Ten days remain before the Florida State football team will open its 2020 season against visiting Georgia Tech.

And when the Seminoles run out onto Bobby Bowden Field, it won't matter that they only got in three practices during the entire spring. Or that the COVID-19 pandemic robbed them of the opportunity to work out as a group for most of the summer. Or that many of their offensive, defensive and special teams schemes were taught on Zoom calls.

What will matter is how they perform against a Georgia Tech team coming off of a 3-9 campaign -- in a game that the Seminoles are favored by 11 points.

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For the majority of this preseason, FSU's defense has been creating most of the highlights. After struggling for most of the 2019 campaign, the Seminoles return nearly every starter and top backup on that side of the ball, and they have added an array of Division-I transfers and talented freshmen.

They also seem to be flourishing under the direction of first-year defensive coordinator Adam Fuller's staff.

But after that unit clearly dominated in early practices and scrimmages, FSU's coaches and players say the offense has started to find its footing over the past eight or nine days. Quarterback James Blackman has been named the starter, the offensive line has begun to come into focus, and the skill players have started to perform their assignments with greater precision.

"You saw guys come out and just execute," offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham said, when asked how the offense responded to a disappointing second scrimmage. "You saw guys come out and just do their job with high effort. Football's a really simple game. You've got to get 11 guys doing their job and going full speed. That's really it."

While the defense certainly deserves credit for manhandling the offense at times this preseason, Blackman and his teammates on offense insist many of their issues were their own doing.