Seminoles Offense Will Spread Opponents Out, But It Starts on the Ground
Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)Publisher
Florida State reloaded its wide receiver corps through the transfer portal this offseason, and it's been paying off. The Seminoles brought in Mycah Pittman from Oregon, Johnny Wilson from Arizona State and Deuce Spann from Illinois.
That trio has combined for 24 catches, 402 receiving yards and two touchdowns through three weeks of action.
Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley referred to Wilson as "the giant" Tuesday. Eagles linebacker Kam Arnold noted that you have to treat Wilson like a tight end. Those are fitting descriptions considering the Calabasas, California, native stands 6-foot-7. Wilson starred last week at Louisville, catching seven balls for 149 yards and two scores.
Pair him with Ontaria Wilson—a redshirt senior who led the team in receiving yards and touchdowns in 2021—and you have a strong 1-2 punch that spearheads a deep wideout room.
"They have guys on the perimeter that they want to get the ball in their hands," Hafley said Tuesday. "They got some big guys, they got some fast guys. They have a good, athletic tight end.
"But I certainly believe it starts with them running the football."
FSU has the top rushing offense in the ACC. The Seminoles, who rank 11th nationally in that department, are averaging 242.3 yards per game on the ground. They have four running backs who are posting at least 5.7 rushing yards per tote.
It's a group headlined by Treshaun Ward, who is averaging a head-turning 7.6 yards per pop so far this year. Ward—a 5-foot-10, 192-pound redshirt sophomore—has piled up 302 yards on 40 carries with a long of 46 yards. Then there's Oregon transfer Trey Benson, who has ripped off a run of 43 yards. Benson's yards per carry average (7.0) sticks out, too, as he's registered 190 yards on 27 attempts.
The Seminoles' rushing attack is made even more dynamic by a starting quarterback in Jordan Travis who can make things happen with his legs. Offensive coordinator/O-Line coach Alex Atkins will call designed runs for Travis, and, sometimes, the veteran dual threat takes off while scrambling.
Travis' status is up in the air after he left last week's game at Louisville with a leg injury. That said, he has unexpectedly practiced this week.
"I have a ton of respect for him," Hafley said of Travis. "He's a tough kid, so I wouldn't be surprised if he played this week at all. ... Much improved. I think he's playing as well as any quarterback in the ACC right now."
Travis has elevated his game through the air, completing 44-of-65 attempts (66.7%) for 624 yards, four touchdowns and just one interception this season. He even started the Louisville game 11-of-11.
But if Travis can't go Saturday night, his backup, Tate Rodemaker, will be under center. Rodemaker initially struggled against Louisville. After halftime, though, things began to click for the athletic redshirt sophomore. Rodemaker, who Hafley acknowledged can use his legs as well, quarterbacked FSU to victory over the Cardinals, finishing 6-of-10 for 109 yards, two touchdowns and a pick.
"Strong arm," Hafley said of Rodemaker. "Maybe the strongest arm that I've seen so far this year on tape, just watching him throw the ball and release it."
The Seminoles' passing success has helped set up their run game, and vice versa, early this season. BC will try to throw off that balance this weekend.
"Doesn't really matter which quarterback's playing," Eagles defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku said. "We plan on sending some pressure to make sure we get some guys to the quarterback's lap. Get some sacks this week."
Wrapping up Travis or Rodemaker will be key for BC, which has had its fair share of challenges against mobile quarterbacks—in the Hafley era, and before that, too.
"Coach [Mike] Norvell does a really good job on offense spreading you out, doing a lot of misdirection and making you really defend the whole field," Hafley said. "When you have fast guys who can run on the perimeter, a quarterback that's athletic and a running back like that, you gotta defend every blade of grass."
Hafley added: "You can't give an offense like this 15-plus possessions."
