Florida State Seminoles Defense Manhandle Louisiana-Monroe in Shutout Victory

In the opening contest of the 2011 college football season, the Florida State Seminoles manhandled the University of Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks. The game had everything Seminole fans could want from a Week 1 match-up.

Well, almost everything.

The much hyped FSU defense proved the hype is real by completely shutting down the ULM offense. The Warhawks managed a meager 191 yards of offense while not scoring a single point. The defensive line, always a major indicator of a team’s success on defense, dominated the front five of ULM.

A major concern for FSU fans centers on the offense. The EJ Manuel era began with some mixed results. The final tally in the box score shows he had a good game—252 yards of passing with two touchdowns and an interception—but ‘Nole fans would like to see better numbers from an athlete the caliber of Manuel.

It did appear that head coach Jimbo Fisher wanted to tinker around with the offense, but keep things conservative—especially in regards to Manuel, a very mobile QB who appeared at times to resist the temptation to use his legs.

The lack of option plays throughout the game also made it seem like Fisher was saving his plays for when FSU hosts national powerhouse Oklahoma in two weeks.

The offensive line also became a major concern for ‘Noles fans and many of those concerns came to fruition in today’s game. The running game did not produce much, 92 yards on 28 attempts, and it appears as though it is a good thing FSU has another tune up game next week.

No fan will ever complain about a 34 point shutout win, but members of the Seminole nation will need to see more from EJ Manuel and company next week if they hope to upset Oklahoma.