Florida State football desperately needs a win this Saturday, hosting Virginia at 3:30 PM in Tallahassee, especially with their 2-2 overall record and a tough 0-1 start in conference play. An updated injury report just dropped on Thursday night, giving us the full picture of who the Seminoles will have on the field as they fight for what would be a huge upset home victory.
FSU’s Defense Gets a Critical Boost, But Holes Remain
The big news for the Seminoles’ defense is that DB #0 Quindarrius Jones and LB #29 Caleb LaVallee are both listed as probable after missing last week’s game against Central Arkansas. Given that Tony White’s defense has really struggled against both the run and the pass this season, getting those two back on the field is absolutely critical if they want any shot at slowing down the ‘Hoos. Unfortunately, DL #1 Darryll Desir remains out, which is a blow, and LB #45 Noah LaVallee was just added to the out list. On the bright side, some other defensive players like DB Ashlynd Barker, LB Chris Jones, DB K.J. Kirkland, and DB Donny Hiebert were all removed from Wednesday’s report, so they should be good to go. This depth on defense could be huge.
On the offensive side, running back Samuel Singleton Jr. is still out. And they’re missing some other key guys too: WR #11 Devin Carter, DB #16 Karson Hobbs, DB #18 Jamari Howard, LB #20 Blake Nichelson, DB #22 Zae Thomas, LB #30 Izayia Williams, DB #33 Antonio Cromartie Jr., and LB #38 Daylen Green are all listed as out. This is a lot of talent on the sidelines, no doubt about it.
Virginia Takes a Hit, Too, Opening the Door for FSU
It’s not all bad news for Florida State’s upset hopes, though. Virginia took some hits on their own injury report, which dropped Thursday. Running back #2 Peyton Lewis and offensive lineman #65 Grant Ellinger were both downgraded from questionable to out, which is huge for the ‘Hoos’ offense. Plus, defensive end #99 Devon Baxter is now listed as doubtful, meaning he’s probably not playing. Losing those guys definitely impacts what Virginia can do on both sides of the ball.
Virginia also has a long list of players out, including K #14 Tim Hamann, WR #15 Dillon Newton-Short, S #23 Jaylen Jones, WR #23 Triston Ward, DB #27 Alex Dunn, RB #28 Solomon Beebe, RB #37 Jack Stevens, LB #42 Isaiah Reese, DE #53 Gavin Johnson, OL #58 Noah Hartsoe, DT #91 Jason Hammond, and DT #96 Bull Richardson. With both teams dealing with significant injuries, this game could really come down to who can adapt best.
FSU needs to capitalize on Virginia’s absences and get a big performance from their defense with Jones and Caleb LaVallee hopefully back. This Saturday’s home game is massive for the Seminoles if they want to get back on track and make some noise in their conference standings. It’s go-time.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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