Gators Online's Zach Abolverdi and Matt LaSerre of Warchant preview the Florida-FSU game. We break down Saturday's matchup, players to watch and keys to the game.
Gators Online Podcast
Ep. 112: Florida vs. FSU Preview | Gators Online Show
Looking for an ideal place to start or scale your business? Come to Dubai, the new global powerhouse for innovation and business growth. With the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 Accelerating Success, entrepreneurs have easy access to flexible regulations, cutting-edge infrastructure, tax benefits and 100% for an ownership. Be a part of the future, join the leaders of tomorrow in Dubai, where your innovation meets opportunity. Visit www.dubyebeyondpossible.com to know more. [MUSIC] >> What's up, Gator Nation? Welcome into the latest Gators online show, Zach out the birdie here. And we are going to preview the regular season finale for the four digators against FSU and Dope Campbell Stadium. We'll be joined by Matt LeCer from WarChant to learn about the Seminoles coming off of their win last week and kind of what's been certainly a down year for FSU. And this would make their season no doubt if they can get a win over the Gators. Florida's coming off back-to-back wins over ranked teams. A big upset over Ole Miss last Saturday in the swamp. And it's the first time that the Gators have gotten back-to-back wins over top 25 teams as an unrate team since 2003. So it's been quite a while, but we don't need to talk about the Gators too much. You guys want to learn a little bit more about the Noles and this matchup on Saturday. So to do that, we'll be joined by Matt now and learn some about FSU. Matt, I appreciate you joining the show, man. How's it going? >> No problem, man, good, good. Glad for, or happy the season's almost over, really. >> [LAUGH] >> I know, man, it's been tough sledding in Tallahassee. They are coming off of a win. So that's good. >> Yeah, yeah, yeah. >> We're number two. We're number two. But before we break down this team and kind of where they're at, personnel-wise, and some players that Florida fans should know, please address what happened last week, how I know it was expected probably for them to get a win. But it had been a long time coming and what do you feel like that did for the team and kind of some of the stuff that they've said this week? >> I really think it was good for confidence. And I think the biggest confidence booster it is for us for the wide receivers. Because in general, you look at how the season has gone and just all the drops. I mean, they're probably one of the highest drop rates in the country. You look back to the Duke game where like there was just multiple wide open where if maybe one of those balls is caught, you're looking at a different, a completely different scoring, a completely different game. And you're actually seeing, or last week you actually saw the wide receivers being able to catch the ball and not just going straight through their hands. So I think that's huge for confidence, especially going into this week. And the running game finally got going. That, I don't know, we'll see how that goes. But in general, it's just a confidence bill. They're going into what you have to treat this week basically like the Super Bowl. >> No doubt, if they can get a win on Saturday, I'm sure that they're going to celebrate it that way. So obviously FSU is coming off of a really big season in 2023. They run the table during the regular season. Unfortunately, don't get the bid that they want and kind of lost their team before that Georgia game. And then they come out of the gate, three straight losses. They got a win over Cow, which was a close game they easily could have lost. >> Yeah, at what point, Matt, would you say that you realized and maybe others in the media that the potential for a one and nine start was possible? Like when did it look like this thing could go south? >> I want to probably say after, I mean, pretty quickly, honestly, Georgia Tech was completely different from what we thought, even from, because we get to go to practice. This is the only week all year we really haven't gotten to see practice. And from just seeing preseason camp and all that and then getting to the Georgia Tech game, it was so completely different that that's where it kind of opened up to where, man, where could this free fall be? And then you got to Boston College and you're like, well, this matchup sucks. Like there's like, in my opinion, I don't know how Vegas had that as a, I think it was like a 17, 14 point spread for that week. And it was, to me, clear off the jump that this could be a really tough game for them to win. So I'd say after that is when you kind of knew that this isn't going to go well. Yeah, a little bit of hope with Cal, obviously you're like, all right, maybe they can get it back on track, but SMU killed those pretty quickly. But I would definitely say after the Boston College game is when you kind of saw that this wasn't going to go super well. So right out of there, we too. Yeah, 100%. And then it had to be tough for Norville to get that lost to Memphis. That one hit a