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3 Things Seminoles Must Get Going Against Central Arkansas
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- 3 Things Seminoles Must Get Going Against Central Arkansas
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
Florida State (2-1) has one final non-conference game against CentralArkansas (2-2) to address its biggest issues, rebuild confidence and generatemomentum before entering the toughest stretch of its schedule.
This season, the offense has struggled to find any rhythm, whilequarterback Ashton Daniels has thrown as many interceptions as touchdowns, withfour of each. Defensively, they have surrendered more than 1,100 yards over thelast two games, becoming the first FSU defense in school history to allow 500or more yards in back-to-back games.
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Central Arkansas now heads to Tallahassee following a 27-9 loss toSoutheast Missouri State. For a United Athletic Conference (UAC) FCS levelprogram, facing a Power Four opponent presents an enormous challenge,particularly given the disparity in talent and depth between the two teams.
"Its going to be a challenge," Nathan Brown said. "Mike is in atough spot right now and he's gonna try to put it on the Bears."
For Florida State, it's an opportunity to correct its biggest problems,regain confidence and build some momentum before heading into ACC play andarguably its hardest stretch of games all season.
This game is about finding positives to carry into ACC play, and thatstarts with three areas that have to get going Saturday.
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Build Confidenceon Offense
If Florida State is going to regain confidence and build momentum, itneeds to start fast. Struggling to move the ball right from the start will onlyadd to the pressure on the offense, bring out calls for Mike Norvell's job andforce Ashton Daniels to try to do too much, resulting in costly turnovers andeven more calls for one of the backups to come in.
As a 44.5-point favorite Florida State has a chance to find its rhythmon offense. A fast start would take pressure off the offense, allow AshtonDaniels to settle in and give the Seminoles something positive to carry intoACC play.
"He's got a lot of confidence," Norvell said. "He wants to bebetter"
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Coming out fast on offense could help Daniels improve by building trustin his receivers and confidence that he can get them the ball.
Let the Defense Attack
For Tony White, whose defense has surrendered more than 1,100 yards overthe past two games, this needs to be a dominant performance at all threelevels.
Central Arkansas quarterback Donovyn Omolo needs to find himself underconstant pressure when he tries to pass, while having to fight for every yardwhen trying to make a play with his feet.
White's game plan has to have Florida State setting the tone from thestart defensively, limiting the number of big plays and third-down conversionswhile making it clear that, unlike SMU (2-1) and Alabama (3-0) , moving the football willnot come easily.
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The front four must find a way to live in the backfield, forcing Omoloto get the ball out before he is comfortable. Early pressure could do more thandisrupt Central Arkansas's offense; it could give Florida State's defensiveline the confidence to play faster, aggressively and with an attackingmentality that has been missing in recent weeks.
"I mean, that's my fault. I should have stayed aggressive, should havestayed attacking," White said.
Reignite Mandrell Desir
Where in the world is Mandrell Desir? Through the first three games,Desir has been virtually invisible, and at times, you can't tell if he has evenbeen on the field. For White, if the defense is going to improve, he needs tofind a way to use Central Arkansas to get him going.
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So far this season, Desir looks nothing like the freshman who earnedFWAA Freshman All-American, On3 True Freshman All-American, 247Sports TrueFreshman All-American and All-ACC honorable mention recognition.
Desir has recorded only six tackles, one quarterback hurry and hasfailed to earn a sack. Even if Desir begins generating sacks, he's on pace forroughly 24 tackles, four quarterback hurries and 3-4 sacks this season—a farcry from the 30 tackles and 6.5 sacks he produced last season.
A dominant performance, however, could be the spark Desir needs tobecome the force he was expected to be before the season started.
A win over Central Arkansas, regardless of how big, won't change theexpectations . A fast start, a dominant defensive performance, and an impactfulgame from Desir could build the confidence that the work being done during theweek can translate to Saturdays. That belief will be critical for FSU as they enter the toughest stretch of their season.
