​In what
could be the classic trap game for the Florida State Seminoles (1-2, 01- in
ACC) on Saturday against FCS opponent Central Arkansas Bears (2-2, 0-1 in UAC),
the Bears could easily be taken for granted and overlooked. But that would be
ill-advised gridiron hubris on the part of coach Mike Norvell and his Seminoles
team.A closer
look at the Bears reveals a talented defense that ranks in the top 30 in the
FCS, is disruptive, and could cause Florida State problems offensively in front
of the home crowd at Doak Campbell Stadium. First, the
Central Arkansas defensive secondary has six interceptions to its credit
already through their four games, and returned one of those for a touchdown.
That is good enough for No. 7 nationally in the FCS. That little known nugget
of information could creep into Florida State quarterback Ashton Daniels’
psyche and affect his confidence that Norvell continues to rave about each
week. The Seminoles offense ranks No. 82 in the FBS in touchdown passes with
just four on the season, and No. 116 with four interceptions thrown by Daniels.Secondly,
the Bears are stingy in the red zone and have allowed opponents to convert 65
percent of the time. They rank No. 15 in the FCS in that category. That will be
a good-on-good matchup as the Seminoles are tied for first in the FBS in red
zone offense, converting on 100 percent of their attempts from 20-yards out.
Florida State is a perfect 13 for 13 so far this season and has scored 11
touchdowns and converted two field goals. It will be interesting to see which
plays Norvell dials up to counter this defensive obstacle.Florida
State will trot out running back Ousmane Kromah to carry the football on
Saturday. He has rushed for 311 yards and three touchdowns this season, and
ranks No. 2 in the ACC in rushing yards per game, with an average of 103 yards
per game. Kromah
uses his 6-foot-1 frame and 200+ pounds to grind out 5.87 yards per carry.
Central Arkansas allows its opponents 115 yards per game on the ground, and a
paltry 3.43 per carry average. That will be another matchup worth watching as
the game progresses.Lastly,
the Bears allow opponents 328 yards of total offense per game. Currently, the
Seminoles are ranked No.71 with 404 yards per game through 3 games. Against
Alabama, the Seminoles gained 471 total yards against a better and tougher
Crimson Tide defense, albeit in a 50-36 losing effort. With Daniels,
Kromah, and receivers Duce Robinson and Michai Danzy, Florida State has more
than enough talent to decimate the Bears defense. The question is: Can Norvell
call enough of the right plays, and can Florida State execute, to win this game
in dominating fashion? Florida
State is -45.5-point favorites against Central Arkansas, as they should be. However,
the Bears will be fired up to come to Tallahassee and pull off an upset against
an underperforming Florida State team that has two losses already this season,
both to ranked opponents. The
Seminoles need to score early and