Florida State had one of the nation’s top defenses in 2023, and in at least one category had the best. But there was regression in nearly every stat last fall.
Among the sore spots: A porous rush defense, a lack of takeaways and an inability to get off the field on third downs. And, yes, an offense that struggled to put together drives and tipped the time of possession in opponents’ favor was also a contributor.
The Osceola previously looked at key stats that can indicate the efficiency of FSU’s offense in 2025. Now we take a look at the opposite side of the ball. We’re not using the exact same four stats, but there are similarities as we evaluate the rush defense, third-down stops, opposing completion percentage and turnovers forced.
We take a look at each of the five seasons for FSU’s defense under Mike Norvell and Adam Fuller, while also reviewing the numbers for new FSU defensive coordinator Tony White when he was the defensive coordinator at Nebraska (2023-24) and Syracuse (2020-22).
Rush defense
2024 — Nebraska ranked 8th in the FBS (101.2 yards per game), FSU ranked 107th (184.7 yards per game)
2023 — Nebraska ranked 9th in the FBS (92.9 yards per game), FSU ranked 72nd (152.2 yards per game)
2022 — Syracuse ranked 59th in the FBS (144.4 yards per game), FSU ranked 75th (156.4 yards per game)
2021 — Syracuse ranked 26th in FBS (126 yards per game), FSU ranked 54th (144.6 yards per game)
2020 — Syracuse ranked 104th in FBS (209.1 yards per game), FSU ranked 97th (199.2 yards per game)
Why is White at FSU? It’s likely Norvell remembers facing him when the Seminoles played Syracuse. But it is also likely that he has seen how well Nebraska defended the run in White’s two years in the Big Ten.
FSU hasn’t really been good at stopping the run the last five years, and the 2024 season was in part marred by the Seminoles allowing too many long run plays. While we’re not as familiar with the scheme, White’s 3-3-5 alignment appears to be one that defends the run well historically. White’s rush defense was significantly better than FSU’s in each of the last four seasons.
Conclusion: It’s encouraging for FSU to have a defensive coordinator who has produced top-10 rush defenses in back-to-back seasons. If FSU’s rush defense is anywhere near the top 10, or top 25, the Seminoles will be considerably improved overall on that side of the ball.
Third-down stops
2024 — Nebraska ranked 31st in FBS (35.2 percent), FSU ranked 111st (44.4 percent)
2023 — Nebraska ranked 45th in FBS (36.7 percent), FSU ranked 6th (28.8 percent)
2022 — Syracuse ranked 85th in FBS (40.2 percent), FSU ranked 37th (35 percent)
2021 — Syracuse ranked 48th in FBS (37.4 percent), FSU ranked 90th (41.2 percent)
2020 — Syracuse ranked 112th in FBS (47.4 percent), FSU ranked 104th (46.5 percent)
The defense’s job is to make stops overall and often our focus as media and fans is on success (or failure) on third downs. White’s defenses ranked in the top 50 in three of the last four seasons in this category, including 35 percent last fall.
Conclusion: An FSU fan base that loved to derisively refer to it as “third and Fuller” should see more stops in 2025.
Opposing completion percentage
2024 — Nebraska ranked 107th in FBS (65.1 percent), FSU ranked 76th (61.9 percent)
2023 — Nebraska ranked 46th in FBS (59.5 percent), FSU ranked 1st (48.2 percent)
2022 — Syracuse ranked 126th (67.4 percent), FSU ranked 26th (57.4 percent)
2021 — Syracuse ranked 111 (66.4 percent), FSU ranked 50th (59.6 percent)
2020 — Syracuse ranked 106th (65.4 percent), FSU ranked 105th (65.3 percent)
This is a stat where White’s defenses have allowed quarterbacks too much efficiency. It’s a tough completion rate when opposing quarterbacks have connected on 65 percent of their passes in four of five seasons. But the results overall (wins and losses) can’t be argued.
Conclusion: AZ Thomas and Fentrell Cypress have moved on to pro football. With a pair of first-time starting corners, there are reasons for concern about how accurate opposing quarterbacks could be.
Turnovers forced
2024 — Nebraska ranked 67th in FBS (17), FSU ranked 132nd (6)
2023 — Nebraska ranked 106th in FBS (14), FSU ranked 72nd (17)
2022 — Syracuse ranked 57th in FBS (19), FSU ranked 84th (16)
2021 — Syracuse ranked 129th in FBS (7), FSU ranked 36th (20)
2020 — Syracuse ranked 3rd in FBS (24), FSU ranked 51st (14)
There’s nothing better for a defense to force a turnover and give the ball to its offense, especially if it’s on a short field. Nebraska and Syracuse were good at producing turnovers in four of five seasons. Fuller prioritized takeaways at FSU but they were few and far between in 2024.
Conclusion: We really don’t know which FSU veterans or newcomers are good at producing turnovers. But if White’s scheme puts them in a position to produce takeaways, then the Seminoles could improve significantly.
Thanks for reading the Osceola. Subscribe here
