The Florida State (FSU) Seminoles bring a defense that has performed well against the pass but struggles against the run to Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday night. We preview the ‘noles defense here:
Photo by The Irish Tribune
FSU’s defense does not deserve nearly as much blame as the offense for this disastrous season. While they have not been stellar, they have done enough to keep a few games closer than they should have been. Here is how 1-8 FSU has fared so far this season:
at Georgia Tech (in Ireland) (24-21, Loss)
vs Boston College (28-13, Loss)
vs Memphis (20-12, Loss)
vs California (14-9, Win)
at SMU (42-16, Loss)
vs Clemson (29-13, Loss)
at Duke (23-16, Loss)
at Miami (FL) (36-14, Loss)
vs North Carolina (35-11, Loss)
The Seminoles defense enters Saturday, allowing 27.3 points (sixth-most in ACC) and 392.8 total yards per game (fourth-most in the ACC).
They have been unable to force turnovers, as this defense only has two interceptions and a fumble recovery this season. In addition, they have zero defensive touchdowns.
One positive for this defense has been their red zone efforts. Opponents are scoring only 79.5% of the time they enter the red zone, fifth-best in the ACC.
A glaring issue with this FSU defense has been their lack of success on third downs. Opposing offenses are converting 46.3% of their third-down attempts, the highest percentage in the ACC.
As briefly mentioned before, Florida State’s passing defense has, arguably, been the best unit of this whole team. The ‘noles are allowing 201.3 passing yards per game, the second-fewest among ACC teams. They also do well disturbing the quarterback, as their 2.44 sacks per game (22 total) ranks tied-31st among FBS teams. Let’s highlight six defensive backs that could impact Notre Dame’s passing offense on Saturday night:
The star of the secondary is redshirt senior cornerback Fentrell Cypress II. The former Virginia transfer is one of two FSU defenders generating 2025 NFL Draft buzz. As of right now, Cypress is projected to be a day-three selection in April. The 2023 honorable mention All-ACC corner entered this season with 98 tackles, 22 passes defended, and an interception in 33 games played. At UVA, Cypress earned Second Team All-ACC recognition in 2022 after he led the conference in passes defended with 14. Following his ‘22 campaign, Cypress entered the portal as one of the highest-rated transfers before making the move to Tallahassee. This season, he has totaled 27 tackles while leading the team with five passes defended. He racked up two passes defended against both Clemson and Duke. Unfortunately, Cypress has been dealing with nagging injuries and was limited to just two series’ last week. He is expected to give it a go this week, but he will likely not be at 100%. Overall, Cypress is a great tackler and good cover corner who has only allowed two touchdowns this season.
The other starting wide corner is junior Azareye'h Thomas. He entered this year with 43 tackles, seven for loss, 11 passes defended, and an interception in 25 games played. Thomas, experiencing a career-best season, enters Saturday with 41 tackles (tied for second on the team), two passes defended, and a forced fumble. He has posted four or more tackles in eight of nine games played. Thomas has been reliable in coverage this year, having only allowed 13 receptions for 120 yards on 23 targets.
The starting slot corner is senior Kevin Knowles II. He entered this year with 81 tackles, seven passes defended, and an interception in 38 games played. This year, Knowles has racked up 27 tackles and four passes defended. Overall, the senior is a well-rounded defensive back who has allowed 19 receptions for 174 yards on 30 targets this season.
The final true corner to highlight is sophomore Quindarrius Jones. The young corner has stepped in with Cypress dealing with his injuries. Jones enters Saturday with ten tackles and three passes defended. Expect Notre Dame’s offense to attack the sophomore, as he has struggled with tackling and coverage. He has allowed seven receptions for 109 yards on 15 targets. I think Jones can develop into a good starting cornerback, but he is still a step behind this season.
One of FSU’s starting safeties is redshirt junior Shyheim Brown. The Third Team All-ACC selection from a year ago entered this season with 89 tackles, five for loss, six passes defended, three and a half sacks, two fumble recoveries, and an interception in 27 games across the last two seasons. This year, Brown has racked up a team-high 61 tackles, ninth-most among ACC defenders, including two games with 10-plus tackles. Brown is a great tackler, but he excels against the run. His biggest flaw would be coverage, as he has allowed ten receptions for 141 yards and a touchdown on just 12 targets.
The last defensive back to keep an eye on is fellow starting safety, redshirt freshman K.J. Kirkland. The former four-star recruit has recorded 38 tackles and two passes defended in eight games played this season. Kirkland is a good tackler and is reliable in stopping the run. However, like Brown, he has struggled in coverage, allowing eleven receptions for 168 yards on just 13 targets.
Florida State’s rushing defense leaves a lot to be desired. They are allowing 191.4 rushing yards per game, the worst in the ACC. Positively, this defense has been capable of getting into the backfield, as proven by their 6.2 tackles for loss per game (56 total), which is tied for seventh-most among ACC foes.
