When it comes to running the football, Florida State has not looked like Florida State this year.
Some of that has to do with the fact they lost superstar running back Dalvin Cook and some of it has to do with the loss of quarterback Deondre Francois to a season-ending knee injury at the start of the year. Defenses are just packing it in and daring freshman quarterback James Blackman to beat them.
Injuries up front on the offensive line have not helped either. A group that was already maligned coming into the year has struggled with continuity and cohesion with so many people shuffling in and out.
The result to this point in the year is the Seminoles rank 91st nationally and 12th in the ACC at running the football. Heading into Saturday’s game in Death Valley against No. 4 Clemson, the ‘Noles are averaging just 143.8 yards per game.
However, FSU (3-5, 3-4 ACC) just might be getting things together in the running game. Last week, the Seminoles ran for 207 yards in a win against Syracuse, including 199 yards from freshman running back Cam Akers.
There are parts of his game that have Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables thinking he is seeing Cook out there. Akers is averaging 5.5 yards per carry and despite the issues up front he is still averaging 86.9 yards per game. He leads the Seminoles with 695 yards and three touchdowns.
“He is an excellent player,” Venables said. “He is very explosive. He has great instincts. He has excellent speed. He runs through trash. He can really accelerate. He is a very good player.”
Akers also has 14 catches out of the backfield and in recent weeks is starting to show more of his versatility. The freshman has also improved in his running style. Early in the season he did trust his blocking and tried to turn everything outside. Now he understands the blocking schemes better and is turning things up inside and getting positive runs, which in turn is taking pressure off Blackman.
“I think he has done a good job,” Venables said. “Early in the year, he wanted to get outside a lot, but now he is playing both in between the tackles and he can hit it full speed in about two steps and divide the defense really quick.”
It is no coincidence the running game is getting better as Akers is coming into his own and the offensive line is starting to get healthier.
“They have been really good the last few weeks in particular, and a bunch of guys have played a lot of football, with a few guys that are new and really improving,” Venables said. “So it is a group that is very highly regarded coming out of high school. They are big, long and strong. They can move their feet very well.”
The other good news for Florida State, running back Jacques Patrick will play this week according to his head coach, Jimbo Fisher. He has missed the last few weeks with a knee injury.