Florida State football made a bold move this offseason, as they acquired former UCF head football coach Gus Malzahn to be its offensive coordinator. The relationship between him and current Florida head football coach Mike Norvell was strong, given they worked together at Tulsa.
The Seminoles haven't had a perfect offense, but they are averaging 40 points per game (7th in the FBS), which is too much to ask for when the number is largely inflated by matchups such as East Texas A&M and Kent State.
However, there is something that this unit does well with: Running the football. According to ESPN Stats and Information, Florida State is rated 8th in the FBS in rushing yards per game (241.2). It could come to a screeching halt, as the Seminoles play Clemson tonight at 7:00 PM EST on the ACC Network.
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This shouldn't be a surprise with the Seminoles' talent in the backfield such as Gavin Sawchuk, Ousmane Kromah, Samuel Singleton Jr., and Caziah Holmes. That is a boatload of playmakers that Florida State has at its disposal. Who could be someone to make that Clemson defense sweat bullets? Here's who we chose as impact players.
RUNNING GAME VERSUS CLEMSON
Florida State has not had the greatest success running the football against Clemson. When scavenging through multiple ESPN box scores, the Seminoles had 22 rushing attempts for 23 yards in last year's meeting.
The Seminoles did not have the season that they wanted in 2024, but they even had struggles in 2023, where they had 22 carries for 20 yards. It should be no secret, as Florida State wants to establish the running game.
Redshirt junior Sam Singleton Jr. had his breakout game versus Wake Forest last week with fourteen carries for 91 yards and one touchdown. The coaching staff is looking for much of the same in this matchup, as it will take pressure off of quarterback Thomas Castellanos.
This Clemson defense doesn't look motivated to eliminate the passing game in the secondary, but that Front 7 is loaded with NFL talent that could disrupt what the Seminoles want to do in the running game.