Seminoles quick to defend Kelly
TALLAHASSEE — The players on Florida State’s defense have heard the rumbles about Charles Kelly.
Whether it comes from fellow students, fans in the stands or even on social media, the players feel the blame for their defensive miscues four games into the season should solely be placed on them, not their defensive coordinator.
“You can go back to the film and see guys loafing or missing tackles or missing coverages or letting guys just run free,” senior cornerback Marquez White said. “It’s really on us to step up…
“I just hate it for how hard [Kelly] works.”
The Seminoles have relinquished at least 34 points to each of their three Football Bowl Subdivision opponents this season after allowing only one team in 13 games to score more than 25 points last season (Houston won 38-24 in the Peach Bowl).
Kelly received a five-year extension as a result this summer, but the Seminoles have not been seeing the same results on the field this season.
While the defense has players like White, senior defensive end DeMarcus Walker, junior tackle Derrick Nnadi, safety Nate Andrews and linebacker Ro’Derrick Hoskins who had starting experience last season, defensive backs Marcus Lewis, Tarvarus McFadden and A.J. Westbrook and linebacker Matthew Thomas are playing in roles they have never played before during their careers.
Thomas and Hoskins, redshirt juniors now starting in place of experienced starters in Reggie Northup and Terrance Smith, are getting acclimated to their new play-calling duties. While Hoskins started six games last season, he relied on players like Smith and Northrup for guidance. Thomas is returning to action this season after being ineligible last season.
Lewis, McFadden and Westbrook — all sophomores — have each had some up and down moments through the first four games of their careers. McFadden, for example, let his receiver run past him for an 84-yard touchdown on the first play against USF and later earned his third career interception.
“We are still getting acclimated to college football,” said Lewis, who secured his first career interception in the season opener against Ole Miss.
“This is a big transition. At the end of the day, I think we’re getting better each week.”
Jimbo Fisher was most upset about his defense’s miscues in Saturday’s 55-35 win over USF in Tampa.
The Seminoles were able to lock the Bulls down during nine consecutive possessions, but USF scored touchdowns during their other five possessions.
“It just shows when everyone is doing their job, we can be one of the best defenses in the nation,” White said. “The first two drives of the game, and the last [three] drives of the game shows what happened when we don’t do our job.”
White, in his second season as a starter, said the Seminoles had a “relaxed approach” in the second half after racing out to a 45-14 lead early in the third quarter.
As for the defense’s performance as a whole this season, White said the miscues simply come from missed tackles, missed assignments and secondguessing.
After the game, Walker was quick to absolve Kelly and said the inexperienced players on defense need to improve and play with more confidence.
If they can improve, it would result in less criticism for Kelly, who is in his third season with the Seminoles.
“A lot of people are going to blame Coach Kelly,” White said. “It’s not him… It’s really on us to make those plays.”
Added Lewis: “I trust Coach Kelly. He’s been doing a great job for us all year. … We trust each other and know our capabilities. We’re going to be fine.”