At 6-foot-1, 237 pounds, Northern Illinois DE Sutton Smith doesn't have NFL size, but he does have next-level productivity. He ranked in the top four nationally last year in sacks, tackles for loss and fumbles forced/recovered. Florida State's leaky offensive line will give him the chance to add to his highlight reel.When the Bulls' defense attacks and stays in its gaps, it has performed well. USF ranks in the top 11 in sacks (10) and tackles for a loss (29). But when it abandons its principles, it has performed poorly, especially against the run. Only UMass has allowed more rushes of at least 10 yards than the Bulls (32). Expect a good showing against a mediocre East Carolina offense that has been out of routine because of Hurricane Florence.Florida International coach Butch Davis will face the Hurricanes (whom he led from 1995-2000) for the fifth time as a head coach. He was 3-1 against Miami at North Carolina, but an upset seems likely. Here's a more realistic goal: Getting FIU to eight wins, which he has done in Year 2 at all three of his previous head coaching stops.How Willie Taggart's first three games at Florida State compared to the first three games of his predecessor, Jimbo Fisher: Willie Taggart (2018) Preseason rank: 19Record: 1-2Yards per play: 5.00Points per game: 15.3Yards per play allowed: 5.52Points per game allowed: 26.7 Jimbo Fisher (2010) Preseason rank: 20Record: 2-1Yards per play: 6.74Points per game: 35.7Points per game allowed: 21Yards per play allowed: 4.25Despite the focus on Mullen and QB Feleipe Franks, one of Florida's biggest keys is its run game. Mullen was 38-6 at Mississippi State when his offense rushed for at least 225 yards. That number might be hard to reach at Tennessee; the Vols are one of only seven teams who haven't allowed a rushing touchdown yet.119 – Tackles for loss allowed by FSU since the start of 2017 (fifth-worst nationally)135 – Tackles for loss by Northern Illinois defense since the start of 2017 (fifth most nationally)149 – All-time wins for USF. A victory over East Carolina would make the Bulls' rise to 150 the fastest ever by a Florida Division I-A program1994 – The last year Indiana was ranked. That might change if the Hoosiers knock off No. 24 Michigan State27.6 – Yards per catch by Miami WR Jeff Thomas (first nationally)
![Matt Baker - Colleges and Recruiting Reporter](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 50 50"/%3E "Matt Baker - Colleges and Recruiting Reporter")