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Florida State football may not be too familiar with Cal.
Still, coach Mike Norvell has two players who faced the Golden Bears last year.
Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei and defensive lineman Sione Lolohea were on last year’s Oregon State team that played Cal, which was in its final year in the Pac-12.
Lolohea had four tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Uiagalelei had a career night when he threw five touchdowns and completed 19 of 25 of passes for 275 yards. OSU won the shootout, 52-40.
Despite the familiarity, Norvell knows it won’t play much of a factor in Saturday’s game against Cal (3-0) at 7 p.m. at Doak Campbell Stadium. It marks the Golden Bears’ debut in the ACC.
“Obviously, DJ, being a quarterback who’s played against this team’s defensive coordinator, he’s got a familiarity, but you know it’s still this year’s team, and you know how they’re utilizing personnel,” Norvell said.
“It’s easy to see when you turn on the film. They’re a better team right now than what they were a year ago.”
FSU (0-3) is searching for its first win of the season. It will be the first time in program history that the Seminoles will face the Golden Bears.
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Cal is coming off a 31-10 victory over San Diego State.
What stood out for Norvell was Cal’s running game. He mentioned its top rusher, Jaydn Ott, who has been banged up but expects to play Saturday.
Last season, Ott rushed for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns and received All-Pac-12 honors.
“He’s probably as good of a back as you’re going to see out there,” Norvell said. “He arguably has that type of skill. So, I mean, we got to go out there and play extremely well offensively, defensively, and especially in our kicking game.”
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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/fsu-football-preparing-face-cal-220928234.html
Author : Tallahassee Democrat
Publish date : 2024-09-18 22:09:28
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