 percent of its third downs but saw that percentage drop to 36.26 in 2023. Some of it was Jordan Travis not running as much as the year before and not having a true slot receiver like Mycah Pittman. Some of it was playcalling early in downs, which resulted in unnecessary third and long situations. DJ Uiagalelei generally leads offenses with high third-down conversion percentages.
The Clemson Tigers converted 47.64 percent of its third downs in 2022. Oregon State converted 38.51 percent of its third downs in 2023. DJU not turning the ball over and avoiding negative plays helps to keep third downs manageable and easier to convert. Oregon State allowed 11 sacks and 65 tackles for a loss overall. They ran the ball 54 percent of the time, and I'd expect FSU to be somewhere in that ballpark in 2024. Jordan Travis only took 14 sacks and allowed 73 tackles for a loss in 2023.