Florida State Seminoles vs. No. 15 Clemson Tigers

Brocktober is upon us

Reports began to surface earlier in the week that DJ Uiagalelei was suffering from a finger injury on his throwing hand and would be out for a few weeks. So ultimately, Brock Glenn will be Florida State’s starting quarterback. This move comes a few weeks too late, as Uiagalelei didn’t bring any life to FSU’s offense, although I’m not sure the playcall helped him.

There’s a good chance the offense won’t be any better under Glenn than it was under Uiagalelei. Glenn is a redshirt freshman starting his third career game and is bound to make mistakes. But at least if he messes up, he can learn from it for the rest of his career. DJU’s college career is over after this season.

Speaking of Glenn’s third start, what a brutal way to start a career. His first career start in the ACC Championship against a top 15 Louisville. His second start came in the Orange Bowl against an angry Georgia team ready to kill everything in its path, and FSU had many key players waived at the match. And now his third start is against a top 15 Clemson. Good luck, Brock.

Glenn will at least provide more mobility than Uiagalelei has shown thus far. But that doesn’t mean much.

Florida State’s offensive line is not good

What was supposed to be a strength heading into the season is now arguably Florida State’s biggest weakness. This offensive line has not been good. Their only bright spot, Richie Leonard, is now out for the season. So it’s only going to get worse from now on.

There is no excuse for the offensive line to be this bad. FSU loves to talk about its combined starts and appearances, but when the product on the court allows 12 pressures per game and doesn’t open up lanes on the floor, what’s the point? I’ve discussed the lack of development in this room in previous previews, so a youth movement isn’t likely to help. But with a young quarterback ready to make his first start at home, the offensive line needs to clean house.

A rejuvenated Clemson offense

Clemson was smoked to start the season, losing 34-3 to Georgia and averaging just 3.6 yards per play. In the three games that followed, Clemson scored 165 points, averaged 547 yards per game and gained 8.2 yards per play. They had a lot of success in the football, with Phil Mafah averaging 8 yards per carry, and Cade Klubnik becoming a running threat with a few long rushing touchdowns.

Outside of their game against Appalachian State, they haven’t passed the ball very well, so one would expect FSU to sell out to try and stop the run. They haven’t had much success this season, so that might be too much to ask.

The change was made at Quarterback. Will other positions experience a youth movement?

Quarterback isn’t the only position FSU needs to evaluate. Kyle Morlock has been disappointing, the wide receivers have been mediocre, the offensive line has been brutal and some members of the secondary are not putting in any effort.

Guys like Landen Thomas, Elijah Moore, Lawyne McCoy, Lucas Simmons and Edwin Joseph need to start seeing some snaps. Thomas is at least listed as a co-starter on FSU’s depth chart, but if the veterans aren’t doing their job, they don’t need to be on the field in what can already be called a lost season.

Will the effort be better?

There were a few plays against SMU that should embarrass FSU players and coaches. On Uiagalelei’s pick-6, a few players barely made an effort to bring the ball down. Conrad Hussey had been afraid of contact throughout the match. The offensive line was not protecting its quarterback.

If they can’t get up for this game, with Clemson probably being the best team on FSU’s schedule, they don’t need to play. It’s that simple.

Who will win the rush game?

As mentioned above, Clemson’s ground attack has been lethal, to the tune of 224 rushing yards per game. Florida State’s defense has allowed 165 rushing yards per game, which is far from a strength for them.

But on the other hand, Clemson has been strangely vulnerable to runs, allowing 183 rushing yards per game at 5.4 yards per carry. FSU hasn’t done a great job opening up running lanes all year, but the only way they can be competitive in this game is to establish the run. This isn’t a game where FSU asks Brock Glenn to throw 50 times and get a win.

Clemson is favored by 14.5 points with an over/under of 47.5, according to FanDuel.

I may have cursed FSU three years ago without even realizing it. When Florida State played Clemson in 2021, in an effort to be funny, I called DJ Uiagalelei “DJ Ukulele” on the podcast. Then I broke out a ukulele live on the podcast for my score prediction in one of my favorite moments in Hear The Spear history.

I didn’t realize DJU would become Florida State’s QB and lead the Seminoles to a 1-4 record in 2024 at that point. In some ways I feel like it’s bad karma. And since he’s injured, I can’t glue a ukulele back together or do anything else to break the curse. Phil Mafah and Cade Klubnik will travel throughout FSU and the Curse of the Ukulele will live on. I’m sorry.

Clemson 38, State of Florida 13

READ MORE: FSU Football Continues to Slide in CBS Sports Rankings After Blowing Loss

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• Mike Norvell explains why he replaced DJ Uiagalelei with Brock Glenn during FSU’s loss

• Florida State’s offensive struggles were magnified in a 42-16 loss to the SMU Mustangs