The star of the ‘noles defensive line, and perhaps the entire team, is redshirt junior edge rusher Patrick Payton. The left-side edge has garnered the attention of NFL teams as he is slated to be a day two or three selection in the ‘25 NFL Draft. The 2022 ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year entered this season with 75 tackles, 21 for loss, 13 passes defended, 12 sacks, and three forced fumbles in 27 games across the last two years. Last season, Payton was named an All-ACC honorable mention after leading FSU with 14 and a half tackles for loss and recording ten passes defended, the most by an ACC defensive lineman since 2016. This season, he has totaled 23 tackles, eight for loss, and a team-leading four sacks. Notably, three of his sacks came in the win against Cal. In general, Payton appears to be struggling in almost all aspects of the game. This could be occurring because opposing teams are targeting him, but regardless, he has shown he can be elite in the past, and it has not shown up this year. He has nine missed tackles, and besides the Cal game, Payton has not really “jumped off the tape” against the run or pass.
Starting right-side edge rusher is junior Marvin Jones Jr. The Georgia transfer, a part of the 2022 National Championship team, is experiencing his career-best season. He enters Saturday with 23 tackles, five for loss, three sacks, and a forced fumble on the year. Like Payton, Jones dominated against Cal, notching two sacks and his forced fumble in the win. Overall, Jones is a solid tackler and run-stopper whose biggest struggles come in the pass rush.
On the interior, FSU features redshirt junior Darrell Jackson Jr. The former Maryland and Miami (FL) transfer was forced to sit out last year due to NCAA rules. Jackson totaled 49 tackles, five for loss, and three sacks across 25 games at Maryland and Miami. This season, he has recorded 24 tackles and three and a half sacks, with three of the sacks coming in the past two weeks. If Jackson cleans up his tackling (five missed tackles this season), he could be a great player for this ‘noles defense. Even with the poor tackling execution, he finds ways to produce against both the pass and run.
Another interior lineman for Notre Dame to watch is redshirt sophomore Daniel Lyons. He is experiencing a breakout season as he enters Saturday with 24 tackles, five for loss, and two and a half sacks. Notably, all of his sacks came in two weeks against Memphis and Cal. The sophomore lineman is a well-rounded, great tackler who performs well against both the pass and run. Lyons could be a name to watch for in the future on NFL Sundays but is not draft-eligible this year.
The final interior lineman to highlight is redshirt junior Joshua Farmer. The Second Team All-ACC selection and FSU Defense Most Improved Player from a year ago entered this season with 47 tackles, 13 for loss, seven sacks, two passes defended, and a forced fumble in 26 games across the last two seasons. This season, Farmer has racked up 27 tackles, seven for loss, and two and a half sacks. He recorded back-to-back games of at least four tackles and one sack against Memphis and Cal. In general, Farmer is a solid player who excels in pass rush. He has had struggles with tackling, with four missed tackles this season.
FSU boasts four linebackers who can impact Saturday’s game, including sophomore left-side backer Blake Nichelson. He is experiencing a breakout season as he has totaled 41 tackles (tied-second on the team), three for loss, and half of a sack. Nichelson is a great tackler with at least four tackles in six of eight games played. The young linebacker has struggled in pass rush this year.
The right-side linebacker is senior Cam Riley. The Auburn transfer totaled 120 tackles, eight for loss, two sacks, and two passes defended in 48 games at his former school. Riley enters Saturday with 39 tackles, four for loss, a forced fumble, and a sack this season. His best game came against Boston College when he recorded ten tackles and a forced fumble in a losing Seminoles effort. Riley has performed well against the pass, both as a rusher and coverage man. However, he has struggled to stop the run this year.
In the middle, FSU features two young inside linebackers, including redshirt sophomore Omar Graham Jr. He has recorded 25 tackles, two for loss, three passes defended, and a sack in seven games this season. Graham has racked up six or more tackles in three contests. He is the highest-graded tackler on the FSU defense, according to PFF, and has been solid in pass rush and run defense all year.
The last player to highlight on this FSU defense is fellow inside linebacker Justin Cryer. The sophomore has recorded 32 tackles, two for loss, an interception, and a fumble recovery this season. A consistent producer, Cryer has had three or more tackles in seven of eight games played. The sophomore inside linebacker is another good tackler who happens to perform better in coverage as opposed to rushing the passer or stopping the run.
Florida State will always have talented football players. If that was all that was needed to win, there would be several more successful college football programs across the country. While the 'noles passing defense has had bright spots, their inability to force turnovers is worrisome. Notre Dame’s top-15 rushing offense should be able to guide the Irish to victory Saturday night against, arguably, the most disappointing team in college football.
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