FSU QB Blackman pleases coaches with decisions; vows to reduce turnovers
On paper, James Blackman's first start of the 2019 season might have looked fairly similar to his second.
His completion percentage increased from 69.7 percent against Boise State to 75 percent against against Louisiana-Monroe, which obviously was a positive. At the same time, his passing yardage decreased -- from 327 to 282 -- and his interceptions increased, from zero to two.
Blackman threw three touchdown passes in both contests.
It's what doesn't show up on the stat sheet, however, that has Florida State offensive coordinator Kendal Briles and head coach Willie Taggart pleased after breaking down the film from the ULM game.
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When it came to every decision that comes with running an RPO-heavy offense -- when to pass, where to pass, when to hand off and when to keep the ball -- Blackman showed substantial improvement from the season opener.
"That was a big stride from Week 1 to Week 2," Briles said before practice on Tuesday. "And some of those were pre-snap reads as well. So he studied, and he put that on him after Week 1 and came back and had a lot better game in Week 2."
According to Taggart, Blackman actually graded out better in the ULM game than he did in the opener, despite throwing for fewer yards and committing more turnovers.
Along with making better decisions when reading the defense, Blackman also made a subtle adjustment that helped with pass-protection.
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