At long last, FSU Football has reason for optimism about offensive line

It likely wasn't the first time Alex Atkins had entertained the thought.

Yet as he watched video footage from Florida State's season opener Saturday against Georgia Tech, the idea perhaps resonated in a deeper way.

Barring anything unforeseen, the Florida State offensive line coach will have three promising young linemen playing side-by-side -- from left tackle to center -- for at least the next two seasons and probably longer.

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Left tackle Darius Washington is a redshirt freshman, left guard Dontae Lucas is a sophomore, and center Maurice Smith is a redshirt freshman. All three have shown a great deal of potential, and they were part of an overall promising effort on Saturday.

They also represent the nucleus of a group that could reverse the fortunes of Florida State's beleaguered offensive line.

"From watching the game film, and having three guys that you know you're gonna have for awhile ... it's truly, really valuable," Atkins said. "Because you get to mold them how you want to mold them. And they get to build that continuity together. ...

"All of that, it makes me very hopeful."

Atkins wasn't alone.

While Florida State's offense produced only 13 points in the loss, there were a lot of positives about the line's performance, particularly when the starting five was in the game.

During the Seminoles' first two possessions against Georgia Tech, they put together a pair of sustained drives and scored a total of 10 points. The first drive went seven plays for 52 yards and a touchdown, while the second one went 11 plays for 61 yards and a field goal.

After that, FSU scored just three points the rest of the night. Having racked up 113 yards on the first 18 plays, the 'Noles accounted for just 194 on the next 62.

There were a number of reasons for those struggles, but one that can't be discounted was the strange rash of injuries that plagued the offensive line throughout the game. Washington, Lucas, Smith and right tackle Devontay Love-Taylor each had to leave the contest at various stages.

While they all eventually returned to action at one point or another, Atkins was continually juggling players from position to position. Love-Taylor played both tackle spots, guard Baveon Johnson moved to center and back to guard, and backup guard Brady Scott played several positions.