FSU Spring Game: Five takeaway



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(Photo: Travis Registry, 247Sports)

TALLAHASSEE – The gold team led by James Blackman defeated the Garnet 27-21 team over Florida States Spring play Saturday afternoon.

Blackman was aggressive and managed to shoot on the ground.

Below are five quick fixes, including Blackman's performance, from the annual scrum.

1. Jordan Travis shows an impulse, James Blackman has his moments

One of the big stories this spring has been the back quarters of the FSU. How would James Blackman manage his role of starter? Would a capable backup emerge?

I do not know if we've got definitive answers to these questions, but I think we have a good idea of ​​how FSU is working with the outgoing spring position. And there is hope.

Blackman was 22 out of 37, throwing 415 yards and 3 touchdowns. The strength of his arm and his willingness to shoot were often visible, while he was delivering passes in large pieces to Tamorrion Terry (a touchdown of 50 yards), Keyshawn Helton (a gain of 72 yards), Warren Thompson (an 80-yard touchdown) and Jordan Young (a 32-yard touchdown).

It is difficult to fully judge the performance of Blackman, who is behind a fragmented offensive line and goes against some reserves in the secondary zone. But he was consistent, throwing only two consecutive incomplete two times. The ceiling was high and the floor was not so low. And Blackman was comforting by doing correct readings several times while getting out of the pocket.

Then there was Jordan Travis, who looks like he can be a competent substitute this season (if he ends up having a red shirt waiver, to be determined). the Louisville The transfer was lively, completing 22 of 28 passes for 241 yards. I do not want to harden Travis too much, because his lack of speed on the passes could limit him against the defenses of high level. But he knew where to go with the ball and was able to deliver pop passes to the center of the field. At a minimum, Travis seems to be able to do some good things if he is invited to play this year. This is a step in the right direction after he had a bad start for spring practice.

2. Fingerprints of Briles on the offense

The offensive still has a ton of work to do. But we had a glimpse of the Kendal Briles attack in 2019.

I appreciated the fact that the new offensive coordinator demonstrates a solid understanding of the strengths and limitations of his staff. He specifically called the games with Travis at the helm, focusing on the perimeter attack with screens and using a game-like appearance to free linebackers to open the passing lanes. in the middle of the defense. Realizing that the offensive line aligned a rescue center and guards, he moved away from his weaknesses.

In general, the players seemed to align more quickly and we saw examples of using the tempo as a weapon. The burn will be slow, but signs of progress were evident on Saturday.

3. Identify newcomers

I'm not sure we've seen the success of an instant starter as we did at last year's spring match when we were watching Jaiden Lars-Woodbey, but FSU is going to get The help of some real freshmen this season.

Specifically, I think the linebacker Jaleel McRae flashed a potential. He blew up a game on the goal line and had two consecutive passes against Blackman during a two minute exercise. His range, instinct and physique will make him a valuable player sooner than later for FSU. The rookie had 11 tackles and half a tackle for the loss.

security Akeem Tooth was active, recording seven tackles and three SEBs, although he was up and down, while his colleague Raymond Woodie III had eight tackles. Defensive tackle Tru Thompson had some tackles and a half tackle for loss.

4. Looks like the 3-4 is here to stay

FSU began implementing some aspects of the 3-4 defense early in the spring and continued to build on its facility over the past month.

Initially, I did not know if FSU would switch completely to another front or if it was just trying to be creative with some sub-packages. The Seminoles showed 3 or 4 elements throughout the day, traditionally putting one of his defensemen at the forefront while playing a hybrid linebacker (ie. Leonard Warner, Josh Brown or Adonis Thomas) on the edge.

We will probably see mixes of concepts 4-3 and 3-4 evolve.


5. Inside the line of defense will be an asset

Marvin Wilson. Robert Cooper. Cory Durden.

This trio showed well Saturday, continuing the trend observed since the start of the spring tests. Wilson had two bags in the first half. Cooper regularly devoured blockers and disrupted games by pushing line players into the backfield. Durden demonstrated that speed must be a complementary part of Wilson.

The question becomes: are the defenders of the interior so good? Or is the inside of FSU's offensive line fragile? The answer is probably a bit of both. FSU's defensive shots will be used to anchor a unit that is still trying to find consistent playmakers on the edge and linebacker. And the high school was sensitive to big games on Saturday, so it will be necessary to go further. Having blocks like Wilson, Durden and Cooper is at least a beginning to find some defense stability.

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