The Clemson football team will travel to Tallahassee, Florida this Saturday night for a match-up of pre-season ranked teams. Unfortunately to some, Florida State has had a rough start to their 2024 season and currently sits at 1-4 through five weeks.
The game had a little charm attached to it, as former Clemson starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, now at Florida State, would face his former team. Well, DJU hurt his hand a week ago against SMU and will be held out of this week’s match-up.
Despite their record, this is an uber-talented Florida State team looking to play spoiler to our Tigers.
Here is your preview of Clemson’s Week 6 Opponent, the Florida State Seminoles.
Florida State Seminoles
Head Coach: Mike Norvell (5th Season at FSU)
Location: Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, FL
Time: 7PM
Wins against: Cal
Losses against: Georgia Tech, Boston College, Memphis, SMU
Offense
Offensive Coordinator – Alex Atkins (3rd Season)
In his third season in Tallahassee, Coach Alex Atkins is seemingly having his toughest test as a coordinator. The offense has talent across the board, but not nearly what he had a season ago. In 2024, Atkins is struggling to find an offensive identity, one he so clearly had last season with tremendous quarterback play and two NFL wide receivers.
Atkins’ offense in the early part of the season averages 15.2 points per game; with 278.2 yards of total offense per game. 65.2 yards coming on the ground and 213 yards through the air. The Seminoles are currently minus-5 in the turnover battle with 3 takeaways and 8 giveaways.
Here is a look at the projected starters for the Seminoles on offense:
| Position | Name (#) | Year | 2024 Statistics |
| Quarterback | Brock Glenn (11) | RS Freshman | *First Start in ‘24* |
| Running Back | Kam Davis (3) | Freshman | 18 rush, 55 yds |
| Running Back | Lawrance Toafili (9) | RS Senior | 45 rush, 214 yds, 2 TDs; 11 catches 75 yds |
| Wide Receiver | Ja’Kai Douglas (0) | RS Senior | 15 catches, 285 yds, TD |
| Wide Receiver | Malik Benson (10) | Senior | 15 catches, 185 yds |
| Wide Receiver | Hykeem Williams (8) | Sophomore | 6 catches, 49 yds |
| Tight End | Kyle Morlock (84) | RS Senior | 8 catches, 107 yds |
| Left Tackle | Darius Washington (76) | RS Senior | |
| Left Guard | Keiondre Jones (75) | RS Senior | |
| Center | Maurice Smith (53) | RS Senior | |
| Right Guard | TJ Ferguson (69) | RS Junior | |
| Right Tackle | Jeremiah Byers (63) | RS Senior |
Having watched last week’s game against SMU, Florida State looked lost at times. There was no fluidity on offense at all. DJ Uiagalelei could not get anything going at all. Florida State wants to screen defenses to death, as they have yet to get a consistent running game going all season long. Kam Davis and Lawrance Toafili are plenty capable of gashing Clemson’s defense this weekend, if they commit to the run. No one is completely sold on the wide receiver group for the Noles, but Ja’Kai Douglas is the leader in the room at that position.
Defense
Defensive Coordinator: Adam Fuller (5th Season)
Coach Fuller is in his fifth season in Tallahassee running the defense, and he has some real talent on that side of the ball on paper. What was supposed to be a strength, the defensive line, has been pushed around by some lesser opponents through the first five games.
Fuller’s defense is currently giving up 24.6 points per game. They are giving up an average of 382 yards per game through 5 games this season. 165.8 yards coming on the ground and 216.2 through the air.
Here is a look at the projected starters along with their statistics from their early season slate for the Seminoles defense:
| Position | Name (#) | Year | 2024 Statistics |
| Defensive End | Patrick Payton (11) | RS Junior | 14 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, 4 sacks |
| Defensive Tackle | Joshua Farmer (5) | RS Junior | 15 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, 2.5 sacks |
| Defensive Tackle | Darrell Jackson Jr. (6) | RS Junior | 11 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 0.5 sack |
| Defensive End | Marvin Jones Jr. (7) | Junior | 12 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 3 sacks |
| Linebacker | Cam Riley (18) | Senior | 26 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, FF |
| Linebacker | DJ Lundy (10) | RS Senior | 25 tackles, TFL |
| BUCK | Shyheim Brown (1) | RS Junior | 36 tackles, TFL |
| Cornerback | Fentrell Cypress II (23) | RS Senior | 14 tackles |
| Free Safety | Conrad Hussey (12) | Sophomore | 12 tackles |
| Nickleback | Kevin Knowles II (3) | Senior | 12 tackles, TFL |
| Cornerback | Azareye’h Thomas (8) | Junior | 23 tackles, TFL |
The Seminoles have 4 takeaways on the season with two of them being interceptions.
Special Teams
Here is a look at the projected starters on Special Teams for the Seminoles.
| Position | Name (#) | Year | 2024 Statistics |
| Kicker | Ryan Fitzgerald (88) | RS Senior | 6-6 FGs, long of 59 yds |
| Punter | Alex Mastromano (29) | RS Senior | 49.8 yd avg. long of 69 yards |
| Kick Returner | Deuce Spann (5) | RS Senior | 4 att., 17.8 yd avg. |
| Punt Returner | Malik Benson (10) | Senior | 1 return, 3 yards |
Summary
Clemson is a big favorite on the road. The Tigers did not play their “A” game a week ago against Stanford and still won by a large margin. Florida State is 1-4, but with a change at the quarterback position, it could rejuvenate this very talented roster. You know that Doak Campbell Stadium will be sold out and rocking early on. It is up to the Tigers to take the crowd out of the game and all of the momentum that goes along with it.
Call me old-school, but Florida State will and always will scare me, even during our glory years where games were not competitive. There’s just something about those garnet and gold uniforms that gives me pause. By all accounts, Clemson should go into “the Doak” and leave victorious. But something tells me this is going to be closer than we want it. I still think Clemson will come out victorious.
