A bigger surprise than Florida State’s offensive struggles in 2019 was the underachieving play of the Seminoles' defense. Despite having the same coaches for a second straight season, FSU actually regressed defensively.
This past season, opponents both ran and passed for more yards compared to 2018, and the defensive grades from Pro Football Focus declined as well.
Don't miss our great Football coverage. Get your 30-day FREE trial
*ALSO SEE: Florida State football Rewind: Grading the Offense
The Seminoles finished ranked No. 90 in total defense, giving up an average of 424.2 yards per game, up from 416.3 in 2018 and 331.1 in 2017. Opposing offenses also racked up more first downs (262 to 296), converted more third downs (36.5% to 40.4%) and scored more often in the red zone (82.8% to 85.9%). So it's not surprising that the average overall defensive grade from Pro Football Focus declined from 72.3 to 69.3.