Charleston Southern Buccaneers

FSU Football: 3 Ways Jimbo Fisher Handles Charleston Southern Game

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Dec 31, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Jimbo Fisher reacts after quarterback Sean Maguire (not pictured) threw an interception in the third quarter against Houston Cougars in the 2015 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at the Georgia Dome. The Cougars won 38-24. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

FSU football will likely face a depleted Charleston Southern team in its home opener Saturday afternoon. Here’s how Jimbo Fisher should handle this game.

Charleston Southern could reportedly have 30 + players suspended for the FSU football game or a conference game next week according to reports by Ariya Massoudi.

There seems to be more to the story as other players other than Ben Robinson have given their versions of what happened.

Apparently, the entire Charleston Southern offensive line will be suspended for the game as well.

Look, Charleston Southern is a good team that won their conference last season (Big South), but make no mistake it was not going to be a competitive game no matter who played for them.

Here’s the top three ways Jimbo Fisher should handle this game amid the potential suspensions to Charleston Southern players.

Sep 5, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Deondre Francois (12) drops back to pass in the fourth quarter against the Mississippi Rebels at Camping World Stadium. Florida State Seminoles won 45-34. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports

FSU Starters

Jimbo Fisher should allow the FSU football starters to play the first quarter or mid-way through the second quarter.

I’m sure this game was going to be like a ‘working scrimmage’ even before the news of potential suspensions to Charleston Southern players.

If the game is out of hand by before the first quarter is over, he should go ahead and pull the starters. Players like Deondre Francois and Dalvin Cook were already nicked up from the Ole Miss game.

This is a very quick turnaround game with them playing on Monday night against Ole Miss. The starters need all the rest they can get as they prepare for ACC conference play next week against Louisville.

Sep 5, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles fans react after a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Mississippi Rebels at Camping World Stadium. Florida State Seminoles won 45-34. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports

FSU Reserves

This was likely going to happen anyway, but this would be the perfect opportunity for all the young freshmen to get some game experience.

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There are players like true freshmen running back Amir Rasul, defensive end Brian Burns, defensive back Levonta Taylor, linebackers Emmett Rice and Dontavious Jackson who should get tons of playing time.

It would also be a good time for Levonta Taylor to get some time it as a punt returner.

Jimbo Fisher said offensive lineman Cole Minshew would be play in this game. Minshew has been bitten by the injury bug and dealing with concussions the past year and a half.

It would be a good opportunity to see how he handles more of a workload too. If I were Fisher I might put Sean Maguire in there for a series or two, just to get him some game action coming off the foot injury.

However, ultimately, I’d let redshirt junior JJ Cosentino take as many reps as possible to see if there’s a glimmer of hope that he’s progressed at all since Malik Henry is still suspended.

Sep 5, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Kermit Whitfield (8) celebrates with tight end Ryan Izzo (81) after scoring a touchdown in the third quarter against Mississippi Rebels at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports

The Most Important Thing

Obviously, the most important thing is getting the win. However, aside from that, the most important thing is getting through this game without any additional injuries.

Charleston Southern lost their starting quarterback for the season last week as the tore his ACL and MCL in the first quarter. Their backup quarterback also got injured which forced their third string quarterback to play the entire second half against Kentucky St.

As we mentioned, the quick turnaround from Monday night’s game is no joke after playing such a physical game. The ‘Noles will need to be as fresh as possible when they travel to Louisville next week to open conference play.

Not only is Louisville a conference game, it’s a divisional conference game. A loss there would be devastating to their goal of winning the ACC Atlantic and ultimately the ACC.

I’m not sure if it’s possible, but this is something that was done a few years ago against Savannah State. A running clock was implemented. That was more weather related, but the game was out of hand and the two schools agreed to it.

Maybe that’s something that can happen on Saturday afternoon? I guess we’ll have to wait until Saturday and see.

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