Florida State‘s defense has been on a roll over the last two games. Against the Central Arkansas Bears and Virginia Cavaliers, FSU only gave up seven points to each team after giving up over 31 points on average over its first three games.
After being terrible on third down defensively to start the season, Florida State has only allowed eight conversions on 31 third downs over the last two games. Last week against Virginia, the Seminoles’ pass rush found itself with an unbelievable 10 sacks. They had seven total in their first four games of the season.
Louisville’s offense presents a big challenge, and FSU will have to be disciplined defensively. Here are five keys for them to do so.
Stop the run
Louisville has two very capable running backs in Keyjuan Brown and Issac Brown. Florida State can’t allow them to gash their defense on any kind of consistent basis. Stopping them will force longer third-down situations and allow the Seminoles’ defense to pin their ears back and rush quarterback Lincoln Kienholz.
Continue being good on third down
This will be crucial for FSU’s defense. Louisville puts up over 38 points per game, and the best way for the Seminoles to counter that is to get them off the field quickly, like they have been doing to opposing offenses over the last two games. If they do this, their offense will have better opportunities to score.
Pressure quarterback Lincoln Kienholz
Florida State can’t allow Kienholz to sit back in the pocket untouched with wide receivers Tre Richardson and Lawayne McCoy plus tight end Jaleel Skinner at his disposal. This calls for guys like Kevin Wynn, Deante McCray, Mandrell Desir, Rylan Kennedy, and others to be their best in this one.
Get some turnovers
This will be a challenge for FSU’s defense. Louisville has only turned the ball over four times in their first five games. They have one interception and three fumbles. However, they have put the ball on the ground eight times, which means they can be careless with the football. Getting a few turnovers will be huge in this game for Florida State.
Limit red zone opportunities
Louisville’s offense has been in the red zone 18 times in 2026. They have scored points on 15 of those possessions (83.3%) with 12 touchdowns. Florida State has to focus on getting off the field to cut down the amount of long drives Louisville has to make this happen.
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This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: Florida State’s defensive keys vs Louisville