Florida State doesn’t have an offensive identity, and that could be an issue for Notre Dame football
From a coaching perspective, the process of game prep is a fascinating thing. Typically opponents have clear tendencies, giving coordinators a general understanding for what to expect. When it comes to Notre Dame, they have one of the best strategists in college football in defensive coordinator Al Golden, who is a master of in-game adjustments. […]
From a coaching perspective, the process of game prep is a fascinating thing. Typically opponents have clear tendencies, giving coordinators a general understanding for what to expect. When it comes to Notre Dame, they have one of the best strategists in college football in defensive coordinator Al Golden, who is a master of in-game adjustments.
On paper, the Irish defense against the Florida State offense is a complete mismatch. This Seminole unit is pedestrian, awful, anemic, and whatever other adjective you would like to choose that means terrible. The one difficult challenge, which is going to sound a little bit odd, is that this offense doesn’t have a ton of tendencies. There is no clear identity.
With quarterback DJ Uiagalelei still out due to a hand injury, Notre Dame will be facing off against a quarterback that they have never seen. Both true freshman Luke Kromenhoek and Brock Glenn are expected to play, which means that the Irish defense will have to prepare for two completely different skill sets. Kromenhoek could especially bring some issues with his running ability.
Before the season, most expected the Florida State offensive line to be one of the best units in all of college football. We haven’t seen that type of performance yet, that front decimated by injuries so far. They have had the same starting five up front in just two games this season. That level of fluctuation makes cohesiveness nearly impossible.
This will be the healthiest this unit has been in several weeks. They will have left tackle Darius Washington, center Maurice Smith, and right tackle Jeremiah Byers in this football game. That veteran leadership should be huge for their ability to attack a talented Irish defensive front.
Both the running back and wide receiver positions have suffered a string of injuries as well, especially the former. From a coaching perspective, any level of uncertainty does make it difficult to game plan against. Instead, the major focus is going to be on offensive coordinator Alex Atkins, and tendencies that he has as a play caller.
Is this a game where it all comes together? Could the offensive line have their best game? Could Coach Atkins work some magic, if only for one game?
The deck is obviously stacked against them, but acting like Florida State doesn’t have any talent is just incorrect. Notre Dame still does have the talent advantage, and should dominate in this particular matchup but it might be defined more by the adjustments that Coach Golden makes during the game. What it will look like to start off the game is relatively unknown.
We will know very early on in this contest what kind of day it is going to be. If the Florida State offense is stifled early before adjustments have to be made, then this game is going to be a big blowout. If they come out with good execution, then the Seminoles have a chance to be very annoying for a while before Notre Dame ultimately takes a sizable lead.
The unknown is enough to make things interesting for a while, but it shouldn’t for the bulk of the contest. Coach Golden and his unit are stellar, and this Florida State offense is not. This has a chance to be a dominant performance, even if it doesn’t start out that way.
