Florida State came into Week 4 looking for a drastic turnaround after an embarrassing loss. But so far, South Florida has put up a real challenge.
Florida State entered Week 3 as the number two team in the country and exited with their heads in the sand. Louisville completely embarrassed them off the pitch with a 63-20 win, while Lamar Jackson furthered his case as a Heisman favorite.
A loss that humiliating has effectively ruled FSU out of the ACC and the College Football Playoff. In Week 4, Florida State will be searching for a non-conference win the hopes of repairing their reputation before they go back to the ACC. In South Florida, they have an in-state rival, but one they should comfortably handle.
But so far, South Florida has exploited FSU’s biggest weakness, which is defense. They scored an 84-yard touchdown on their very first play when Quinton Flowers picked out Rodney Adams. So how did Florida State respond? With their own Heisman trophy hopeful Dalvin Cook, who scored a 75-yard touchdown seconds later:
Of course, Dalvin Cook hasn’t been perfect this season. His biggest flaw was when he dropped the ball before he crossed the plain against Ole Miss, costing his team a touchdown. But his good moments more often than not outweigh his bad ones, and this version of Cook is the one that FSU fans have grown to love over the past three weeks.
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With how bad Florida State’s defense looks, a win over South Florida is no sure thing. But if they do win, it’ll be because of their explosive offense. That has been Florida State’s defining trait so far this season when they went on a 39-6 run against Ole Miss, and still managed a respectable 20-point output against Louisville. Through three games, Florida State has averaged 39 points a game.
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This game won’t be fun to watch for Florida State fans, but for the neutral who loves shootouts, this is exactly what you need on College Football Week 4.