FSU football: What do the 2024 Memphis Tigers bring to the table?

FSU football will look to get their first win of the 2024 season when they host the Memphis Tigers on Saturday afternoon. It'll be the first time Mike Norvell will play his former team since leaving in December 2019 for the FSU job, and the Tigers have done a solid job maintaining what he helped build. Memphis head coach Ryan Silverfield was Norvell's offensive line coach and last year led the Tigers to their first 10-win season since Norvell's departure. They're 2-0 to start the 2024 season.

That 10-win team finished No. 56 overall via FEI advanced metrics, with the No. 25 offense and No. 99 defense. They return starters at quarterback and other positions. Though two games, they rank No. 34 overall, No. 16 offensively, and No. 80 defensively, with wins over North Alabama and Troy.

Memphis averages 6.32 yards per play and lean on the pass 53 percent of the time. That's a major difference from Georgia Tech and Boston College, who rely on the run game heavily, including dynamic dual-threat quarterbacks. FSU hasn't been great on defense, but a lot of that is because of the threat of a dual-threat QB. I like this matchup much better for FSU, as they can finally focus on stopping the traditional run game and pinning their ears back on third downs to get after the quarterback.

Defensively, Memphis only has one sack through two games and allowed three yards per rush against Troy last week. It's a game where FSU should have an advantage in the trenches on both sides. Memphis may focus on trying to establish a run game like Georgia Tech and Boston College, but that might be a mistake. Their strength has been putting the ball in the air 30+ times a game. They've only averaged about 60 plays through two games. FSU is the more talented team, and that is why they're betting favorites at near a touchdown.