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FSU Football: Top 5 Things To Improve On Post Ole Miss Game

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 5:03 p.m. ET

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Sep 5, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles defensive back Tarvarus McFadden (4) celebrates with Florida State Seminoles linebacker Dontavious Jackson (5) after an interception in the fourth quarter at Camping World Stadium. Florida State Seminoles won 45-34. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports

FSU football played lights out on both sides of the ball in the second half against Ole Miss on Monday night. However, the first half was an abomination.

For as good as the second half was, the first half was almost just as bad for FSU football against Ole Miss.

The FSU defense only gave up 25+ points once ALL of last season. They gave up 21 points in the SECOND quarter on Monday night, and allowed nearly eight yards per play in the first half.

That’s atrocious.

The FSU offense is not going to consistently play the way they did in the second half, nor is the defense. They are not going to get four turnovers every game. So don’t hang your hats on that happening.

FSU football needs to find consistency on both sides of the ball as we progress through the season.

Let’s take a look at the five things they need to improve upon from the Ole Miss game.

Dec 31, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of Florida State Seminoles helmet on the sidelines before a game against the Houston Cougars in the 2015 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Penalties

FSU football had 15 penalties for 127 yards. 11 of those penalties came in the FIRST half which helped Ole Miss build a 21-3 lead at one point.

Three of those penalties gave Ole Miss first downs. A number of the penalties were false starts on the offensive line. You know, the same issue that reared its ugly head last year.

Derwin James had a personal foul penalty in the first quarter that he was lucky they didn’t call targeting on(I don’t think it was targeting, but officials have a thing for calling it against FSU).

The good thing is the team settled down in the second half with just four penalties. However, that’s still too many penalties if you have eight per game(four per half), especially when they are of the dumb variety like false starts.

FSU needs to clean this up. They’ll be facing some high-powered offenses and defenses later on the schedule. It’s difficult to beat good teams while committing this many penalties(the turnovers gained was the equalizer).

Oct 10, 2015; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles running back Dalvin Cook (4) runs for a big gain past Miami Hurricanes defensive back Corn Elder (29) in the second quarter of their game at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports

Win on First/Second Down

This goes for the FSU offense AND defense.

The first couple of possessions tell the tale. Ole Miss got the ball first and covered 75 yards on six plays.

Defense

They did great on the first play of the game with getting an incomplete pass to set up second and 10. However, they allowed Ole Miss to get six yards to set up a manageable third and four.

The FSU defense promptly gave up 36 yards on third and four. After a FSU penalty, Ole Miss got 14 yards on first and 10.

That’s terrible. The FSU defense needs to win consistently on first and second down to force third and seven or longer.

Offense

The first offensive play of the game for FSU went for one yard. Ole Miss won that down forcing second and long.

The FSU offense got eight yards to create third and short and converted. However, they had an incomplete pass or first and 10 which created second and 10. Dalvin Cook ran for a loss of three yards to create third and 13.

Deondre Francois was sacked on that play because Ole Miss knew it was an obvious passing down and brought pressure.

Both units have to win on first and second down to create winnable third down situations.

Sep 5, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles defensive end DeMarcus Walker (44) and defensive end Josh Sweat (9) tackle Mississippi Rebels quarterback Chad Kelly (middle) for a sack in the fourth quarter at Camping World Stadium. Florida State Seminoles won 45-34. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports

Red Zone Defense

The FSU red zone defense against Ole Miss could not have been worse. They allowed Ole Miss to score six touchdowns on six opportunities on Monday night.

That’s unacceptable for a defense that’s supposed to be very good to elite.

The FSU defense in 2015 only allowed opposing teams to score 82 percent of the time when they got in the red zone. However, they only allowed opposing teams to score touchdowns 48 percent of the time.

We’ve already talked about how this FSU defense will be challenged in 2016 against better offenses.

This is something that needs to be addressed moving forward. They have to buckle down in the red zone and force teams to kick more field goals.

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

Third Down Conversions

This stat was a tale of two halves on Monday night as well. Ole Miss converted five of 11 third down opportunities.

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The bad news is that the allowed Ole Miss to convert five of six opportunities in the first half. The good news is that didn’t allow a single conversion in the second half (0-5).

If you’ll remember, this was one of the big reasons FSU fell against Clemson in 2015. They allowed Clemson to convert (7-18) third down conversions for 29 total first downs.

In contrast, the FSU offense had 14 first downs which equates to the FSU defense being on the field giving up over 500 yards of total offense.

The FSU defense has to be able to get off the field when the opportunities present themselves.

On the flip side, the FSU offense needs to be able to convert third down conversions as well. They were successful 50 percent of the time on Monday night.

A couple of them were huge third and long conversions, but FSU can’t depend on those to be converted consistently.

Sep 5, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Travis Rudolph (15) catches the ball and runs it in for a touchdown against the Mississippi Rebels during the first half at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

FSU Red Zone Offense

This area was a huge concern for FSU football in 2015. They only 46 red zone opportunities ALL season, and scored 89 percent of the time.

However, only 26 of those opportunities were converted into touchdowns which is a 56 percent clip.

The ‘Noles were right on that pace on Monday night. They scored all seven times they got in the red zone which is excellent, but only got four touchdowns while kicking three field goals.

That’s a 57 percent clip for touchdowns. They were over 70 percent in 2012 (70.42) and 2013 (79.45). The ‘Noles need to be up above 65 percent for touchdowns in my opinion.

If they can do that, they’ll be capable of winning their fourth national championship (provided the defense can get stops :)

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