little close to home. Yeah, I would imagine, especially with a guy who he mentored, right? And that's a guy I think at one point he was looking to bring on staff as well as the a similar field that we met with said coach. Now, before we get to FSU's current quarterback situation, can you just take us through the ride of DJU and that was like, man, that was wild. And I think part of it was because the FSU didn't have a running game, right? When you look at Oregon's him at Oregon stakes, he was decent at Oregon State. He had a running game. He didn't really like, it wasn't all on him. Once the running game kind of just fell apart for FSU, he's not that guy to just make it all about him, right? He needs that support around him. And with the offensive line, he didn't show to be mobile. We're not really sure if he was at 100% when it came to that and like not being able to run. It was a wild ride, man. It wasn't even like, again, even that we didn't really expect. We didn't need him to be the guy. We didn't need him to be the guy who does everything. Like, you guys want DJ like way to be the guy who does everything. And you see that DJ was never supposed to be that. He was supposed to be a game manager who can just distribute the ball and do what he needs to do. And then, like I said, it became more than that. And he couldn't do that. And it just, it was wild, man. It was, I think if they would have benched him earlier and put Brock or Luke in, obviously Luke now, but I think they would have benched him probably after the bye week going into the Memphis game, around the bye week going into the Memphis game. It probably could have seen Brock or Luke gain more traction now and build it up like DJ Lagway for you guys. He got to go in fairly early after waiting and looking for a while, or learning for a while like we talked about over on the other show we did. He, there just wasn't like, Brock and Luke got thrown into the fire with Clemson. That's not really the game you want them to be first out there for. Yeah, and ever since it was apparent that DJ wasn't working out, I think it was clear that that was going to impact for the state season. And it has, it does look like they maybe have found a quarterback in Luke. What were your thoughts on his performance last week and looks like he'll get the nod on Saturday? I mean, yeah, he's, he's going to start, took Norville, if you watch Norville's press conference on Monday, it took him a little bit when he got asked that question to finally get to the answer that Luke was starting, but Luke will start again. He, you can tell he settled in, but it took him a while to settle in. He, I mean, at first it was kind of unwatchable, like just where all these balls were going in the first quarter, but then once he settled down, you finally saw him to get it. And Norville was saying that like he wasn't looking on the sideline as much for help. Like he finally, everything was clicking, getting that confidence, which is something we really haven't seen from a quarterback or four state all year. Now in general, for the future, I do still think they'll go for a portal quarterback. I don't think Luke is super long term going into next year. I think they maybe still want to get him a red shirt and all that kind of stuff in the future. But for now, it's good to see that he's getting these reps and learning, and it is starting to click a little bit. Just overview on their offense outside the quarterback position. What's gone wrong there? What, what have been some bright spots on offense? Yeah, I mean, I don't really know if there are any bright spots on offense, until I trials the Southern game for being honest, that we finally scored over 21 points. It took 11 weeks to get to that. But I mean, it all started with the offensive line. We were coming into the season expecting this to be, they were like a veteran experience group. Sometimes when guys have been experienced and they show mediocrity throughout their career, maybe they're just not a great unit. So I think that was kind of, we learned that pretty quickly, that that's what, because going into the year it was, this is going to be a run first team. And obviously when your offense aligns, it's not great. You can't really do that. You know, Darius Washington was supposed to be this all American. He wasn't all American at one point and just completely fell off. They've had like nine or 10 different combinations at this point. So you just haven't been able to, yeah, how you can't really work together once it gets to that. Like it's just hard for an offensive line. So if you're looking at the problems, I think it all comes down to that. And that's why you have to get off of DJ, because DJ couldn't run out of the pocket. And I think this is something we've seen for years prior, and Jordan Travis kind of masked it with his mobility. And it just kind of all came to one crashing halt when you didn't have him as mobile quarterback as Jordan Travis. As for right spots, I mean, the receivers are still athletic, right? They're still very athletic, speedy bunch. They just haven't been able to get separation a whole lot