Week 4 came and went for Florida State without much excitement despite the win over Central Arkansas. The Seminoles entered the game as heavy favorites to blow out the Bears, but the result and many of the Central Arkansas drives made the game feel far closer than it should have. A win is a win, but the victory did not cover up the fundamental issues with the team.
Coach Mike Norvell took the stand first as part of the Week 5 press conference and spoke about his disappointment in how the game ended. Norvell planned on getting his backups more work against the FCS opponent, but long Central Arkansas drives and limited success for the Seminoles on offense forced a different result.
Defensive coordinator Tony White also took the stand and answered multiple questions about the difficult second-half performance from the defense. One important note White had was that he feels the defense is currently failing to execute the same play each time, adding that he needs to see the team execute each play the same each time. The real problem? White gives the team a 60% grade, which is far below passing.
Four games in, FSU's defense ranks No. 126 nationally in total defense at 429.8 yards per game.
— Logan B. Robinson (@LogansTwitty) September 29, 2026
Scoring defense is tied for No. 90 (25.25 PPG), rushing defense No. 80 (139.8 YPG) and passing defense No. 135 (290.0 YPG). pic.twitter.com/xoirwzJk7A
Tony White completely missed the point with his comments on the efficiency of the Florida State defense
After a catastrophic display in limiting an opponent's time of possession, Florida State needs to return in Week 5 to play against a team that loves to run and hold onto the football in Virginia. White identified in his press conference availability that stopping the run is going to be key to stopping the Cavaliers' offense, but now the question is whether or not the Florida State defense can execute.
White was critical of his defense after claiming the unit is only successfully running plays at a rate somewhere "in the 60's" this season. Failing to successfully run a play roughly 40% of the time is partially due to the players struggling, but eventually, the one leading them needs to take some responsibility for what has gone wrong.
Florida State is currently allowing opponents to record 429.8 total yards (16th in ACC), 290 passing yards (16th in ACC), and 25.3 points per game (13th in ACC). The Seminoles additionally have the 126th defense in the FBS in terms of offense allowed. The defense has been categorically bad at everything this season, and those totals are not the result of a couple of blown plays and poor execution, like what White is talking about.
The true problem with the defense is that Florida State has multiple players serving roles they cannot mold to, like Mandrell Desir, who has primarily served as a tackle this season out of need when his talents are on full display on the end. Much of the defense is being put in a losing position before the game even starts, and then the results are about what you would expect out of a defense in disarray.
There are serious problems with the Florida State defense, and unfortunately, cleaning up the execution and reaction to certain playcalls will not do much. The Seminoles need a reset, and expecting something that is broken to fix itself over time is exactly how Florida State ended up in the current coaching debacle.
Perhaps the most concerning aspect of White's comments is the fact that the defense sitting in disarray cannot just be a matter of execution. There are fundamental things like properly communicating and recognizing specific formations that the defense has struggled with. Those are not issues that are consistently present due to a personnel or execution issue, but rather due to a coaching issue.
The Florida State defense as a whole certainly needs to execute on the field moving forward, but it is the responsibility of White to put his defense in a winning position each week, regardless of the potential issues.
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