With Florida State kicking off preseason football practice this Saturday, we are setting the table by presenting five key questions facing the Seminoles on offense and defense.
First up today are the questions on offense, as well as accompanying predictions on each topic. Next up will be the defense.
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1 -- What's going to happen at quarterback?
Originally, this question was going to be, "Who's going to win the starting quarterback job?" But that didn't seem appropriate heading into this particular season. No matter who wins the starting spot in preseason camp, there's a very good chance McKenzie Milton and Jordan Travis will both see action behind center this season.
If Milton wins the job, head coach Mike Norvell and offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham will undoubtedly look to get Travis snaps in different packages -- particularly in short-yardage and red-zone situations. Travis led FSU with seven rushing touchdowns last season, and his running skills are too dynamic to be wasted on the sideline.
Meanwhile, if Travis wins the job, it's probably not realistic to expect him to remain 100 percent healthy the entire season. Travis missed parts or all of several games last fall due to a variety of ailments, and even though he has put on some weight this offseason, he's still not built like one of those 240-pound quarterbacks who can absorb loads of punishment.
My prediction here is the battle will continue throughout camp, and both quarterbacks will play in the opener -- not necessarily even snaps, but they both will play. Then whoever runs the offense the best will get the Jacksonville State game one week later to cement themselves as the starting QB.
Based on the way he came on late in the spring, I'll give the nod to Milton to be the one to emerge. But as mentioned earlier, I see Travis playing a lot (perhaps lining up at different positions) and being a major contributor to the offense.
2 -- Will the offensive line take another significant stride?
There weren't many bright spots in Florida State's 2020 season, but one of the big ones was the improvement of the Seminoles' offensive line under first-year position coach Alex Atkins.
For several years -- and under the direction of three different OL coaches -- FSU's offensive line was a steady source of frustration. No matter who was in the lineup, the front-five committed an ungodly number of penalties, routinely missed blocks in pass-protection and seldom created a push in short-yardage situations.
Not all of those deficiencies were corrected last year, but Atkins appears to have the Seminoles heading in the right direction. The sack numbers went down, the rushing numbers went way up (thanks in part to having Jordan Travis at quarterback), and there appeared to be fewer pre-snap penalties (false starts and illegal formations).
With virtually every key player back and the infusion of some new talent, most notably Notre Dame transfer Dillan Gibbons, the Seminoles should be primed for more growth in 2021. Young offensive tackles Darius Washington and Robert Scott, in particular, should make major strides after getting their first chance to take part in a college summer strength program.
My prediction for the OL overall is that it will indeed build on last year's success, but that if Milton wins the QB job, the rushing efficiency numbers will see a bit of a dip. FSU rushed for 5.1 yards per carry last season, and a lot of that success was a result of Travis averaging 5.8 yards per attempt and opposing defenses having to worry so much about him. Milton is elusive, but defenses won't have to scheme to limit his ability as a running threat, so that could make life tougher on the running backs. On the flip side, Milton can make the OL look better in pass-protection by processing information quickly and getting the ball out of his hands quicker.