Game Preview: No. 14 Florida State Seminoles vs. East Texas A&M

Seminole Headlines

Ethan Pritchard

It wouldn't feel right talking about Florida State without first discussing the unfortunate situation that is Ethan Pritchard. He was in Havana visiting family after the win, went to drop off his aunt, and, according to his father, was shot in the back of the head while driving after being mistaken for someone else, apparently.

It's such sad news to hear. His high school coach has set up a GoFundMe for medical expenses, travel, and other needs for the family. In the first eight hours, it raised over $40,000.

It's probable that the team will do something for him. Whether that's carrying his jersey into the stadium or players writing his jersey number on their tape. But expect a lot of support from his teammates for this. They're going to play their hearts out for him, as they should.

Responding to Success

It's one thing to beat Alabama when no one knows what to expect, and Gus Malzahn threw the playbook at 'Bama. There were plenty of jet sweeps, motion in every direction that was eye candy more times than not, and it often caught the Tide off guard.

People will start to know what to expect, and the Seminoles have to find ways to respond to the success and counter teams being prepared for their motions. These next two games will likely have calmer game plans, as they don't want to give too much away on film before the Virginia and Miami games, but FSU still has to have the energy and effort necessary to not be caught sleeping.

Rushing Attack Sees Slight Hit

Mike Norvell announced that running back Roydell Williams will be out for the foreseeable future with an injury. Williams had 6 carries for 14 yards (one of those carries was the bad snap from Luke Petitbon near the end of the first half, and he got it back to the line of scrimmage). He took the first carry of the game, and he received praise from the staff this offseason.

With Williams out, Kam Davis may get an opportunity after not getting a carry against Alabama. It also wouldn't be surprising if they didn't run Tommy Castellanos too much in this matchup. There's no sense in risking him against East Texas A&M, especially when the Jordan Travis injury happened against North Alabama.

Ousmane Kromah could be the lead carrier for this game, and it wouldn't be a surprise whatsoever. He clearly is ready-made to be a star running back, and getting him live reps sooner than later would be ideal.

Three Burning Questions

How Bland Will the Gameplans Be?

There's a difference between being careful not to give away too much on film and not taking your opponent seriously. FSU didn't take North Alabama seriously enough in that game in 2023, and it cost them Jordan Travis.

They were able to jump on Charleston Southern early last season, and if last year's 2-10 FSU team can dominate an FCS team, they should have no issues here. But it wouldn't be surprising if Florida State did its best to keep as much hidden as possible. They let loose against Alabama; no reason to show more than you have to.

What Should You Know About East Texas A&M?

East Texas A&M was not a good football team last season. They only averaged about 20.8 PPG, 335 yards per game, and 4.7 yards per play. They also had 32 touchdowns to 35 turnovers. And a lot of the talent is still back on offense.

Against SMU, they were able to accumulate 351 yards, but they only had one drive of 20+ yards in the first half. Their defense held on surprisingly well against an SMU team, forcing two three-and-outs in the first half, and having another series allowing 10 yards over 7 plays. SMU also turned it over two times in the first half, then had a turnover on downs and another fumble in the second half. Taking care of the ball will be a point of emphasis.

East Texas A&M also sacked SMU twice, and Kevin Jennings isn't the easiest player to bring down. They play hard, but it really isn't a very good team.

Will FSU Show More With Its Passing Attack?

Tommy Castellanos didn't have to do much in the passing game last week, going 9/14 for 152 yards. Castellanos did what was asked of him, making the correct reads and taking off when needed. But do they let him air it out more in this game?

The passing game remains a question mark because the wide receivers aren't proven, and Castellanos has been up and down as a passer in his career. This would be a good opportunity to build chemistry with the receivers and to work some kinks out in the passing game.

Randy Pittman Jr. will also be out for a little while, someone who made an impact in both the running and passing attack last week. So this would really be a good opportunity to build up guys like Landen Thomas and Amaree Williams.

Game Forecast

I'm trying not to overreact too much to the Alabama game, but it was an impressive performance. This is also an FCS team that Florida State should be able to overwhelm. There are no odds listed for this game anywhere, but I wouldn't be surprised if this is closer than anticipated for the first half as FSU tries to work on things it may have struggled with in camp.

Don't get it twisted, though. This is a game that the Seminoles should win comfortably.

Florida State 48, East Texas A&M 10