SMU's Rhett Lashlee thinks FSU is scary and dangerous despite its struggles

FSU football got its first win of the 2024 season with a 14-9 victory over the previously unbeaten California Bears. It was the first ACC game for the Bears after coming to the ACC, and the Noles will look to spoil the first ACC game of another newcomer in the SMU Mustangs on Saturday night. FSU has been the butt of several jokes after losing their first three games. However, SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee knows the Seminoles were ranked No. 10 in the preseason for a reason. He spoke about the matchup at his press conference on Tuesday:

"Sometimes the scariest teams are the ones that have so much talent and just haven't clicked yet. Nobody misses on the preseason projections in terms of talent. You look at their defense, they've got four starters that are going to play in the NFL. They've got long edge rushers, they've got two massive defensive tackles, their linebackers run incredibly well. They've got 6-2, 6-1 and 6-foot corners and safeties that can run. Honestly this may be, I feel pretty confident saying in my time here this is without question the most athletic and fastest team we have played and it's probably the most athletic and fastest team that's come to Ford Stadium in a long, long time.

"I know they've been struggling but I mean last year DJ was excellent at Oregon State ... And so there's only a matter of time before it all clicks, and they got a win last week, they've got some momentum. So these are the scary, dangerous ones to look at because, perceptional people go, 'Oh, they're struggling.' There's plenty of talent over there."

He's not wrong. The Noles were betting favorites against the SMU Mustangs before the regular season. However, those tables have turned after FSU's poor start and SMU starting the season 3-1. Plus, it's a home game for the Mustangs, but the Noles will be represented well.

SMU's lone loss came against ranked BYU 18-15, where SMU only managed five field goals. However, they've made a change at quarterback as of last week, inserting a mobile guy similar to Boston College's Thomas Castellanos. FSU struggled to contain mobile quarterbacks in the first two games. However, this quarterback doesn't have the same type of experience as the guys from Georgia Tech or Boston College. I don't think SMU's offensive line is as good either.

The SMU defense is the better of the two units, ranking No. 33 nationally via FEI metrics. That's been the challenge all season for FSU. They haven't scored more than 21 points in a game all season, and have only managed to score 12 and 14 in the last two games.

However, there were signs of life in the first half against a California defense ranked slightly better than SMU. They failed to execute in some key situations that cost them, but the California game is totally different if you change four or five plays.

I think that's what Rhett Lashlee knows. He also knows Mike Norvell's offenses have been great nearly every season. All it takes is a little confidence and things could change quickly. Maybe the win against California is all it takes?