The headlines from Saturday’s win over Duquesne rightfully went to the running backs for Florida State.
For the first time in program history, three running backs crossed 100 yards rushing for the Seminoles in a 47-7 win over Duquesne in "Week Zero," but none of that would have been possible without the blocking.
The strong blocking was something both head coach Mike Norvell and offensive coordinator Alex Atkins heaped praise on in their press conferences Monday.
“One thing I thought was very good about the running game was the perimeter blocking,” Atkins said. “There are some things we got to improve on, but overall we got guys like (wide receiver) Mycah Pittman fought and showed his toughness.”
Pittman sprung a few holes open with his blocking from the outside for running backs Trey Benson, Treshaun Ward and Lawrance Toafili.
The offensive line shifted throughout the game with starting center Maurice Smith already out due to an undisclosed injury. Darius Washington earned the start at center, but he also went down with an injury in the first quarter.
Fourteen offensive linemen garnered snaps for the Seminoles.
“It was good to put guys in multiple positions,” Atkins said. “I think we rotated four guys in there to snap the ball.”
Despite the injuries and changes, the centers were mostly consistent in getting clean snaps to the quarterbacks.
Left guard Dillan Gibbons took over following the injury, while redshirt sophomore Thomas Shrader and walk-on David Stickle also earned snaps.
“Having those guys in there to really have a chance to snap the football,” Atkins said. “I was pleased that we didn’t have any quarterbacks going chasing (the ball), so that was good.”
While playing center, Gibbons earned the praise for a block on a safety 25 yards down the field on a screen play.
“He was playing center on it,” Atkins said. “It was good to see him go out and run. I think I saw him retweet that thing 10 times. So he enjoyed it. He is experienced, he knows the offense, he can play both positions. Having him is a value that I can’t even describe.”
With the blowout nature of the contest, Norvell was able to work some of the younger guys into the mix to get them snaps.
“It was good to get some of the young guys,” Norvell said. “You look at some of the young offensive linemen, (freshman) Julian Armella had a couple of nice flash plays, you know, creating space.”
The Seminoles having a chance against a talented opponent in LSU on Sunday will likely depend on their offensive line play.
The Tigers boast one of the best defensive lines in college football.
“They present problems not only because they are talented, but because they are long, strong guys,” Atkins said. “We will just study their tendency and break it down the same way.
“I believe our guys are up to the challenge.”