this year. And I think that this week could be the one you see them get that separation. It's just a matter of if the offensive line could block. Looking for an ideal place to start or scale your business? Come to Dubai, the new global powerhouse for innovation and business growth. With the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 accelerating success, entrepreneurs have easy access to flexible regulations, cutting edge infrastructure, tax benefits, and 100% for an ownership. Be a part of the future. Join the leaders of tomorrow in Dubai, where your innovation meets opportunity. Visit www dot Dubai beyond possible dot com to know more. Yeah, and a no Richie Leonard, either for Florida fans wondering if they were going to face the gator, he's out with an injury. Defensive side of the ball, just your overview of that unit so far, Matt, what are some things that have been bright spots for them and where they struggle? The bright spots have definitely been the corners. Zari Thomas and French El Cypress. French El Cypress has been out the last two games, but I think Norbell said today he's been working out and it's been looking better. So probably leaning towards him playing this week. But I mean, AZ has probably been one of the best players on the field for Florida State. He's at the point where he's not getting as many stats, right? I mean, the tackling has really been the problem, but the coverage has been good. And I mean, he was going into the year. He was probably the best player that we all knew that he was like that first round type of guy, him and Pat Payton, but especially AZ that we were really excited to watch. The defense line, the interior guys, Josh Farmer and Daryl Jackson. Well, overall, the defense line has been disappointing. The interior guys have kind of picked it up, especially Daryl Jackson. You're seeing him kind of take a track that Brayden Fisk took last year where you didn't see those stats early on, but you're starting to see him like now he has three and a half sacks all within the past few weeks. So you're kind of seeing that to come. But the guy who's really emerged on the defense's linebacker Omar Graham, he has won Florida State fans used to get enraged whenever they'd see him on the field the past like year and a half until the end of the season, because it's just like, it seems like he couldn't do anything good. And then you get to that North Carolina game Notre Dame, where he's starting to like flash a little bit. There was one, he stopped at Mario and Hampton, is one of the best running backs in the, in the country on the one yard line on a fourth and one. So I mean, that was where I was like, okay, well, maybe this kid is good now. Finally, I think he was dealing with some injury stuff as well. So it's good to see that Blake Nicholson as well has done, has done good. And Edwin Joseph has been a guy at Nickel, who has kind of emerged. He started off on special teams making some like great hits early on. So he earned that opportunity being a co-starter at Nickel. For sure. We're joined by Matt from more chat, Matt, before we get to some match-ups and key shit to the game. I just got to get your reaction to what the mood is in old nation and around Tallahassee, just off of this recent recruiting run that Ford has been on as it relates to FSU with the guys that they flip, like just what's the what's the mood like you know, with with Seminole fans leading up to this game? I mean, from a recruiting standpoint, because I do a lot of recruiting stuff over at orchan, it's I've kind of considered this 2025 class dead for a few weeks now. It's one of those things where with the national sign day being moved up and all these staff changes are going to have to get made that it's going to be hard to sign kids in general from Tramel going. I mean, he was always flirting with UF and at the end to go over there after shutting it down. Byron Lewis, Byron Lewis was probably the most surprising one as it kind of came down to these past two weeks. Because UF wasn't even in the final four when he made his decision and now all of a sudden in two weeks, he's going to UF that could signify some coaching changes coming. Who knows? But it just all these have kind of come out of nowhere and stacking and stacking. They're clearly going to have to hit the portal hard this year. But hopefully I think the blueprint has to be the you hit the portal hard this offseason. It has to be the last time you hit it as hard as you do and you have to kind of go to this 2026 class and start building now. What are your expectations for Solomon Thomas? Does your read on the situation? So, I still think he's going to stick. I think the main thing is who the offensive line coach is. I don't think there'll be a decision until then and if he vibes with that guy, if he likes him and he wants to play for him, I think he'll stay. I mean, I can tell you from before they fired Alex Atkins, I thought that Solomon was a goner as soon as they fired him. I always thought their relationship was so tight that no matter what, Atkins is here, he's staying. And I was surprised that when I got on the