Wayne McGahee III | Tallahassee Democrat

Rob Kinnan/USA TODAY Sports

Florida State's defense was the only thing keeping it in games the first six weeks of the season.

The Seminoles' offense was nonexistent and the defense was continually put into bad positions.

For the most part the defense delivered.

But the last two games have been a clinic on how not to play defense.

FSU gave up 59 points to Clemson and 47 points to North Carolina State in back-to-back games, and at no point after the first quarter against the Tigers did the Seminoles offer more than minimal resistance.

So what changed?

The answer starts up front with FSU's defensive line.

The Seminoles had at least three sacks and six tackles for loss in every game against an FBS opponent through the first seven weeks of the season.

FSU's defense line was disruptive and forced opposing offenses to get out of what they were looking to do consistently.

In the two games against the Tigers and Wolfpack, FSU had no sacks and six total tackles for loss.

The defensive line had very little impact.

That is going to cause some issues for most defenses, but it's not going to cause most defenses to fall off a cliff the way the Seminoles have the last two games.

That's because FSU's defensive line play this year has been making up for the poor play from the linebackers and secondary.

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FSU's biggest issue on defense coming into the season was the linebacker spot.

Dontavious Jackson has played well, but Jaiden Woodbey is a true freshman that should probably be playing safety and DeCalon Brooks isn't a player that should be starting at a premier program like FSU. In the rotation, yes, but not starting.

The Secondary has struggled all season long with cornerbacks Levonta Taylor and Kyle Meyers not living up to the preseason expectations that were set for them, and true freshman corners A.J. Lytton and Asante Samuel Jr. playing extensively.

FSU should have Stanford Samuels III playing cornerback this season, but FSU's safety unit has been so underwhelming that he was moved to free safety before the start of fall camp.

He moved back to corner against N.C. State and the Wolfpack went right at A.J. Westbrook and Hamsah Nasirildeen over the middle. Westbrook was picked on all game long because he couldn't handle the responsibilities that come from playing safety in defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett's system.

Without the defensive line playing at an exceptional level to somewhat cover up those deficiencies, the Tigers and Wolfpack lit up the scoreboard.

The Seminoles don't have the talent or depth to fix those issues this season and will have to rely on true freshman in 2019 to fill those gaps.

FSU has one of the best secondary classes in the country currently committed with five-star cornerback Akeem Dent, four-star cornerback Travis Jay, four-star safeties Nick Cross and Brendan Gant, and three-star cornerback Renardo Green set to sign with the Seminoles.

All five of those players are capable of coming in and playing as true freshmen.

The linebacker situation is in a much worse spot.

FSU has two linebackers committed -- four-stars Jaleel McRae and Kalen DeLoach -- but DeLoach is taking a hard look at Michigan and Auburn. The Seminoles have also missed on five-star Nakobe Dean, four-star Derrick Hall, and four-star Trezman Marshall, though Marshall is still at least considering FSU somewhat.

McRae and DeLoach are both good players that will make an impact during their FSU careers, but neither is the game-changing linebacker FSU needed to sign this year to help fix the unit.

At this point, FSU is going to have to hope that some of the linebackers on the roster take a big step forward next season.

Florida State at No. 3 Notre Dame

When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN