Ole Miss Rebels

FSU vs. Ole Miss: Top Five Players To Watch Tonight

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

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Aug 30, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; The Florida State Seminoles cheerleaders take the field before the start of the third quarter against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

The FSU vs. Ole Miss game will close out the greatest opening weekend in college football history. We look at the top 5 players to watch in the game.

FSU goes into this game with a lot of hype, 17 returning players, almost the entire offense from last year.

FSU has arguably the best running back in college football with Dalvin Cook. They return three receivers that had over 50 receptions last season.

DeMarcus Walker returns for FSU, the team leader with 10.5 sacks a season ago. All-World sophomore safety Derwin James will help anchor the secondary.

However, Ole Miss returns some pieces on one of the most potent offenses in college football with quarterback Chad Kelly.

There will be a lot of cat and mouse in the game between the offense of Ole Miss and the FSU defense.

Let’s take a look at the five players/things to be on the lookout for.

Oct 31, 2015; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi (91) celebrates a tackle for a loss against the Syracuse Orange at Doak Campbell Stadium. Florida State won 45-21. Mandatory Credit: Glenn Beil-USA TODAY Sports

Ole Miss O-Line vs. FSU D-Line

This matchup is probably the biggest matchup of the night. Can the Ole Miss offensive line that lost five players that had significant experience hold up against a stout FSU defensive line?

The FSU defensive line will need to shut down the run first and foremost, which includes designed runs for Chad Kelly.

They’ll need to get pressure on Kelly up the middle while maintaining the rushing lanes, because Kelly will hurt you with his legs.

The Ole Miss offensive line could have problems containing the defensive ends of FSU. DeMarcus Walker could demand double teams, and sophomore Josh Sweat is expected to be a terror this season.

The FSU defensive line will influence the next FSU player highlighted

Jan 1, 2015; Pasadena, CA, USA; (EDITORS NOTE: caption correction) Florida State Seminoles linebacker Matthew Thomas (7) tackles Oregon Ducks running back Thomas Tyner (24) in the 2015 Rose Bowl college football game at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Matthew Thomas

I expect linebacker Matthew Thomas to have a big game. He’ll need to pay attention to his keys and attack downhill against the run.

Also, he’ll need to be great in coverage and Ole Miss will look to draw him in on handoff fakes to the running back and hit slant patterns in the space behind him.

Thomas is one of the most athletic linebackers FSU has had in quite some time. Coach Jimbo Fisher and the FSU players have heaped nothing but praise for Thomas during spring and fall camp.

Ole Miss likes to run tempo at times, and I think we’ll hear No. 6 being called early and often for the ‘Noles.

Jan 1, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Chad Kelly (10) looks to throw a pass against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the second quarter of the 2016 Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Chad Kelly

The Ole Miss offense will go as he goes. If he has an off game, Ole Miss could get blown out of the water.

However, Kelly is the best quarterback in SEC. He’s a gamer and will likely have a decent game stat wise because it’ll all be on his shoulders.

Hugh Freeze will likely run Kelly on designed runs, especially in short yardage situations too.

Most of Kelly’s production will come from short passes from Run Pass Option plays, but I don’t think he’ll have much success with vertical routes against this FSU secondary.

If case you are not familiar with Kelly, you can read a quick scouting report here.

Oct 3, 2015; Winston-Salem, NC, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Deondre Francois (12) throws the ball on the sidelines during the second half against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at BB&T Field. Florida State defeated Wake Forest 24-16. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Deondre Francois

The next great quarterback at FSU apparently. The redshirt freshman will be making his first college start against a top 15 ranked team on a neutral field.

The best thing about it is he’s the only new face on the offensive side of the ball for the most part.

Francois can make all the throws. He has a cannon, but can also scramble with his legs when opportunities present themselves.

Jimbo Fisher make be cautious early, but could be forced to put the offense on the arm of Francois with Ole Miss looking to shut down Dalvin Cook.

It’ll be interesting to see if Francois can take care of the ball, and make good decisions under pressure. This game should be a good measuring stick to for expectations moving forward.

Nov 30, 2013; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles cornerback Marquez White (27) works out prior to the game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Ole Miss Receivers vs. FSU Secondary

This battle will likely be just as important as the Ole Miss offensive line against the FSU defensive line. I think part of that reason is because Ole Miss throws a lot of short to intermediate routes that down give the pass rush time to get there.

Which means the FSU secondary will need to jam the receivers at the line of scrimmage to disrupt their timing.

Also, the secondary must be physical with the Ole Miss wide receivers. Safeties Trey Marshall and Derwin James have no problem laying the wood to folk. They’ll need to do that every time Chad Kelly tries to run the ball as well.

The FSU secondary was top five in the country last season, and will look to keep that level of elite play on Monday night against a potent passing offense.

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