Florida State Rush Offense vs Nevada Rush Defense
Florida State had a decent, if unspectacular, start to the season running the football against Pittsburgh. While unexpectedly leaning more heavily on their Freshman quarterback, the Noles just ran the ball 32 times for 165 yards and a 5.15 average. The good news is that before the game was wrapped up and the backups were all getting time, both Devonta Freeman and James Wilder Jr. averaged a solid 5.8 yards per carry. That was against a much better run defense than they’ll face in Nevada. The Wolfpack gave up 345 yards on the ground to the UCLA Bruins in the season opener and 7.3 yards per carry. Nevada’s front four is undersized averaging just 264 lbs on the two deep with none of those players heavier than 280 lbs. Florida State should have no problem rushing in this one, particularly in the 2nd half. UCLA was able to wear down the Nevada defense which gave up 41 of their 58 points in the 2nd half against the Bruins.
Advantage: FSU
Florida State Pass Offense vs Nevada Pass Defense
The Nevada defense front struggled stopping the run last year and that continued into the first game of the season in 2013. They were, however, good at getting after the quarterback. Without a real strong secondary, they will need to put pressure on the passer. They were unable to do that against UCLA and they gave up 302 yards through the air. The Wolfpack will have difficulty handling the trio of Rashad Greene, Kenny Shaw, and Kelvin Benjamin. Throw in an impressive looking tight end in Nick O’Leary from the opener and Jameis Winston could have another big game. While Seminole fans can’t expect Winston to be as perfect as he was against Pittsburgh, if he’s even close to as good, the Noles will have no problem moving the ball through the air.
Advantage: FSU
Nevada Rush Offense vs Florida State Rush Defense
Nevada runs a a pistol-based, zone read rushing attack. The key to any good zone read offense is a capable quarterback, which Nevada has in Cody Fajardo. Fajardo rushed for 1,121 yards last season and had a nice start to the season rushing for 106 yards on 22 carries against UCLA. The featured running backs, Don Jackson and Kendall Brock, struggled in the opener averaging just 2.9 and 2.7 yards per carry, respectively. Brock turned around and had a nice game last week, but that was against UC-Davis. The Nevada offensive line replaced 3 starters this offseason and isn’t overly big averaging 299 lbs across the line. Florida State will have to be disciplined in their assignments on the zone read. Pittsburgh was able to exploit the edge against Florida State on a couple of occasions and Nevada with Fajardo and Brock, who is a speedy RB/WR hybrid, have the ability to give the Noles a challenge. One key will be for the interior defensive line for Florida State to push the line of scrimmage back in the backfield disrupting the timing and limiting room for the Nevada rushing game to work. The Seminoles will most likely again stack the box and try to force Nevada to beat them through the air, much like they did against Pitt in the opener. I’d give a slight edge to FSU here based on what I’ve seen so far.
Advantage: FSU
Nevada Pass Offense vs Florida State Pass Defense
Nevada boasts a trio of solid receivers, Brandon Wimberly, Richy Turner, and Aaron Bradley, that return from 2012 and combined for 175 catches for 2,064 yards and 11 touchdowns. The UCLA defense was able to hold the Nevada passing attack to a very unimpressive 5.2 yards per pass in the season opener on 35 attempts. Florida State boasts a talented and deep secondary that should be able to match up well with the Nevada receivers. While Florida State could try and confuse a still new Nevada offensive line with their blitz packages, they will have to be mindful of quarterback Cody Fajardo’s ability as a runner.
Advantage: FSU
Score Prediction: FSU 45-17
***Cody Fajardo is nursing a knee sprain and is “day-to-day”. Fajardo being limited would be a huge blow to the Nevada offense.***