FSU football: Were the Noles too confident in the running game versus Georgia Tech?

Florida State football ended up losing by a score of 24-21 to Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland. This was not the start that Seminole fans were expecting as they accomplished an undefeated regular season and conference championship in 2023.

The offensive depth chart looks vastly different as quarterback Jordan Travis, running back Trey Benson, wide receivers Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson, and tight end Jaheim Bell have left for the NFL.

Coming into the matchup versus Georgia Tech, the Seminoles knew that they had an offensive identity of running the football. Florida State added Alabama's Roydell Williams and Indiana's Jaylin Lucas via the transfer portal as well as Kameron Davis and Micahi Danzy on the recruiting trail.

Plus, the Seminoles had returning pieces such as Lawrance Toafili, Caziah Holmes, and Sam Singleton Jr. on their roster. With adding transfer quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, the running game should allow him to take deep shots down the field to his playmakers.

However, that was not the case on Saturday afternoon. Florida State started off fantastically as the running game had five carries for 58 yards on the first offensive drive, which led to a touchdown. At that moment, Seminole fans thought that the offense could exploit the 128th-ranked rush defense from a season ago.

It seems like those individuals were wrong as the Seminoles finished the rest of the game with 26 rushing attempts for 40 yards (1.54 yards per carry). There were times when the coaching staff ran it on second down to set up third down and shorts.

However, the Yellow Jackets often pinned their ears back, stacked the box, and made the tackles to force the Seminoles' offense into third down and forever. I respect head football coach Mike Norvell and his confidence to run the football since it is something that this team specializes in.

With that being said, there was no threat of a downfield passing game so the defense of Georgia Tech was not fazed by the ground-and-pound approach. I don't mind the strategy of running the football since the Seminoles have a multitude of weapons and a veteran offensive line.

This isn't an opportunity to criticize the coaching staff for decisions that they made. I am not in a position to argue with a team that has a combined 23-5 record over the last 28 games. The result from Saturday is disappointing, but I believe that this football team will bounce back.

I expect Florida State football to continue to run the football, but I think that they will do a better job in setting up the running game where the defenses aren't stacking the box and waiting on a predictable run.