FSU Preview: Florida State versus California

This Saturday the ‘Noles will be back in action as they take on the California Golden Bears at 7 pm on ESPN2 in Doak Campbell Stadium.

Cal is 3-0 this season with wins over UC Davis, Auburn and San Diego State.

This will be the first meeting between the two schools.

Observation from the last game

The offense got off to another abysmal start with only 67 yards in the first half. Penalties, turnovers, dropped passes and subpar QB play doomed FSU again. Without all the mistakes the Seminole could have had the lead at half even without starting tackles, Darius Washington and Jeremiah Byers.

The defense played a lot better led by defensive end Sione Lolohea and linebacker Justin Cryer. Safety KJ Kirkland did a nice job filling in for Shyheim Brown.

Quarterback Situation

DJ Uiagalelei made a few nice plays in the second half but was too inconsistent to complete the comeback. His inability to move around in the pocket or scramble for yards makes it easier for the opposing defensive line to get pressure when they know they can’t get hurt by the quarterback run. The overthrows in the redzone and not audibling to a pass against a 9-man box aren’t very helpful to his cause either. Coach Norvell should make the switch to the more mobile Brock Glenn now. Even though he struggled versus Louisville and Georgia, he is still the last QB to win a game.

Florida State offense versus California defense

The ‘Noles must get the run game going as they are 126 in the FBS (out of 134) in yards per game rushing. This will be an uphill battle against a defense that is 25^th in yards given up per game.

The biggest key on this side of the ball is turnovers. The Golden Bears have forced 10 turnovers with the ball hawk defensive back Nohl Williams hauling in 4 interceptions. Another bigtime defender is Teddye Buchanan, who leads the team in tackles and sacks.

Florida State defense versus California offense

The Cal offense is led by the 3 running backs, Jaydn Ott, Jaivain Thomas and Kadarius Calloway. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza does a good job of managing the game with a completion percentage of 70% and only 1 interception. He likes to spread the ball around as 6 receivers have at least 7 catches, but his favorite target is Nyziah Hunter (4 touchdowns).

If the defense can build on a solid performance against Memphis, it should keep the game close enough for the offense to have a chance to win the game.

Special Teams

Fitzgerald and Mastromanno were great once again. However, Lawayne McCoy had 2 misplays that led to a turnover and loss of field position. I still think FSU has an advantage here.

Prediction

Cal has played smart, disciplined football this season while FSU has not. I think the ‘Noles fix a few things but it’s not enough. Florida State 19 California 21.