Florida State defense played key role in Seminoles’ comebacks
Florida State’s penchant for comeback wins in 2014 has garnered the Seminoles’ offense much of the glory. But their defense has been every bit as much the reason FSU is undefeated.
In seven of their last eight games, the Seminoles’ defense has held opponents to fewer yards after halftime. Only Florida gained more yards in the second half (150) than it did in the first half (132).
First-year defensive coordinator Charles Kelly said that’s difficult to do when your defense is playing with a big lead. He said the perseverance comes from strength of character on top of athletic ability.
“I think it all goes back to these guys; they don’t panic,” he said. “I think coach [Jimbo] Fisher has developed and recruited guys of not only athletic ability, but of character.
“When you combine both of those, these guys, they don’t panic. And you can look at it — you can look in their eyes on the sideline, no matter what the situation is — it’s: ‘Coach, let’s go. We’ll get this thing done.’ It’s just been a pleasure to work with them.”
The Seminoles’ 50th-ranked defense will face its biggest test against Oregon’s third-ranked offense, averaging 546.2 yards per game. It’s a balanced attack, too, as the Ducks aren’t in the top 10 in either passing (No. 11 at 308.9) or rushing (No. 20 at 237.3).
Oregon’s ability to attack any part of the field and find a defense’s weakness concerns Kelly. But his players have built a confidence only undefeated teams possess.
“We may have close games and things like that, but as long as we can go in and make adjustments, we know it’s never the opponent that’s beating us, it’s always something that we didn’t do right,” said defensive end and former Denton Ryan standout Mario Edwards Jr. “We’re confident in the fact that we know, if our coaches correct some things and we go out there and make it happen, we’ll come out victorious.”
Mariota credits prep
Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota’s success is unmatched in many ways, especially his career touchdown-to-interception ratio.
In three seasons, Mariota has thrown 101 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He credits film study and the Ducks’ up-tempo scheme for helping him set a slew of Oregon, Pac-12 and national records.
“Coach [Mark] Helfrich and [offensive coordinator Scott] Frost have really helped my growth in understanding defenses and understanding where weak spots are in certain coverages and different fronts,” he said. “If you understand where to go with the ball in certain situations, it makes the game a little more easier for you.
“But at the same time, we play so fast that sometimes defenses aren’t really lined up. And if you can kind of spot that and figure out where the weakness is, then you can really slow the game down for you. So it really just starts with your preparation and kind of understanding where the weaknesses are in that defense.”
Quotable
“People assume, because you spread the field out, that you’re finesse. That’s not true. They run the football as good as anybody. You watch their scheme runs that they have, they move people. To me, finesse is just throwing the ball on the perimeter all the time. They’re good at running the power. When they run their zone read, they’re moving people. So that’s not finesse.” — Florida State defensive coordinator Charles Kelly on Oregon’s offense
Stefan Stevenson, 817-390-7760
Twitter: @StevensonFWST
This story was originally published December 30, 2014 at 6:14 PM with the headline "Florida State defense played key role in Seminoles’ comebacks."