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By the numbers: FSU football's offense ranks near the bottom of college football

liam rooney, tallahassee democrat
·5 min read
1

Florida State football's offense ranks as one of the worst in college football.

An almost unimaginable statement, but after an 0-3 start to the year with an offense averaging just 15.3 points per game, the Seminoles' offense sits near the bottom of multiple major statistical categories.

While fingers have been pointed at quarterback DJ Uiagalelei's struggles, the offensive issues extended beyond the transfer.

Those issues, in part, have led FSU to be one of 12 winless teams in the Football Bowl Series (FBS) and the only team in a power-four conference yet to win this season. The Seminoles will hope fortunes change on Saturday, welcoming Cal (3-0) to Tallahassee for the Golden Bears' first ACC game.

Sep 14, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell leads his team before a game against the Memphis Tigers at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images
Sep 14, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell leads his team before a game against the Memphis Tigers at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Following its lowest point total of the season in the 20-12 loss to Memphis on Saturday, FSU head coach Mike Norvell said that it wasn't the game he expected from his offense and that the underperforming unit needs to be better.

"We've got to continue to push and get better. We've got to be able to find a rhythm. We've got to be able to be able to sustain drives on third downs," Norvell said during a Monday press conference. "It's really been poor execution and production in that situation. Too many third down and long situations that we found ourselves in.

"It was just a variety of different issues, and it takes 11 guys going out there playing as one. Everybody has a job. Everybody has a responsibility. I would love to say it was just this one situation or this one position, but we have to be better."

FSU ranks in the bottom in multiple major offensive statistical categories

Despite calls for change at quarterback, Uiagalelei was listed as the starter in the depth chart for the week four game vs. Cal. It remains to be seen if the Oregon State transfer can find a way to lead a remarkable turnaround for the Seminoles offense, but if the first three games are anything to go by, that is unlikely.

Uiagalelei ranks just outside the top 50 in passing yards per game with 222 yards per game. However, he ranks 101st in passing efficiency, a stat that measures the performance of quarterbacks based on yards, attempted, completions, touchdowns and interceptions.

The Seminoles' scoring offense is ranked 123rd out of 133 FBS teams with its 15.3 points per game, sitting behind programs like Southern Miss, where former FSU quarterback Tate Rodemaker transferred, Ball State and New Mexico State among others.

Its total offense isn't much better as the Seminoles rank 128th in the country with its 274 yards per game, behind programs like Florida International University, Akron and Troy.

While the team is tied first in red zone efficiency, the inability to get into the endzone has been evident this season, with only four touchdowns scored in three games. Running back Roydell Williams has accounted for half of those with his two rushing touchdowns.

Even with Williams getting into the endzone twice, he's only recorded 54 yards this season. Lawrance Toafili leads the team with 67 rushing yards, with Kam Davis and Caziah Holmes recording 24 and 12 yards respectively.

Despite the expectation that the running back room could carry the offense, only Miami of Ohio, 32 yards per game, has a worse rushing offense than the Seminoles with 52 yards per game. The running backs have been limited in use since the Georgia Tech game, only running 71 times in three games.

The offensive line hasn't helped the rushing game, as the unit has struggled to create holes and maintain blocks to allow for big yardage on the ground. Those struggles have also made it hard for Uiagalelei to have time in the pocket, leading to sacks and rushed incompletions that don't allow drives to get going.

In critical third-down situations, FSU is 10-of-38 on third-down conversions, giving it a .263 conversion percentage, 125th in the nation.

The Seminoles' offense was expected to be a work in progress this season as it replaced Jordan Travis, Trey Benson, Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson. However, the current lack of production from the FSU offense was nearly impossible to predict and something needs to change to try and get improvement from the unit.

FSU's next opportunity to showcase potential changes to the offense is on Saturday at 7 p.m. when it hosts Cal at Doak Campbell Stadium.

How to watch FSU football vs. Cal

Sep 14, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Lawayne McCoy (15) fumbles a punt return against the Memphis Tigers during the first half at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images
Sep 14, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Lawayne McCoy (15) fumbles a punt return against the Memphis Tigers during the first half at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images

  • Date: Saturday, Sep. 21

  • Time: 7 p.m.

  • Where: Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida

  • TV: ESPN2

  • Streaming: ESPN+ ($10.99 per month), WatchESPN and the ESPN app (TV provider subscription needed), fuboTV (7-day free trial), YouTube TV (2-week free trial), Hulu + Live TV (7-day free trial)

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

Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football's, DJ Uiagalelei offense among worst in college football