FSU football: Stopping Boston College's prolific rushing attack will be a challenge

Florida State football is preparing to face another ACC opponent, Boston College, in the friendly confines of Doak Campbell Stadium at 7:30 PM EST on ESPN. Many individuals are wondering how the Seminoles will respond after their forgettable loss to Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland.

It won't be easy as the Eagles almost upset the Seminoles in 2023 after Florida State got out to a 31-10 lead late in the third quarter before seeing it squander away. There were many fingernails being chewed off with the final score being 31-29.

There were rumors that the players from last season's team had a flu bug. Hopefully, the loss to the Yellow Jackets motivates Norvell and the company to showcase what they are on Monday in front of a sold-out home crowd.

It could be a similar offensive game plan for Boston College as the Eagles want to run the football where they were 13th in the FBS in rushing yards per game (198.8). Georgia Tech finished Saturday's contest with 190 rushing yards.

Talented back Jamal Haynes had 11 carries for 75 yards and two touchdowns while quarterback Haynes King had 15 carries for 54 yards. It seem like the Seminoles' defense had no answer for the rushing attack.

What makes matters even worse is that Boston College dual-threat signal-caller Thomas Castellanos is even better at running the football where he had 1,100 rushing yards in 2023. Plus, they have a dynamic duo in Treshaun Ward (former Seminole) and Kye Robinchaux (who had 780 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2023).

Florida State defensive coordinator Adam Fuller and the defensive staff will have to come together to find an effective game plan to stop the rushing attack to give the Seminoles the best possible chance to win. We have already seen two defensive changes with Kevin Knowles II and Conrad Hussey being named the starters.

It all starts with the defensive linemen winning the line of scrimmage, linebackers filling in their gaps, and defensive backs getting off their blocks. If everyone does their responsibilities and forces Boston College's offense to be one-dimensional, the Seminoles could be in for a much-needed win on Monday night.