Florida State vs. Boston College Complete Game Preview
It was far from the prettiest result, but Florida State survived another slow start last Saturday to record a 20-point victory over USF and improve to 2-0 on the season.
Now the new-look Seminoles will take on their first ACC test of the season when they face Boston College on the road this Friday night.
Boston College, which has recorded back-to-back home wins over FCS strugglers Maine and Howard, has given FSU problems each of the last two seasons. The 2013 championship Seminoles had their closest regular-season test in Massachusetts, and 2014's team needed a late field goal to beat BC at home.
But these are two different teams this season, as both Florida State and Boston College had to replace a lot of starting talent from last year's squads. Now they'll head into Week 3 looking for their first win over a Power Five opponent and an early victory in the race for the ACC's Atlantic Division.
Before we break down this week's matchup for Florida State, here are all the basic facts:
Date: Friday, September 18
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Location: Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts (Alumni Stadium)
TV: ESPN
Radio: Seminole IMG Sports Network
Line: FSU -8.5, according to Odds Shark
Florida State Keys to Victory
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Avoid another slow offensive start
The gap between Florida State's performances on offense before and after the halftime break in the first two games has been tremendous.
Only 28 of the Seminoles' 93 total points have been scored in the first half. Quarterback Everett Golson has gone 8-of-18 passing in the first half for 80 yards and zero touchdowns, but he's 31-of-40 after halftime for 453 yards and six scores.
Getting off to slower starts against teams such as Texas State and USF hasn't hurt the Seminoles, but now they'll face a step up in class with Boston College. The Eagles have outscored two terrible FCS schools 100-3, and while they haven't faced a test quite like FSU yet, they'll have momentum and confidence.
Boston College has been a tough matchup for Florida State each of the last two seasons. With the younger Seminoles playing away from home for the first time this season, a better start offensively will help them avoid some dreaded late-game situations.
Use Cook to open up chances for Golson
That's not to say Florida State should automatically get Golson to let it fly early. Running back Dalvin Cook has been a bright spot for the Seminoles offense through the first two games of the season, and his talents will definitely be needed in a matchup against a power-minded opponent.
Cook has been given a lot of carries so far this year and has averaged well over eight yards per touch in each contest. With that amount of success, expect Florida State to lean on him early and often Friday.
When that happens, it should open up the chances for Golson to hit the Eagles for big plays downfield. Boston College only returned one starter in the secondary, free safety Justin Simmons, and the Florida State passing game could exploit that inexperience with its talent out wide.
It's a simple strategy, but it should play well to Florida State's advantages, especially against a Boston College team that should provide a stiffer test against the run than Texas State and USF did.
Challenge BC's offensive line
It's safe to say that Boston College hasn't really been challenged through the first two games of the season—a 24-3 win over Maine and a 76-0 destruction of Howard that was practically over by the end of the first quarter.
Boston College did not return a single starter from last season on its offensive line, and Phil Steele wrote in the preseason that the Eagles only have a combined 15 career starts among players in that unit.
The Seminoles have shown some real improvement and depth on defense so far this season, but they've only recorded four sacks in two games. Against a new offensive line that hasn't faced a quality opponent yet, Florida State could benefit from cranking up the pressure on the Eagles.
If the Florida State defense can get after a new-look BC attack and rattle it early, the Seminoles could jump out to a good-sized lead away from home and help their offense settle into the game.
Boston College Keys to Victory
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Control FSU's ground attack
Boston College has only allowed an average of seven rushing yards per game this season. Spoiler alert: That won't last.
But don't completely dismiss the Eagles' prowess against the run because of a couple of overinflated stats from easy games. Boston College was one of only two teams to keep opponents to fewer than 100 rushing yards per game last season. Florida State was only one of five opponents to pass the century mark, and it was held to less than four yards per carry.
On a team that didn't return a lot of starters, the Boston College front seven is where most of the experience is located. Senior Steven Daniels is a force at middle linebacker, and six returning players on the defensive line and in the linebacking corps recorded double-digit tackles last season.
Florida State ran all over both of its opponents so far this season with Cook, and the Seminoles will keep feeding him the ball as the passing game continues to grow with Golson. If Boston College can keep up its run-stopping ways, it'll be a huge boost to the home team's chances.