phone with him, he was like, no, I'm going to wait. And it was, I think he is eventually going to get a stick and it just depends on who that offensive line coach is. I do. I'd leave Florida if he doesn't stick. All right. So, there's your, there's your FSU recruiting figs for all Florida fans that want to know what Matt thought. So, Matt, I'm going to get to a ad read real quick and then we'll get just some matchups here. Definitely want to encourage Florida fans. If you have not done it yet, this season, go to roeback.com for the best fit, best field. Those who aren't familiar with roeback, they're completely changing the game with their incredibly comfortable active wear. They release their new license game day collection and it's fantastic. Novel polo designs and clean, hoodie, zit, q-tip designs for some of your favorite schools, including Florida. Nobody else on the market is pairing these level of custom designs with this quality of active wear. Use the code Gators20 on roeback.com for a generous 20 percent off all new customers through the end of this year. That's spelled R-H-O-B-A-C-K dot com, 20 percent off all performance polos, shirts and more with the code Gators20. All right, Matt, you've mentioned some of these players before. Maybe this will be a short segment but I do want to ask you some guys to watch on both sides of the ball that you feel like could give Florida fits. Either guys that have been some of FSU's better players or maybe in this matchup, maybe there's some chances for them to have a big game. Let's start on the offensive side of the ball. Two or three guys that Florida fans should be watching for. I think the main one's got to be Jakai Douglas. He's been the most reliable receiver all year and with Florida kind of being down on the secondary, having a bunch of injuries. That's a guy that probably really needs to step up and have a good game if Florida State is going to have any chance of winning this because again, that's really, like I said before, the receivers are still really good athletes and that's been the message all year of this team is super talented. It just hasn't clicked. So with that kind of disparity from the corner receiver matchup, I think the guys, number one, like Jakai Douglas, Hikeem Williams finally had like a good day. I think his confidence is up after last week. So that's another one to watch former five star Malik Benson, former number one JUCO player who we've kind of been waiting to see break out all year. He has, I mean, he's a second leading receiver on the team but he is freaky fast, freaky athletic. He's been fun to watch and practice all year. Obviously, he hasn't translated too much and that's had to do with the quarterback plays well. But I think that receiving core is the biggest ones you have to watch. When it comes to everything else, I think Cam Davis and Roydo Williams, once the running game gets going, I like the big bruising type backs. Roydo Williams is expected to play for the first time since I think the Memphis game. Yeah, so the Cam Davis came back last week for the first time since the Duke game. So those are guys, and I like them both a lot. And obviously, you have Lorde's toe feely who's your athletic back that you'll see a lot on the screen game. It's like he's been there forever. Yeah, yeah, and this is the last game, last game. So maybe that's a little extra motivation for him too. Do they use any of those other running backs they got home, Singleton? I mean, you could see, you could see a whole combination. They like to use a bunch of different backs. It's been a pretty banged up room this, this year with, I mean, Jalen Lucas has been out all year. Like, said Roydell's been out most of the year. Cam Davis missed a lot of time. So you've seen, Kazaya Holmes has stepped up. Sam Singleton has been one to really step up, who has kind of been a surprise. He had that 99 yard kick off turn against Duke. He's been, he's been one of the guys who's really emerged of practice. And Makai Danzi, who's the freshman from Tallahassee, he's been one of my favorite guys to watch. You saw he had one big catch last week against Charleston Southern, but in practice, man, he's just a freak. I'm excited to see you for the future. And then for four events, we haven't seen FSU's new starting quarterback yet. Luke, I'll let you pronounce the last name. What can they expect from him? What are the strengths of his game? I mean, he finally, the only thing that's been wrong with him is he kind of sits in the pocket too long. You saw him start to get used to that more, get that presence last week. And I think him actually starting a game rather than going in in the middle was a big part of that, getting the feel. You saw him taking more steps up in the pocket and just really being able to launch. He's not a runner. He can run, but he wouldn't describe himself as a dual threat kind of guy. Again, this is one where I think his offensive line is really what matters. And when it comes to that, if the offensive line decides to block this week, I think you could see him really lighted up. And what's the, what's the pronunciation on