Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/998819
BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 131 BY BRYAN DRISKELL When you coach at Florida State the expec- tations are clear, and Willie Taggart knew that when he took the job. "We've got to make sure that this time next year, we're not on the outside looking in when it comes to the ACC Championship," Taggart stated in his first Florida State press confer- ence. "We're not on the outside looking in when it comes to playing in the College Foot- ball Playoff. "That's on each and every last one of our players, coaches and anyone that touches our football team to make sure that we're living our life each and every single day to make sure we accomplish those things. … We em- brace those expectations." Words like rebuilding and patience aren't acceptable in Tallahassee. Taggart knows he has the talent to win early, and getting back on track after last season's 7-6 finish is a must. "This is not a rebuild," Taggart declared. "This is more of a realignment, if anything. Got to realign some things to get it going again, but it's exciting knowing that you have some really good football players in here." Since winning the national title in 2013, former head coach Jimbo Fisher's pro-style offense had become stale. Last season the Seminoles ranked 70th in the land in offen- sive efficiency. Taggart will be installing his up-tempo "Gulf Coast" offense. His offenses averaged at least 246.5 rushing yards per game the last three seasons. "Lethal simplicity," Taggart said of his phi- losophy. "We want to score fast and often, but be really simple when it comes to teaching our players, not confusing them on what they need to do to allow our guys to go out and play football and play fast. "You see a lot of explosive plays. We like those. I'm not one of those guys — unless it's a four-minute situation — that we like those long drives. I like to score fast, so as long as we can score fast and often, it's a good thing. We take pride in doing that." ✦ 2018 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2017 Result Sept. 3 Virginia Tech — Sept. 8 Samford — Sept. 15 at Syracuse W, 27-24 Sept. 22 Northern Illinois — Sept. 29 at Louisville L, 31-28 Oct. 6 at Miami L, 24-20 Oct. 20 Wake Forest W, 26-19 Oct. 27 Clemson L, 31-14 Nov. 3 at NC State L, 27-21 Nov. 10 at Notre Dame — Nov. 17 Boston College L, 35-3 Nov. 24 Florida W, 38-22 QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Florida State leads 6-2 Last Meeting: Florida State 31, Notre Dame 27 (Oct. 18, 2014; Tallahassee, Fla.) Head Coach: Willie Taggart, 0-0 at FSU (1st year) and 47-50 overall (9th year) 2017 Results: 7-6 overall, 3-5 ACC Atlantic (6th); beat Southern Miss 42-13 in the Independence Bowl Returning Starters: 10 (7 offense, 3 defense) 2018 Preseason Rankings: No. 13 by Athlon, No. 16 by Lindy's, and No. 18 by Phil Steele's, Street & Smith's and ESPN Football Power Index Did You Know?: Florida State has won the last three matchups against Notre Dame … The last time the Seminoles played in Notre Dame Stadium it defeated the Irish 37-0 in 2003 … Notre Dame is 2-1 against Florida State in games when both teams were ranked in the top 10 and 2-2 in games when both teams were ranked … Running back Cam Akers was named a preseason first-team All-ACC player by Lindy's, Athlon, Phil Steele's and Street & Smith's … Kicker Ricky Aguayo was listed a first-team all-conference se- lection by Athlon, Phil Steele's and Street & Smith's … Cornerback Levonta Taylor was named a preseason first-team player by Athlon. Prediction: Notre Dame 28, Florida State 26 STRENGTH: Running Backs Florida State struggled up front and had a true freshman at quarterback in 2017, which made the production of the running backs even more impressive. The Seminoles employed a pro-style offense last fall, one that required precise offensive line play. However, being below average up front lim- ited the production of the run game and forced the backs to do more on their own. Taggart is installing a more up-tempo and run- oriented spread offense, one that is far less reli- ant on precision from the line, which puts the backs in position to see a jump in production. The primary beneficiary of the adjustment will be sophomore Cam Akers, a former five-star recruit who rushed for 1,025 yards and seven scores last season as a true freshman. He is a highlight reel waiting to happen, possessing an elite blend of size (5-11, 213), speed and vision. Akers is far from a one-man show. In fact, the Seminoles could have possibly the top one-two punch in the country. Senior Jacques Patrick rushed for 735 yards and seven scores last season, and his 5.6 yards per carry was better than Akers' 5.3. He would start for more than half the teams on Notre Dame's 2018 schedule. CONCERN: Offensive Line Florida State's offensive line play was dreadful last season. The unit ranked 121st in the nation in stuff rate (plays that go for zero or negative yards) and 116th in pass down sack rate. FSU quarterbacks took a beating all season, and the running backs were often forced to make de- fenders miss at or behind the line of scrimmage. A new line coach and a system that doesn't require as much precision should help improve the play up front, but overall it is still a unit with far more questions than answers at this point. To make matters worse, starting left tackle Josh Ball was kicked off the team during the summer. Talent wasn't the issue for FSU, evidenced by the fact Rick Leonard was chosen in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft and center Alec Eberle — who returns for a fifth season in 2018 — earned second-team All-ACC honors. Florida State's linemen lacked discipline, and the unit rarely seemed to be on the same page, resulting in an incredibly high number of blown assignments and negative plays. If the line can clean up those mistakes and play together it could be much improved. Hiring former Michigan and Indiana offensive line coach Greg Frey was a smart move for Tag- gart, but Frey has his work cut out for him. FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES NOV. 10 • NOTRE DAME STADIUM • SOUTH BEND RETURNING LEADERS Rushing: RB Cam Akers (1,025 yards, 7 TD) Passing: QB James Blackman (2,230 yards, 19 TD) Receiving: WR Nyqwan Murray (604 yards, 4 TD) Tackles: DE Brian Burns (48) Sacks: Burns (4.5) Interceptions: CB Levonta Taylor and CB Stan- ford Samuels III (2) X-FACTOR: Florida State will have an extremely young secondary in 2018 after losing three start- ers. Sophomore cornerback Levonta Taylor is the one returning starter, and the former five-star re- cruit has the athleticism and skills to emerge as one of the top cover men in the ACC. PHOTO BY ROSS OBLEY/COURTESY FSU SPORTS INFORMATION