Florida State vs. Syracuse Complete Game Preview
While Florida State survived Upset Saturday unscathed, the Seminoles suffered plenty of injuries in a 43-3 win over Wake Forest.
The No. 1 Seminoles (5-0, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) play at Syracuse on Saturday at noon, and they will be without their leading rusher as well as their starting center.
Tailback Karlos Williams also has an ankle injury and is out. FSU will start sophomore Mario Pender but should give true freshman Dalvin Cook plenty of carries.
FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said that Rashad Greene is responding well in the days following a concussion suffered against Wake, but it's not clear if the star receiver will be able to play. If Greene can't go, FSU will lean on receivers like Bobo Wilson, Kermit Whitfield, Christian Green and Travis Rudolph (along with tight end Nick O'Leary).
The Seminoles know center Austin Barron will be out for an indefinite amount of time. Redshirt freshman Ryan Hoefeld filled in for Barron for three quarters against Wake, and Fisher said that Hoefeld played well.
Here's a look at FSU's matchup with Syracuse:
FSU Keys to Victory
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Stabilize the Offensive Line
FSU's offensive line has been better the past two weeks but now must overcome the loss of center Austin Barron, who hurt his arm early in the win over Wake Forest. While Ryan Hoefeld was able to play three quarters against the Demon Deacons, it's a different story for him to be snapping while on the road—inside the loud Carrier Dome—when FSU visits Syracuse.
Look for FSU to frequently use a guard, either Tre' Jackson or Josue Matias, to assist with blocking assignments to help make Hoefeld's job easier.
Play with Consistency, Aim for a Complete Game
FSU has had four games against Football Bowl Subdivision teams and has had games where the offense played well (see North Carolina State) and games where the defense dominated (Wake Forest). FSU allowed Oklahoma State to hang around too long and Clemson led late until FSU pulled out an overtime win.
The goal for FSU on Saturday, against a Syracuse team that will be starting a new quarterback and has been shaky on offense, is to play a complete game on both sides of the ball. With a potential Top Five showdown with Notre Dame looming on Oct. 18 in Tallahassee, Florida, FSU needs to play with consistency and not leave the door open for teams looking to upset.
Syracuse Keys to Victory
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Run The Ball, Take the Pressure Off New QB
Austin Wilson is a redshirt freshman and appears poised to make his first start. Against No. 1 FSU. And in a week when Syracuse is replacing its offensive coordinator. It's not the easiest of assignments.
Syracuse will try to run with Prince Tyson-Gulley, who averages 6.3 yards per carry. The Orange will need to grind it out and sustain drives in an effort to eat up the clock.
While the loss of Terrel Hunt is a big one, he only had two passing touchdowns in five games. Hunt was much more of a threat to run the ball, while Wilson is dropback quarterback who can run if needed. But if Wilson is able to complete a few passes to complement the running game, Syracuse could piece together a few drives.
Tighten Up the Pass Defense
Syracuse was supposed to be better in Scott Shafer's second year, and one of the reasons was an improved defense. The rush defense is allowing just 130 yards per game. But the Orange have struggled to stop the pass, allowing 239 passing yards per game (70th best in the FBS).
The Orange are coming off a game in which they held Louisville's pass-happy offense to 174 passing yards. Syracuse must put pressure on FSU's Jameis Winston if the Orange are to have any chance to upset the Seminoles.
FSU Players to Watch
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Jesus "Bobo" Wilson
After missing the season opener due to a suspension, Wilson has 17 receptions for 240 yards in four games. The sophomore had a breakout game at N.C. State, grabbing six passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns. He will need to continue to shake defensive backs and get open, especially if Rashad Greene is not able to play.
Mario Pender
The sophomore has elusiveness and sprinter speed if he can get into the open field, and Pender showed that with a 56-yard rush against Wake Forest. He has 23 carries for 154 rushing yards in four games this season and has been a go-to man on the goal line with three touchdowns (all of them three yards or shorter). While he hasn't seen a lot of carries, Pender could earn his first college start if Karlos Williams is unable to play.
Reggie Northrup
The junior linebacker has enjoyed a breakout season, leading the team with 43 tackles. Northrup is a physical, strong presence in the middle of FSU's defense and is already three tackles shy of matching his 2013 tackle total.
