Florida State's defensive keys vs Clemson
· Yahoo Sports
It's been an up-and-down season for the Florida State Seminoles on defense. When they won two straight against the Central Arkansas Bears and the Virginia Cavaliers, their defense only gave up 14 points total in two weeks, which made it seem like they had turned the corner.
Over the last two games, both FSU losses, their defense has given up over 40 points twice. On Saturday night, the Clemson Tigers come into town with an offense that barely scores over 21 points each week. So, this gives Florida State's defense a shot to put together a good performance and help the team get a much-needed win.
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Here are five keys for FSU defensively as they look to neutralize Clemson's offense.
Stop the run
Although Clemson struggles with consistency on offense, they will be able to find a rhythm if they run the ball well, which will open up some easy throws for quarterback Tait Reynolds. Florida State needs to be sound against the run and put Clemson in tough situations on third down.
Be good on third down
This feeds off the previous point. Clemson's offense has converted under 32% of their third-down chances on the season. The best way to limit their effectiveness will be for FSU's defense to get off the field as quickly as possible.
Get pressure on Tait Reynolds
Clemson has struggled to throw the ball with Reynolds at quarterback as he's registered under 200 yards three times in five starts. Florida State needs to get pressure on him early and often, as well as put him on the ground as much as they can. This will cause some forced throws and hopefully lead to sacks and turnovers.
Keep Clemson on their side of the field
Winning the field position battle is always key. If Clemson is on their side of the field often, their offense, which already has its issues scoring points, won't be able to have any consistency. FSU should focus on this aspect a ton and give their offense better chances to score.
Find a way to get a few turnovers
Clemson has fumbled eight times in 2026, with quarterback Tait Reynolds having three by himself (team lost all three), and they've lost four of them. If Florida State's defense can take the ball away a few times, this game could get out of hand in a heartbeat, especially with them being at home.
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This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: Florida State's defensive keys vs Clemson