In the wake of Florida State's 49-12 victory over Alabama State on Saturday, it's time for a new edition of the Warchant 3-2-1, where we offer three observations, two questions and a prediction.
In this installment, we focus on the Seminoles' struggling pass defense, the importance of making a bowl game, the emergence of dual-threat quarterback Jordan Travis and more.
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Three things we've learned
1 -- Priority No. 1 for a new coach might just be the defense
If you polled 100 Florida State football fans and asked what their No. 1 concern is going into next season, I'm guessing 90 to 95 would focus on the offensive line. If you asked those same fans about their No. 2 concern, there's a good chance many would turn their attention to the quarterback.
While there's no denying those are valid issues, I'm starting to wonder the problems on the other side of the ball might not be equally significant.
Alabama State, an FCS team that came into Saturday averaging 206 passing yards per game, passed for 270 against the Seminoles. The Hornets also racked up a season-high 21 first downs. While they only scored 12 points -- thanks largely to some ultra-conservative decisions in the red zone and poor placekicking -- there was little to like about FSU's defensive effort.
The pass rush was non-existent. The secondary continues to surrender big plays. And while it's fair to point out that several key defensive players were out due to injury -- most notably defensive tackle Marvin Wilson and cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. -- it's also true that these issues have existed for the entire season.
Remember back in the season opener when Boise State freshman quarterback Hank Bachmeier looked like the second coming of Brett Favre and threw for 407 yards against the 'Noles? He hasn't thrown for more than 300 yards in another game since.
Florida State went into Saturday's game ranked No. 117 nationally (out of 130 teams) in pass defense. It's a statistic that almost defies logic when considering how highly rated most of these defensive players were coming out of high school.
In 11 games, FSU has surrendered more than 30 points five times. The Seminoles allowed five opponents to score at least 30 last season as well.
No matter who takes over as head coach next season, it seems almost certain that a new defensive coordinator will be calling the shots. Florida State fans can only hope that new leadership will be able to make an instant impact and that the returning players can perform better with improved direction, schemes and instruction.
2 -- Going back to a bowl is a big deal
As the final seconds ticked off the clock Saturday, Florida State defensive end Janarius Robinson picked up a cooler of Powerade and acted like he was going to dump it on interim head coach Odell Haggins, like the Seminoles did after last week's win at Boston College.