Force a defensive struggle
Although Boston College scored 76 points last weekend, this offense isn't quite built to light up the scoreboard. Against Maine, the Eagles barely cracked the 200-yard mark on the ground and only scored 24 points. That game was 10-3 heading into the fourth quarter.
That being said, getting into a back-and-forth defensive struggle with a lot of running plays and a lot of chewed clock would be ideal for Boston College against Florida State.
Florida State is a young but talented team playing in its first road game in a strange weeknight time slot. A sloppy, mistake-filled and downright weird Friday night game favors the Eagles, especially at home.
If Florida State gets off to a fast start offensively, a comeback isn't quite conducive to the Boston College offense. But if the Eagles can keep it close with their ground game, they'll be in better shape.
Create big plays on special teams
With a less tested and a less talented team overall, Boston College could take advantage of some opportunities in a phase of the game that Florida State struggled with in Week 1—special teams.
"We need to play well on special teams any time you get in these low-margin-for-error games. It’s got to kind of swing the pendulum for you a little bit," Boston College head coach Steve Addazio said, per the program's website. "We got to put them in a long field and we’d like to create a blocked punt. We’d like to pin them inside their twenty and on kickoffs obviously. We’ve got to do things to create field position advantages for ourselves."
Addazio also said the team had been working hard on special teams, and he's looking forward to seeing if that preparation will pay off with some big moments against a higher-quality opponent such as Florida State.
The Eagles got a 41-yard kickoff return from Florida native Michael Walker against Howard, and punter Alex Howell is averaging 41 yards per punt in his limited work so far this season. Look for these players to lead the way in Boston College's push to control the field-position battle against Florida State.
Florida State Players to Watch
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RB Dalvin Cook
Cook led the nation in rushing last week with 266 yards against USF, and he's now the top player in that category for Power Five programs. The sophomore had a staggering 30 carries against the Bulls—backup Mario Pender had just seven—but Fisher said that workload is fine for the starter.
"We don’t do that all the time, but we’ll do it if we have to," Fisher said, per Safid Deen of the Tallahassee Democrat. "Dalvin gets hot in the second half, and we didn’t want to take it out of his hand, and that’s kind of the way it went."
Per Deen, Cook told reporters he felt fine after 30 carries last Saturday. While he might not get that high of an amount against Boston College, he'll play a huge role in the offense as he continues his red-hot start to the season.
WR/RET Kermit Whitfield
Whitfield is back to his old ways of torching special teams units, as he had a 56-yard kick return against USF in Week 2. He also had two returns for a combined 90 yards against Texas State, putting his average kick return at 48.67 yards this season—the third-best mark nationally.
As Whitfield gets back to form as one of the nation's best return men, look for him to have a growing role in the Florida State offense. He had one catch for 35 yards in the opener against Texas State and added two more receptions against USF.
With his elite speed, Whitfield could have a game-changing impact on both offense and special teams as the Seminoles go away from home for the first time this season.
LB Ro'Derrick Hoskins
Hoskins was a star for the Florida State defense against USF, breaking out for a seven-tackle (two for loss) game against the Bulls. His big performance, combined with his ability to play multiple linebacker positions, has been a much-needed boost to a Florida State linebacking corps that needs quality depth.
"Fisher said Hoskins has athleticism, size, coverage skills and the ability tackles in space," Deen wrote. "If Giorgio Newberry didn’t win FSU’s defensive player of the week, Fisher said the honor would have be awarded to Hoskins."
With the way he played against USF, Hoskins might have earned some extra playing time heading into the ACC schedule. He'll be one to keep an eye on against Boston College—what does he have for a follow-up effort?
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Boston College Players to Watch
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QB Darius Wade
New Boston College starting quarterback Darius Wade should be completely fresh for Friday night's game against Florida State, as he didn't feature in many snaps against Howard. Wade, a dual-threat sophomore, has only attempted 30 passes so far this season—and he went 14-of-25 passing against Maine.
Addazio said this week Wade hasn't had much of a chance to show what he brings as a game manager, which is a much-needed skill in the Boston College run-first offense.
The sophomore will be thrown into the fire against Florida State, as his only other career passing attempts against FBS competition came in last year's 19-point loss to Louisville. How he handles the pressure of a nationally televised game against a top-10 team will be crucial.
DE Harold Landry
While Boston College has several upperclassmen on the defensive line this season, sophomore Harold Landry has been the early leader for the Eagles in terms of getting into opponents' backfields.
