4 questions, 4 answers: FSU beats Duquesne

Florida State Seminoles football is 1-0 for the first time since 2016.

FSU took down the Duquesne Dukes 47-7, beating the FCS opponent in a week zero matchup ahead of a primetime game against LSU in New Orleans.

With the season opener in the books, here are some thoughts and takeaways from the Tomahawk Nation staff.

What are your major takeaways from Florida State’s win?

LastNoleOfKrypton: My major takeaway from the win is comfortability within the system; the key instance is the botched snap where Jordan shows no panic and hits Kentron Poitier for a 48-yard reception. Confidence in what you do translates.

Perry Kostidakis: They executed and didn’t look sloppy — which is really all you can ask for in a game like this, outside of just absolute 80-point hilarious domination.

Jon Marchant: FSU looks like a solid team, definitely bowl quality pending health. They did what you’d expect them to do against an inferior opponent. They executed well on offense.

Ben Meyerson: They took care of business, backup QB is clearly the achilles heel of this squad. But if JT is healthy all year this is an extremely efficient offense that will win by controlling the clock and getting a few chunk plays from Jordan.

More impressive — running back versatility or wide receiver room improvement?

LastNoleOfKrypton: Wide receiver improvement; specifically Kentron Poitier and Deuce Spann; both big-bodied wide receivers that did a good job catching the ball away from their body and being where they’re supposed to be.

Jon Marchant: Definitely wide receiver improvement. FSU had the worst WR corp in the ACC last season. Several transfers look to have significantly upgraded the room. My only concern was Johnny Wilson’s less-than-ideal catching technique, but we knew that might be an issue and his size/athleticism still provides quite a bit of value on the field. Spann and Poitier both stood out, and Pittman had several good touches.

Perry Kostidakis: I’m going to go with the running backs, just because you can probably count on one hand the number of runs from Treshaun Ward, Trey Benson and Lawrance Toafili that didn’t impress you. Them being a key part of the offense — and possibly the most talented group on the team — was never going to a surprise, but any time you set a school record is a fantastic showing, regardless of the opponent.

Ben Meyerson: This RB room was ridiculous today, three different backs with 100 yards is very impressive. I still believe Trey Benson is the RB1 on this team but they don’t need him to be that, they have a three-headed monster in the backfield. The receiver room was better, but this is what was expected from them. If Johnny Wilson plays the entire game I wonder how many targets he would have finished with...

How did Jordan Travis perform?

LastNoleOfKrypton: Travis was excellent; no mistakes complete command of the offense.

Jon Marchant: Travis did everything you’d want out of a QB. I know it’s a small sample size vs an overmatched opponent but the development from last season is obvious to me in a way it wasn’t last season, and translatable to better opponents.

Perry Kostidakis: You can just tell how comfortable he’s gotten as the unquestioned starter — there were several throws where Travis either waited patiently for his man to hit the right part of his route or threw the ball away rather than scrambling or forcing a pass. He was extremely limited in what he could showcase, given the gameplan, but still looked fluid and confident in all he did.

Ben Meyerson: Travis was great today, the offense was very efficient and he had some nice chunk plays to push them even further. In my initial viewing he really made one mistake — he should have slid on the scramble play. But he also was patient and looked downfield to throw where the old Jordan Travis would have run the ball.

Are there any concerns on defense?

LastNoleOfKrypton: You could tell that the defense knew how this game was going to go from the get-go; if there is a concern it would be CB depth but I'm nitpicking a little bit from an otherwise statistically dominant performance.

Jon Marchant: The performance by the defense was excellent on paper but also not quite what you ideally want to see. But at this point, I do not have any concerns, especially because it seemed obvious the defense loafed a little bit. Again, it’s Duquense - the real test for this group was always going to be next week against LSU.

Perry Kostidakis: I mean, not really, or well, not yet? Via the eye test FSU didn’t “dominate,” per se, on defense or dictate the game, but on paper they did, everywhere from typical stats to advanced analytics. No forced turnovers is a bit of a nitpick, especially when FSU had several chances at interceptions if bounces were a bit different, but you definitely would want to see the Seminoles dictating their game plan next week against LSU rather than bending not breaking.