Florida State spent the offseason trying to fix its front seven. Through three games, the pass rush still looks like a problem waiting to be solved.
The Seminoles added Rylan Kennedy from Texas A&M and brought the Desir twins back to Tallahassee after both had entered the transfer portal. On paper, it looked like the kind of reinforcements that could help a defense get home more often.
On the field, though, the pressure has not shown up nearly enough, and Saturday’s 50-36 loss to No. 10 Alabama made that reality impossible to ignore.
Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell was the latest quarterback to expose the gap. After Kentucky had rattled him a week earlier with a pair of interceptions, including a first-quarter pick-six, Russell looked far more settled against Florida State. The Crimson Tide opened with consecutive three-and-outs, but after that they ripped off nine straight scoring drives and piled up 567 yards of offense for the second game in a row the Seminoles have allowed that total.
“I feel like we did a good job caging him in the first half, making him read the field. We made plays on him,” Florida State linebacker Chris Jones said of Russell. “Then he got comfortable.”
That comfort showed up everywhere. Russell threw for 320 yards and three touchdowns while completing 77 percent of his passes. He also broke the game open with a 57-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, a play that widened the margin and shattered the angles Florida State’s defense thought it had.
The numbers behind the performance tell the same story. Florida State knew it could not count on its front to win enough one-on-one matchups, so defensive coordinator Tony White turned up the pressure. The Seminoles blitzed more than 59 percent of the time against Russell, pushing their aggression to another level in hopes of forcing mistakes.
That plan had a few moments. Cornerback Ja'Bril Rawls got Florida State’s lone sack in the first quarter, and the Seminoles did make Russell uncomfortable at times early. But once he adjusted, the Alabama quarterback handled the pressure, got the ball out quickly, and punished Florida State whenever the blitz didn’t get home.
Against the blitz, Russell went 10-for-17 for 103 yards and threw an RPO touchdown to Cedarian Morgan. On dropbacks where pressure did arrive, he still managed to finish 6-for-9 for 86 yards and used his legs to extend plays.
When Florida State didn’t bring extra rushers, the damage was worse. Russell was 17-for-21 for 234 yards and all three of his touchdown passes in those situations. Without the blitz, he was even more ruthless, completing all 13 of his throws for 217 yards and two scores, a staggering 16.7 yards per attempt.
That’s the bind Florida State keeps running into. The Seminoles are sending pressure at the 25th-highest rate in the country because they don’t have enough consistent disruption from the defensive line.
But the secondary has been so soft that opponents have been able to get the ball out quickly, leaving the pass rush stuck in a bad spot. The result: Florida State ranks 118th in pressure rate and 99th when it doesn’t blitz, getting pressure on only a quarter of opponent dropbacks without sending help.
It’s not just one issue. It’s all of them working against each other.
Florida State does not look built to win with four rushers and play coverage behind it. The secondary has not held up well enough to give the front the extra beat it needs. And even when the Seminoles blitz, they have not created enough disruption to make the risk worth it.
That was part of Mike Norvell’s point earlier in the week when he discussed the defense’s third-down issues, which actually improved Saturday as Alabama went just 4-for-12. The problems are spread across the unit.
Players have missed assignments. Coaches have not put them in the right spots.
The roster and the scheme have not fit cleanly, and the staff has not adjusted enough to cover for it.
Florida State gets a week to sort some of that out before facing Central Arkansas, Norvell’s alma mater, in what should be a get-right game. After that, the schedule tightens, ACC play ramps up, and the Seminoles will need a very different version of this defense if the season is going to change course.
In Other News...
Mike Norvell's Future Suddenly Carries A Price FSU Fans Will Hate
Mike Norvells tenure at Florida State has reached a place nobody in Tallahassee expected when he signed that massive extension last year. He is in his seventh season with the Seminoles and carries a 39-35 record, while the deal he put pen to paper on runs through 2031 and pays in the neighborhood of $10 million to $11 million annually. The timing of the conversation around his future is made even trickier by the fact that Florida State has already moved on from athletic director Michael Alford, the man who signed off on the extension.
Now the noise around Norvell has only gotten louder, fueled in part by recent on-field frustration and even a viral photo of a moving truck at his home. If Florida State were to pull the plug after the upcoming game against Alabama, the financial hit would be staggering, with a buyout around $48 million, among the largest in college football history. That figure could drop if Norvell lands another job, but for a fan base already uneasy, the size of the bill is exactly the kind of detail that makes this situation feel more complicated by the day. [Read more 🡒]
FSUs Comeback Just Took A Brutal Turn In The Backfield
Florida States offense got a major jolt in its game against Alabama when Samuel Singleton Jr. went down after a 65-yard catch and later was seen leaving the field with crutches. Before the exit, Singleton had been a meaningful part of the Seminoles attack, helping the comeback effort and giving the backfield a needed spark.
Now the focus shifts to how Florida State fills the void if he has to miss time. The Seminoles have not yet issued an official update on Singletons status, and in the meantime the burden will fall on other running backs to pick up the workload in a game that already took a brutal turn. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Showed Enough To Compete But One Problem Never Let Up
Florida State had enough offense to hang around with Alabama for long stretches, but the Seminoles could never fully get out from under the pressure in a 50-36 loss that was delayed twice by lightning. Their quarterback piled up 343 passing yards and accounted for four touchdowns, giving Florida State real stretches of momentum and keeping the game within reach even as Alabama answered repeatedly.
The problem never let up on the other side of the ball, where Alabama's quarterback was sharp and efficient, hitting 23 of 30 throws for 320 yards, three touchdown passes and another score on the ground. Florida State's three interceptions proved costly throughout the night, and even with the offense showing it can move, the Seminoles were left with the same lingering concern that kept every comeback attempt from gaining real traction. [Read more 🡒]