In order for Clemson to beat Florida State on the road Saturday night, it must be prepared to stop the run. More specifically, the Tigers will need to stop quarterback Ashton Daniels from taking over the game with his legs.
Daniels enters the game with a 58.6 completion percentage, 12 touchdowns, and eight interceptions through the air. As a runner, he has 79 carries for 354 yards and 11 touchdowns. He is the Seminoles' second leading rusher this season.
Quintrevion Wisner should be able to pick up Ousmane Kromah's slack
Leading rusher Ousmane Kromah has been ruled out due to injury. Backup running back Quintrevion Wisner has already proven to be an impactful player at the Power Four level, during his time at Texas. In the playoff matchup between the Longhorns and Tigers during the 2024-25 season, Wisner carried the ball 15 times for 110 yards and two touchdowns in Texas' first-round win over Clemson.
Having someone with Wisner’s talent ready to step in for Kromah is huge for the Noles offense. In order for that offense to be successful in what they do, they need a running back who draws attention in the backfield with Daniels.
Florida State runs a ton of option plays on offense to open things up for Daniels. The Noles run read option to get Daniels going on the ground. Then, they will mix in the run-pass option game to get him easy reads to throw against.
What Clemson needs to do to slow down the Florida State read option
For Clemson, that means it must be disciplined on defense. This is especially true for the defensive ends, slot corners, and the safeties. Read option works when the defensive end being read turns their shoulders, and sprints down the line chasing the running back after seeing the quarterback-running back mesh. This gives up the edge for the quarterback to keep the ball and takeoff.
So, the edge defenders can’t be too quick to play the handoff. Expect Jahiem Lawson to get attacked in the read option game early after he gave up a short yardage play against Virginia Tech on this play call.
In the RPO game, the slot corners or safeties are the players typically being read. If they defend the pass, the quarterback hands the ball to the running back. Those defenders step into the box to defend the run instead, the quarterback will pass the ball.
This means players who play the “Tiger” position such as Donovan Starr, as well as the safeties like Jerome Carter III, Corey Myrick, and Ronan Hanafin must read their keys. They should also be expected to be a split second later helping defend the run in order to take away any potential explosive pass plays.
The goal of the defense against the read option and RPO game is to make the quarterback give the ball to the running back, get the defensive tackles to penetrate the interior, and allow the linebackers to make tackles. It will be key for Clemson to do exactly this to the Seminoles to keep Daniels contained and the ball out of the hands of 6-foot-6 star wide receiver Duce Robinson.
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