Florida State Must Exploit Alabama's New Offensive Line
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As the Florida State Seminoles (1-1) prepare for their matchup on the road against No. 10 Alabama (2-0), fans can only hope that defensive coordinator Tony White and his Seminole defenders have been spending extra time in the film room. White and his group should be studying the game film of the Alabama offensive line and making notes of their strengths and tendencies.
That is crucial when you consider that the Crimson Tide offensive line is inexperienced, with just 30 career starts combined.
Against East Carolina and Kentucky this season, the Alabama offensive line has already allowed five sacks, four of those coming in their 45-17 road win over Kentucky last Saturday.
That is the chink in the Alabama armor. It is the weak point that Florida State defensive coordinator Tony White must exploit if the Seminoles have any chance of pulling off a major upset on Saturday in Tuscaloosa.
Getting pressure on first-time QB1 starter Keelon Russell is critical. Russell has only thrown one touchdown pass this season and threw two interceptions against Kentucky. So, the young gunslinger gets rattled if there is constant pressure in his face.
Kentucky also recorded seven tackles for loss against the Crimson Tide. Alabama running back Daniel Hill collected 104 of the team’s 155 rushing yards. As a team, Alabama averaged less than four yards per carry, but did score three times on the ground.
If the Florida State defense can be a disruptive force, pressuring the quarterback and stacking up negative yardage plays, the Seminoles would have a chance in what will be as hostile an environment as there is in college football.
However, the problem is that Florida State has not been able to get penetration at the point of attack, or force those negative plays that are such drive killers on the opposition.
It has been three weeks since the Seminoles recorded a sack, recording three in their win over New Mexico State in Week 0. They had zero sacks against SMU. In two games, the Seminoles have collected eight tackles for loss. So, there is a lot of room for improvement in that regard.
There are five players on the roster that lead the team with double-digit tackles, and all five play at the second and third levels of the Florida State defense. That is telling.
That means the lack of consistent production by the Seminoles’ defensive line is the direct result of that unit getting manhandled and pushed around at the line of scrimmage. The Desir twins (Mandrell and Darryll), who were being counted on to have breakout seasons, have combined for just five tackles, no sacks, and no tackles for loss.
This comes after the duo flirted with the transfer portal at the conclusion of last season, but a deal was struck that changed their minds, and they stayed with the program. Mandrell was named to the 2025 Freshman All-American Team by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA).
Currently, Florida State is a +19.5-point underdog and has never beaten Alabama in Tuscaloosa. When fall camp started, Alabama welcomed back only one starter on offense from last season, receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams.
So, with a roster full of new faces, Alabama is still trying to build chemistry and camaraderie in Week 3. If the Seminoles defensive line can introduce that “violence of action” that was apparently so prevalent in their practice play during fall camp, they could put Florida State in position to possibly win this game. It is time for Florida State to put up against Alabama and provide some spark of life, or shut up for the rest of the season.
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