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3 changes Florida State football must make before facing Memphis in Week 3

peter holland jr., tallahassee democrat
·5 min read
8

If Florida State football can't turn it around, Mike Norvell will eventually have to address the elephant in the room.

With FSU on a bye week after back-to-back ACC losses at the start of the year, changes must be made.

What kind of changes?

Changes that could be a high-risk, high reward for Norvell's winless Seminoles. Up next for FSU are the Memphis Tigers at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 14, at noon.

"Had a lot of good conversations," Norvell said after Thursday's practice.

"(We're) continuing to evaluate all aspects of what we're doing just to help make sure that next time we step on the field that we are able to go play our best and put that on display."

This gives Norvell enough time to make some tweaks and adjustments on both ends of the field.

Here are the three changes suggested.

DJ Uiagalelei should remain the starting quarterback, but Brock Glenn should get some snaps too

Sep 2, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback DJ Uiagalelei (4) before the game agasint the Boston College Eagles at Doak S. Campbell Stadium.
Sep 2, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback DJ Uiagalelei (4) before the game agasint the Boston College Eagles at Doak S. Campbell Stadium.

It is not the first time Norvell has run a two-quarterback system. He did it in his first two years before Jordan Travis's emergence.

Why can't Norvell do the same for DJ Uiagalelei and Brock Glenn?

Playing two quarterbacks has its advantages and disadvantages.

The advantage is that Norvell can look at Glenn and see what the future holds for the redshirt freshman after showing some flashes last year when he played in five games.

The Capital One Orange Bowl was the last time Glenn saw the field. He threw for 136 yards and two interceptions. Overall, last season, he threw for 229 yards, added 22 rushing yards, and scored a rushing touchdown.

Compared to Uiagalelei, Glenn is an elusive runner. That can help elevate the offense's lack of running attack. Uiagalelei can focus on being a pure pocket passer and work on his deep-ball mechanics.

Uiagalelei has one touchdown. He completed 40 of 69 passes (57.9 %), and his 465 passing yards currently lead the country due to an additional game played.

If Glenn sparks the offense, that could lead to benching Uiagalelei.

On the flip side, Glenn may not be as ready as Norvell thought. But that should be the risk Norvell should take while FSU struggles without identity.

Freshman running back Kam Davis should get more touches

FSU's running game went from being a strength to a weakness. In two games, the Seminoles are averaging 2.5 yards a carry.

The backs are there, but they are just not being utilized enough. Norvell must figure out and identify FSU's rushing strategy. Granted, the offensive line has not been much pushed.

The bright spot is that this could allow freshman Kam Davis to emerge as the featured back. The problem is that he has four carries.

While Roydelll Williams, who leads FSU with 48 rushing yards, and Lawrance Toafili bring the group's experience, Davis continues working his way up in the starting rotation and is being utilized differently.

All of FSU's running backs bring their own skills to the offense. Davis, a four-star prospect, has shown promises through camp with his size and power.

His background as a high school quarterback also helps with trick plays. We saw a glimpse of that last week against Boston College when Davis was handed the ball and threw it back to Uiagalelei, which led to a wide-open Kentron Potitier downfield.

With Davis in the backfield, Norvell should open a playbook that caters more to the true freshman.

Florida State must find consistency from the linebacking core

Defensively, FSU is still finding the right linebacker combination.

It also doesn't help that depth is questioned after losing Shawn Murphy, an Alabama transfer, and Omar Graham Jr, who missed the Boston College game.

Stopping the run has already been an issue in two games after allowing

Blake Nichelson made his first start for the Seminoles, and Juice Cryer saw some significant snaps in Week 0 against Georgia Tech.

In his debut, Nichelson recorded nine tackles. Cryer saw his first defensive snaps against the Eagles and recorded four tackles.

"I feel like just with me and Justin, we didn't really play really at all last year, so I mean, it's kind of a big step for me and him,” Nichelson said.

"So to get that experience, it was really like our first two big games, so I feel like with experience, I think the sky is the limit with that. We just keep going and going."

DJ Lundy and Cam Riley are more effective against the run. Riley is FSU's leading tackler 17 in two games, and Lundy is behind him with 15.

But that leaves the question of who can drop back into coverage and tackle in open space. Currently, FSU lacks those areas and must be on the same page as the rest of the defensive unit.

"The only thing we have to do is respond," Nichelson said. "We just need to cool things down and just be able to play more as a team and just be able to go out there and have some success in this next game."

FSU football schedule 2024: TV channels, dates and start times

BOLD = ACC

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Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Here are 3 changes Florida State football must make before Memphis