Florida State heads into its bye week with the kind of reset that can change the shape of a season, but the next game on the calendar looms much larger than a routine October date. After the double-overtime loss to No.
1 Miami, the Seminoles are 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the ACC, and they still have work to do if they want to avoid a third straight year without a bowl game. Halloween brings Clemson to Tallahassee, and that matchup could end up carrying serious weight in the back half of the year.
What makes this one interesting is how the Tigers have won games this season. Clemson is 4-2 and 2-1 in the ACC, but the offense has lacked pop.
The Tigers have scored only 11 touchdowns, while Florida State quarterback Ashton Daniels already has 11 rushing touchdowns and 23 total scores. That gap tells the story: Clemson has been getting by without much explosiveness, and FSU’s defense will get a chance to attack that weakness if it uses the off-week well.
The biggest issue for Clemson starts under center. Senior Christopher Vizzina opened the year as the starter, but an injury handed the job to freshman Tait Reynolds, and the Tigers could still go in either direction when they arrive in Tallahassee.
Reynolds has thrown for 943 yards and completed 64.9% of his passes, but he has just one touchdown pass. Combined, Reynolds and Vizzina have thrown only two touchdown passes, which ranks last in the country ahead of Clemson’s game against Virginia Tech on Saturday, Oct.
That number is hard to ignore, especially for a team averaging 187.5 passing yards per game, the worst mark in the ACC. Clemson does have receiver talent in Bryant Westco Jr. and T.J.
Moore, but the ball simply has not gotten to them often enough in situations that lead to explosive plays. Dabo Swinney said Vizzina could play against Virginia Tech, which means Clemson could have a decision to make before it comes to FSU.
Even with the passing game stalled, the Tigers have found enough answers on the ground to stay afloat. They’ve scored nine rushing touchdowns, and sophomore running back Gideon Davidson has been the engine.
He leads Clemson with five touchdowns and 430 yards on 79 carries, and those are team highs across the board. Davidson averages 71.9 yards per game, almost half of Clemson’s 153.2 rushing yards per game, and he’s clearly the focal point of the offense while the passing game searches for stability.
That places real pressure on a Florida State run defense that has already shown cracks. The Seminoles give up 178.6 rushing yards per game, and the last two outings against Louisville and Miami produced 654 rushing yards allowed combined. If the bye week doesn’t tighten that up, Davidson could have a huge night at Doak.
Clemson’s defense, meanwhile, brings a different kind of problem. Even after blowout losses to LSU and Miami, the Tigers have enough talent to make life difficult for Daniels and the FSU offense.
The unit, led by Ashton Hampton - a former All-Big Bend defensive player of the year and Florida High alumnus - allows 21.5 points per game. Clemson has also been active in the backfield, piling up 32 tackles for loss and 14 sacks while finding some success against the run.
Daniels will have to deal with that pressure, and he may also need to do more with his legs because Samuel Singleton Jr. and Ousmane Kromah are out. The Seminoles have shown they can move the ball against strong defenses, including Alabama and Miami, and they’re averaging 414.3 yards per game. Since the 27-24 loss to SMU on Labor Day, the offense has generally operated at a high level with Daniels leading the way.
Florida State’s path through the rest of the schedule runs through this stretch: Clemson on Oct. 31, then trips to Boston College on Nov. 7 and Pittsburgh on Nov. 13, before home games against NC State on Nov. 21 and Florida on Nov. 27. But first comes Clemson, and for a defense looking to deliver a rebound, Halloween offers a chance to make life ugly for an offense that has already been living on the edge.
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Florida State Faces Real Pressure In A Clemson Game It Can Win
Florida State heads into its Clemson matchup with a rare kind of opportunity, one that comes wrapped in pressure. The Tigers are not the defensive force they used to be, and their season has been marked by uneven quarterback play and a defense that has been solid but not imposing. For the Seminoles, that makes this more than just another ACC test. It is the kind of road game that can help change the tone around a program still searching for traction under Mike Norvell.
Ashton Daniels gave Florida State a lift in the recent game, and the Seminoles will need that kind of steadiness again if they are going to take advantage of a matchup that looks there for the taking. The problem is the setting, because Florida State has not handled true road games well and is carrying a long losing streak away from home. Even so, this is the kind of opponent the Seminoles can realistically beat, which is what makes the stakes feel so much sharper than a typical midseason trip. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Faces A Bigger Second-Half Question About Its Young Talent
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Wynn has already seen his snap count rise and has flashed the kind of run-stopping potential the defense has lacked at times. Lesters role is also growing even after some early struggles, and Thomas remains another player who could factor more prominently as Florida State searches for answers now while also trying to build something more dependable for later. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Exposed A Miami Problem Pitt Will Be Watching
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That is the sort of tape Pitt will study closely, because Miami's defensive staff knows the problems were not limited to one play. Coordinator Corey Hetherman and linebacker Chase Smith both pointed to trouble with screen passes and late-game coverage, the kind of breakdowns that can turn a tight game into a dangerous one if they show up again. For a Miami team trying to steady itself after surviving Florida State, those are the warning signs that matter most. [Read more 🡒]