that last name? Oh, sorry. Crumb and Hope, Crumb and Hope. It's the five star battle of freshman quarterback set way too early. That's right. Now we've got a little early preview. And then on the defensive side, who are some standouts there for FSU that could end up in Florida's backfield or making plays in the back end. Looking for an ideal place to start or scale your business? Come to Dubai, the new global powerhouse for innovation and business growth. With the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 Accelerating Success, entrepreneurs have easy access to flexible regulations, cutting edge infrastructure, tax benefits, and 100% for an ownership. Be a part of the future. Join the leaders of tomorrow in Dubai, where your innovation meets opportunity. Visit www dot Dubai beyond possible dot com to know more. I'm really kind of interested to see what Patrick Payton does this week in the press conferences. I mean, he's last year he was supposed to be the next Jared verse, right? Because now Jared verse leaving you supposed to take over going into the year. And during the press conference this week is the defense events coach, special teams, coordinators, John Papuchas was like, yeah, originally going into the year, this, he was supposed to be it, like he was supposed to go to the NFL. And now we're not so sure. And what they haven't really said at all, this year until this, until the bye week, and they kind of started saying it in this yesterday at the press conference, was that after the coaching chase, after everything they tried to, they're trying to, sorry, clean the slate, like wipe everything clean. And I think that kind of does well for these guys in the defensive line. I mean, they are still talented. It is still technically probably one of the most talented offense or defense aligns in the country with Patrick Payton, Josh Farmer, Daryl Jackson, Marvin Jones Jr. Like stars matter when it comes to the talent thing. And those guys are it, it just hasn't really proven a whole lot. I do think Daryl Jackson and Joshua Farmer interior guys are going to be your main ones that could cause you problems. The linebacker core hasn't been great. Like I said earlier, Omar Graham has been the guy who stepped up, but there really hasn't been a whole lot. Cam Riley has been really athletic. He's been decent the transfer from Auburn. And then like the secondary is probably the strongest point when you get to AZ and Fentrell Cypress. AZ is fun to watch. He's going to be, I mean, I would assume he's on Elijah Badger. I'd assume he's on the big guy. And it's going to be, he's going to give him a tough time. Has Fentrell been as advertised from where he was ranked coming out of the portal. So I think better this year, I think last year's expectations were a little high and he kind of got buried. You didn't really see it. They're like, it wasn't as much as what we were expecting, not, not last year. But I think this year you've seen him step up a little more. Again, with DBs, it's the stats is the kind of the weird thing that doesn't matter, right? But he, I believe he leads the team of past breakups currently. Again, those guys have both been super reliable this year. Now, punters are people too. So, you know, best punters in the country. That's right. Best pickers in the country. What can you say about FSU specialists and who knows? Maybe if it's close, those guys are going to have to have a big game. Yeah, the best players on the team, right? It's just the way it's been all a year. I think they think today they both got finalists for the, for their best in that their positions. Man, Mastro has been just flipping the field, has been game changer for him and Fitz has been, I mean, two years ago, two years ago, like everyone hated Fitz. Like it was, it was bad, right? Like it came to the point where like, dude, why are we even bringing him out there? And then the last two years, he's been really consistent, hasn't missed all year. They've had that one where I guess it didn't count as a miss for the stats, but where the Mastro is the holder kind of bobbled it at Duke. But other than that, man, it's been great. I mean, I remember watching on, I didn't go to Ireland, but watching on TV, that 59 yarder from Fitz, I was like, wow, it was, it was insane. He's had an insane year they both have, really. Yeah, one of the, one of the few bright spots. Yeah, the bright spot, the bright spot. Well, we'll get one more ad read and then we'll get you out of here, Matt. Want to encourage all Florida fans to go check out my perfect franchise.net if you're ready to leave the corporate rat race for the American dream, looking for a side hustle while working your current job, wanting to diversify, build wealth and or leave a legacy. Andy can help. He's a franchise consultant as well as a franchise owner and helps people find franchises that fit their skill sets, financial requirements, time to commit and more his services are 100% free. And he's here to help if you have any questions about business ownership, you can learn more and contact Andy anytime at myperfect franchise.net or calling or texting