Struggling FSU defense faces another talented QB in Kaaya
Dustin Kent
dkent@pcnh.com
TALLAHASSEE — The Florida State defense has struggled mightily through the first five games of the 2016 season, ranking 94th in the nation in total defense and 125th in average yards per play allowed.
A variety of injuries to key players such as Derwin James, Trey Marshall, and Josh Sweat have played a part in the struggles, though the parade of talented quarterbacks on the early-season schedule has certainly made life difficult for the FSU defense.
After contending with the likes of Ole Miss' Chad Kelly, Heisman favorite Lamar Jackson of Louisville, South Florida's dynamic dual-threat QB Quinton Flowers, and NFL prospect Mitch Trubisky of North Carolina, the Seminoles will face another heralded signal-caller Saturday in Miami's Brad Kaaya.
The 6-foot-4 junior has completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 935 yards and eight touchdowns through four games. In last year's matchup at Doak Campbell Stadium, Kaaya lit up the top 15-ranked FSU defense for 405 yards and three touchdowns.
With another big performance Saturday, Kaaya can give the Hurricanes their first win over the Seminoles since 2009. FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said Monday that, as good as Kaaya was last year, he sees an even more impressive player on film this season.
"He has more experience. He's a lot calmer and more poised," he said. "You can see the maturity as he keeps going. He's just growing as a player. (He's) a very good player."
That has been a familiar refrain for the FSU coach when speaking on the next opponent's quarterback this season, with Kaaya to be the fifth QB that the Seminoles have faced this season who ranks in the top 30 nationally in total QBR (quarterback rating).
He'll be the third such quarterback from the ACC on that list, with Fisher saying Wednesday that it doesn't surprise him given the recent history of the conference.
"If you really research it, and I've said this before, some of your best quarterbacks in pro football, the ACC is producing unbelievable (talent), from Philip Rivers, Russell Wilson to Jameis Winston to Tyrod Taylor to Michael Vick back in the day," he said.
"(The ACC) has always been a very, very good league that can throw the football. It's always been a really, really good quarterback (league) since I've been in it."
Kaaya is now being coached by a man who also has a pretty good record on developing quarterbacks in first-year head coach Mark Richt, with Fisher saying that any quarterback coached by the former FSU offensive coordinator and Georgia head coach will present a major challenge to the defense.
"I think (Richt) has a great mind," he said. "He played quarterback. He's got a good offensive mind. He's played the position. He's always understood it. His core guys are always fundamentally sound. They do great jobs with their play actions and make great decisions. They're accurate. I've always had a lot of respect for Mark. I think Mark's a very good football coach."
If the Seminoles are going to provide much resistance, they'll have to shed the defensive struggles that have marked their early-season performance. For Fisher's part, he hasn't blamed injuries for the unit's problems, saying Wednesday that they simply had to coach and play better.
"I mean, everybody has injuries. That's part of it," he said. "It's just a matter that we're not playing up to our potential. We've got to coach them, put them in that position and keep doing that. That's what it is. You've got to keep coaching every day. You've got to put them in position, keep them fundamentally sound, get their eye discipline, make sure they're doing the right things and things that they can do.
"We can feel like we're doing that when the guys are gradually getting better at certain things, but we've still got a lot of work to do."