Landry leads Boston College with four tackles for loss this season and has recorded a sack in each of the first two games. The sophomore isn't completely new to this level of competition, though, as he recorded a tackle for loss in a close home loss to Clemson last season.
With Florida State allowing five sacks so far in 2015 behind a transitioning offensive line, Landry will be one of the main players tasked with getting after Golson on passing downs.
LB Connor Strachan
Sophomore Connor Strachan mostly played middle linebacker last year for the Eagles, but the coaching staff decided to move him to the outside in order to get him more playing time in 2015.
The Massachusetts native has excelled against lesser competition so far this year, leading the team in tackles and recording a 16-yard pick-six against Howard last weekend. Strachan is an athletic presence at linebacker who closes down on ball-carriers well.
Strachan will have a tall task Friday against Florida State's talented multiple-look offense. Against the run and against the pass, the sophomore has been a breakout star for a strong Boston College defense.
What They're Saying
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Florida State
Head coach Jimbo Fisher on Boston College and head coach Steve Addazio, per the program's website:
"He understands the type of game and players he has. He lengthens the game. He gives them great opportunities with different looks, different formations. They stay very physical. They’re very well coached. Defensively, they’re aggressive but they don’t give up big plays. They make you be methodical as you drive down the field.
"
Fisher on quarterback Everett Golson, per the Associated Press (via Fox Sports):
"I think he feels good about it. I think he understands things. I think it's both his maturity, being able to relax at halftime, go back to his fundamentals, make good reads, and make quick passes. ... From the first half to second Everett looked like two different people. We just got to continue to get all the little details of things and the nuances of it.
"
Running back Dalvin Cook on his bigger workload this season, per Jared Shanker of ESPN.com:
"We lost our staring O-line, Jameis, Rashad [Greene], Nick [O’Leary] and those guys. I know I was one of the guys that returned on this offense and I know coach Fisher was probably going to give me the ball a little bit more this year. I just got my mind ready for it.
"
Boston College
Head coach Steve Addazio on Florida State as a whole, per the program's website:
"Watching them on tape, they are a very talented football team. They play hard, are big and physical upfront on the defensive line and the defensive ends are quite big. They’re an electric team, as they always are. They have great athletes as they always do. They’re well coached as they always have been. So they’re very talented coming in here and it will be a great challenge for us but we are looking forward to that challenge and we have a great week of preparation getting ready for it.
"
Addazio on facing the Seminoles after back-to-back games against FCS opponents:
"So it’s a whole different looking operation right now. It’s not like you’re going to blow them off the ball. That’s not going to happen. That’s the elite of college football right there. They have a top-three recruiting class, the best players in America. That’s what it is. I’m not exaggerating that, it’s just a fact. So you’re going from playing a couple I-AA teams to playing the elite in the country.
"
Addazio on the hype surrounding the game:
"I think you want to ignore the hype. What I get nervous about is when people start telling you you’re better than you are. And all that blowing smoke, I’m not really into that. That’s where you drink your Kool-Aid and you get your tail beat in. But in terms of the emotion and the atmosphere, I think it’s great. That’s major college football. You’d like to see it more around here. I mean, great game day, a loud stadium and ESPN on campus, that’s college football.
"
Prediction
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Florida State still has some issues to sort out after two games this season, but that's to be expected with a squad that has plenty of new starters after such a successful run the last two years.
Still, the Seminoles are 2-0 with multi-score wins over Texas State and USF, and that momentum—especially on defense—should carry them into this odd Friday night game against Boston College.
I expect Florida State to stick to the ground game early thanks to Cook's recent hot streak and some of the first-half woes that have plagued Golson and the offensive line. Boston College is built to stop the run, but the Eagles—another team with plenty of first-year starters—haven't been tested like this yet.
Boston College's offense should struggle with what has been an impressive Florida State defense. If Golson can get clicking early against the Eagles, then this should be a relatively easy win.
I predict Florida State starts off conservatively on the road and gets into a grind-it-out game with Boston College. After halftime, the Seminoles create more big plays downfield and pull away from the Eagles, recording their first conference win of 2015.
Prediction: Florida State 30, Boston College 16
All stats courtesy of CFBStats.com. Recruit rankings courtesy of 247Sports.
Justin Ferguson is a college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter. @JFergusonBR.
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