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Syracuse Players to Watch
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RB Prince-Tyson Gulley
Hunt was Syracuse's top rusher despite being the team's quarterback. Gulley, a senior, is the Orange's top tailback, rushing for 302 yards and a touchdown while averaging 6.2 yards per carry. He's just 5'8'' and 195 pounds, but Gulley is tough to wrap up.
QB Austin Wilson
Wilson a 6'3'', 215-pound redshirt freshman has completed 11 of 20 passes for 89 yards this season as a backup to Hunt. He is the likely candidate to start against FSU but Mitch Kimble, who is a redshirt freshman, could also see playing time. Wilson is a pro-style quarterback, and he was a 2-star prospect who threw for 1,800 yards and 25 touchdowns in his senior season of high school.
LB Cameron Lynch
The senior linebacker leads Syracuse in tackles (40) and sacks (5.5). He has also forced a fumble and recorded a safety.
What They're Saying
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FSU coach Jimbo Fisher
On Ryan Hoefeld, who filled in for injured senior center Austin Barron—"I thought Ryan Hoefeld did an outstanding job of coming in and, after the first couple of plays, getting his feet on the ground. His calls, his blocking, did an outstanding job."
"Very proud of the young receivers, coming out and playing when Rashad Greene was not in in the second half. That was still a 13-3 ballgame. They came out and executed extremely well. Thought those guys did an outstanding job of stepping up."
"I know they just sustained a key injury to their quarterback so that will change things. We'll have to guess a little bit about how they are going to do things on offense, they've changed offensive coordinators."
"That's always a tough place to play. It's a different kind of noise when you go in the dome than outside noise. It will be a good atmosphere."
On Syracuse's change at offensive coordinator—"You do research, you look at what they've done. How much can you change an offense? They may do something different but it's still relative. You only have three days to do it. What you want to do and what the kids can do is two different things."
On kicker Roberto Aguayo—"Big time, not only points wise, but kickoff—the placement, the height, so he can get coverage (and) dictate field position. ... Having him to be a weapon as a field-goal kicker and a field
goal and kickoff guy is tremendous. He's phenomenal. His work ethic. He's talented but that guy puts the time and effort into being a great player."
On John Franklin, a quarterback who had converted to receiver but is now the No. 2 QB for a few weeks with Sean Maguire's injury—"He's throwing the ball good. Made some nice checks today. He had a little rust on him, but I thought he had a solid day."
Syracuse coach Scott Shafer
On the demotion of George McDonald, who was Syracuse's offensive coordinator—"Let me start by saying I've never worked with a harder working and more devoted individual than George McDonald. I truly appreciate his devotion to the team. I've made the decision to change roles to use our staff's talents together more effectively. Coach Tim Lester will call the plays and coordinate the offense moving forward. Tim will take charge of the play-calling and the development of our young quarterbacks. George will continue to coach our receiver unit."
On McDonald and new offensive coordinator Tim Lester—"The two of them are very close and they're both men of high character that just want to win a game. They work well together and they've been great. They've been in that room pounding out adjustments and changes that we want to make moving forward. I know that they both have a ton of respect for one another."
On the three quarterbacks—"I think Austin (Wilson) has a big arm, he's done a nice job learning the offense and I know we feel comfortable that he has a good grasp of things. A.J. (Long) has competed extremely well against our No. 1 defense and he’s a very good athlete as you know, and he has improved upon his passing efficiency in his time here. Mitch Kimble is a young man with a lot of ability. He can throw it and run it. He's a bright young man, does extremely well in school and I think all three of them give us some good choices as we head into this game."
Prediction
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FSU hasn't been able to put together a complete game on offense and defense this year. And with all of the injuries, the question marks over who may be able to play and who won't, this may not be the week either.
But all signs point to a 6-0 start for the Seminoles. Even if FSU needs to sit star receiver Rashad Greene and tailback Karlos Williams, the Seminoles should win comfortably.
This is a trying week for Syracuse, which has lost quarterback Terrel Hunt to a leg injury and has a new offensive coordinator in Tim Lester. After opening with wins over Villanova and Central Michigan, Syracuse has struggled on offense the last three games. The Orange have lost 34-20 to Maryland, 31-15 to Notre Dame and 28-6 to Louisville.
FSU has had its ups and downs on defense this year, but this looks like a game in which the Seminoles play well on defense and hold Syracuse in check.
FSU 31, Syracuse 10
Bob Ferrante is the Florida State Lead Writer for Bleacher Report, all quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow Bob on Twitter. Stats courtesy of seminoles.com and cuse.com. All recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports.
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