STATUS OF FSU FOOTBALL
Florida State football lost to Stanford by a score of 20-13 this past Saturday night. The contest was frustrating to watch for the fan base, as most stayed up until 2:00 AM and seemingly wasted over three hours of their time.
That is the reality of the university's football program at this time, as they have suffered four straight losses in a row. It isn't ideal after individuals had to suffer through a 2-10 record in 2024. Then, Florida State added 44 newcomers to the roster, plus six new coaches to the staff.
Speaking of new coaches, defensive coordinator Tony White was someone that I was very excited about, but I didn't know exactly how the 3-3-5 defensive scheme would work since Florida State hasn't utilized something like that before.
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
The key motto is "Defense wins championships". Well, the Seminole fan base was in agreement with that statement after Florida State's season-opening win against Alabama, where they made redshirt junior quarterback Ty Simpson look uncomfortable throughout the contest.
Simpson now looks like a for sure Heisman Trophy contender. The opener now looks like a fluke from the Seminoles' defense. However, that unit has to be in there somewhere. The level of intensity and physicality that they played with versus the Crimson Tide was incredible. That aspect doesn't just disappear forever.
With that said, the defense looks to be completely different after the UCLA head football coaching job opened up and Tony White's name was a potential candidate. Nonetheless, the front seven of the unit has not been where it needs to be, as the defensive line isn't creating consistent pressure and the linebackers look out of position.
What is even more concerning is that Stanford had three offensive drives that consisted of 10+ plays. This isn't like the Cardinal offense was anything special. They were actually ranked as one of the worst units in all college football. It comes down to a will of wanting to get off the football field.
The unfortunate part is that the defense has not shown the same aggression and sense of urgency that is needed to put football teams away by forcing them to punt and give the offense a shorter field to work with in playing complementary football.