Cards Prepare for Cook and the Explosive FSU Offense
September 14, 2016 | Football
The Cards hope to slow down the FSU offense in top-10 showdown.
In suffering a pair of losses to Florida State University the last two seasons, big plays in the second half have hurt the University of Louisville defense -- as the Cardinals have relinquished a pair of half-time leads to suffer crucial Atlantic Coast Conference losses.
Holding a 21-0 lead in 2014 at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, former FSU quarterback Jameis Winston threw three touchdown passes to offset a three-interception start and Dalvin Cook had two long scoring runs to help second-ranked Florida State rally for a 42-31 victory over the Cardinals.
Last year the Cardinals held a slim 7-6 advantage at the break before the Seminoles broke open the game with three third-quarter scores en route to a 41-21 victory at Doak Campbell Stadium.
"I feel like we were that close to winning it the year before we were up at half time," safety Josh Harvey-Clemons said. "Last year we were up at half time, so it's really just about us finishing the whole game, and playing the second half just how we came out in the first half."
This year is a different season, and the Cardinals are excited for only the 14th top-10 matchup in ACC history.
The Seminoles are playing their third different quarterback in three years, which presents a whole different set of challenges for the Cardinals, but no matter who is at quarterback, the Seminoles always have talent on their offense.
"First of all, Jimbo (Fisher) does a great job with the offense," defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said. "They actually run plays that are well designed and are really effective on offense.
"If you look at their offensive line, I think the offensive line coach does a great job and their a physical up front, they really want to run the ball. They have outstanding skill outside at the wide-out position."
One player who has hurt the Cardinals has been Cook, an All-American running back who has single-handedly taken the Cardinals out of the game. He carried 22 times for 163 yards, including a back-breaking 54-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
"We've got to not let him get cutback lanes," defensive tackle DeAngelo Brown said. "We've got to make sure we are all doing our job, executing our assignments, and we just can't let him get that cutback lane."
This year, Deondre Francois has taken over the offense and led the Seminoles to a pair of wins. He guided FSU back from a 28-6 deficit in the opener, completing 33-of-52 passes for 420 yards and two touchdowns in the 'Noles 45-32 win over Mississippi.
"He can make good passes down the field. He can run," Harvey-Clemson said. "So that gives us more to think about as a defense. We have to play more players, because they have a good running back, and a quarterback that can run just as good, so it just keeps us on our toes up front."
With preparation winding down for the week, the Cardinals are gearing with anticipation for this key ACC game. The excitement around is the city is at an all-time high as the ESPN College GameDay truck roll into the city, but the players are just focused on taking on one of the premier football programs in the country.
"It's very hard, because you know it's the first time that College GameDay is here and the city is really excited about it, and the school is really excited about it," Harvey-Clemons said. But for us, we just have to stay focused."
