Florida State's defense was designed to stop Clemson's spread offense

Ira Schoffel | USA TODAY Sports

On paper, Florida State's defense doesn't appear all that much different than the ones coached by Mark Stoops or Mickey Andrews or any of their predecessors.

There are two interior linemen, two defensive ends, three linebackers, two cornerbacks and two safeties.

At least that's what the piece of paper, which has the Seminoles' depth chart illustrated on it, says. But what happens once the ball is snapped could be an entirely different story.

Linebacker Telvin Smith could play the role of a defensive back, covering a wide receiver in space. Fellow linebacker Christian Jones could be lined up as a defensive end. Cornerback P.J. Williams could move over to the role of a safety. And defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. could drop back into coverage.

While defensive coaches have long valued versatility when recruiting, it has never been more important than in the age of spread offenses — when teams like Clemson have the ability to flood the field with four or five highly skilled wide receivers.

"The old strong safety and free safety that everybody used to talk about, those days are gone," Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher said. "If those guys can't cover, somehow or some way, (offenses are) going to get them isolated and make them have to cover.

"You have to be a tremendous space player today, and you have to have a lot of 'em."

Fisher acknowledged this week that the proliferation of spread offenses has changed the way he recruits. He is signing more defensive backs than ever, and linebackers simply can't play at this level if they can't excel in pass coverage.

"You're in nickel and dime situations probably 70% of the time," Fisher said. "So you definitely have to have enough of those guys … and the versatility."

Of all the subtle differences in the approaches of first-year defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt and the coach he replaced, Stoops, one of the biggest is the number of substitutions he will make during a drive.

Whereas Stoops would often stick with the same base personnel from play to play, Pruitt is constantly rushing in and out new combinations — all with the intent of matching up speed against speed, or size against size.

So Saturday night, when Clemson brings in additional wide receivers to replace tight ends or running backs, Florida State will not hesitate to counter by sending extra defensive backs onto the field.

"It's very exciting," senior cornerback Lamarcus Joyner said of facing the Tigers' spread attack. "Because you get to test your manhood. It's you one-on-one. You're in space, with a guy just as talented — if not better — than you. And you really find yourself out playing teams like this."

Florida State's defense has had some spells of inconsistency during its first five games, but a case could be made that the Seminoles will be at their best against an offense like Clemson's. While Pruitt's group has struggled at times against the run, it never looked better than it did against Maryland's spread.

The Terrapins passed for just 201 yards in a 63-0 defeat.

"I feel like I saw the real complete defense last week with that goose egg we had," FSU tailback James Wilder Jr. said. "So I'm just ready to see another game like that."

FSU's defensive backs aren't the only ones eager to see how they fare against quarterback Tajh Boyd, receiver Sammy Watkins and company. Smith said the Seminoles' linebackers believe they have the speed and quickness to hold their own in pass coverage as well — even against a team like Clemson, which has thrown touchdown passes to 11 different players.

"When teams come in and spread the ball, that just shows you, 'How athletic are you? How can you play in space?'" Smith said. "As a player, obviously that's a challenge to show how good you are in certain situations."

Smith got a great opportunity to prove his ability to play in space against Maryland, when the Terrapins' spread offense was able to isolate him against star wide receiver Stefon Diggs on a few occasions.

Clemson undoubtedly would like to match big-play receivers Watkins and Martavis Bryant against FSU's linebackers as well, but Smith said the Seminoles aren't overly concerned.

"It could happen," Smith said. "It's no sweat. I'm not going to run from it."

Ira Schoffel also writes for The Tallahassee Democrat.

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