him at 404-973-9901. Final thing for you, Matt, key to the game on Saturday. FSU is going to put everything they've got into this one. Obviously, Florida will too. They're trying to end a losing streak and improve their status for bold eligibility. What do you see for FSU as the keys to the game on offense and defense? What do they have to do to make it competitive and ultimately try to pull off the upset? On the offensive side, I've kind of harped on it this whole time. I think it comes down to the offensive line, right? I mean, with, I think this is the best chase these receivers have to have a good game on a bigger stage. And that all comes down to if Luke can get the ball out on time. And that then comes down to how much time does he have in the pocket? So that's really, I think if the offensive line has their best day, which is definitely possible, that's where Florida State could win this game. And on the defensive side, it's stopping the run. I think in general, a lot of people trust if FET trail is there and if AZ is there, you'll have good coverage. And it's been, I mean, they've had one of the worst rush defenses all year. And I think Florida is probably going to attack that hard with how good their run game has been. And it's even shown on the recruiting trail, trail, getting Byron and everything for the run game has just been what Florida's relied on, especially last week. It's, I think if Florida attacks that and can get it, it's not going to be close. But if they step up there at those two spots, I think FSU actually has shot. What do you feel like is the, you know, mood coming out of Tallahassee as it relates to this match it with this team? I mean, is, is the talk, do they, do they feel like they've got a chance Saturday? Is there, are they kind of waiting on Saturday? Let their play do the talking? I mean, what's, what's kind of the vibes? From the fan base, I think we think we're getting blown out. That's what I think that is. But from the inside, I think they do think they have a shot. I mean, I wasn't there today for post practice, but again, it's, it's Super Bowl week. You have to treat it that way. It's the last, for all these guys that it's going to be their last game at Doke. It's also Doke at night. So it's a different atmosphere. And if you look at, I mean, as DJ, DJ Laiway hasn't started a game on the road yet, has he? Because he didn't play Texas. That's a good question. He has played on the road, and he had to take over as the starter at Tennessee. Okay, yes. But he hasn't, he hasn't from start to finish and like starting the game out on the road. That hasn't happened yet. No. Yeah. And that's going to be a hostile environment too. So it'll be kind of interesting to see. I mean, these last two big wins have come at the swamp. And I went to the swamp for the first time last year for this game. And I like, I loved it. And the atmosphere was great. So I think that obviously plays into it. So it's, it's going to be interesting to see how much the atmosphere really affects, because I mean, people are still going to show up for this game. The only people, because even, that's what I've been impressed with Forest Day is even at one and nine last week. The alumni was still there. The student section was kind of empty, but that's also because Thanksgiving was coming up. So I think everyone went home early. But it, I've been surprised with how FSU fans have still kept continuing to show up. So it's still going to be a hostile environment, even with half the stands gone and one or two and nine. Yeah, have to correct myself now. Yeah, don't don't forget that win. They need it counted, Matt. Yeah, it is. Well, rivalry renewed on Saturday. This thing is going to kick off inside Dope Campbell Stadium. It'll be on ESPN two at seven p.m. We'll have live coverage at Gators online. Matt and his crew will have live coverage at war chant folks. Let the folks know Matt where they can follow you and read some of your recruiting work as well, because I think some Florida fans are going to want to maybe know some Solomon Thomas updates in the next week or so. Yeah, Atlas Air 2 on Twitter. Sorry, that was my old one. Atlas Air Matt on Twitter. Yeah, just go follow me over there. The war chant, obviously, is where all my work is. You guys do great recruiting work as well and you do great teamwork. I love following Corey and Keith stuff. Keith's my guy when it comes to UF recruiting always. So thank you for having me on. Yeah, absolutely man. Thanks for joining us. Looking forward to be back in Tallahassee on Saturday. First time in the history of this rivalry that both teams are starting a true freshman quarterback. So I didn't know that. Yeah, first time. Yeah, first time. So kind of a new storyline. And like you said, probably a matchup that we're going to see these two kind of facing off for years to come. So, Matt, we really appreciate the time. And we'll see you in Tallahassee format. I'm Zach Ababurty. We'll see you guys on Saturday for our rapid reaction from Doke Campbell Stadium.
Gators Online's Zach Abolverdi and Matt LaSerre of Warchant preview the Florida-FSU game.