FSU's defensive keys vs. New Mexico State
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All the spring practices and preparation during fall camp are over. On Saturday, it's time for the Florida State Seminoles to get to work as the New Mexico State Aggies come to Tallahassee to start the 2026 season.
Defensive coordinator Tony White turned things around defensively for FSU in his first year with the program. It wasn't great by any means, but it was certainly a vast difference from two years ago. Now, with a bunch of returning contributors and talented fresh faces, White's defense is looking to take the next step.
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Let's take a look at five defensive keys for Florida State as they look to control New Mexico State's offense early and often to get a win in Week 0.
Dominate the line of scrimmage
FSU has several capable players on their defensive front like the Desir twins Mandrell and Darryll, Daniel Lyons, Deante McCray, Rylan Kennedy, and others. From the first snap, they need to set the tone in this one and make things difficult for the Aggies to get a rhythm.
Win the field position battle
One of the best ways for any defense to control a game is to have the opposing offense deep in its own territory, which will give their offense excellent field position. The more FSU's defense can keep New Mexico State on the far end of the field, the easier time the Seminoles' offense will have putting up a lot of points.
Pressure quarterback Trey Hedden
Hedden has experience playing in 22 games for the Furman Paladins. However, this will be only his third game against a power conference opponent, and keeping him rattled inside a loud Doak Campbell Stadium will lead to some mistakes. Florida State needs to continuously put pressure in his face and force three-and-outs.
Don't let TK King have a big day
Although he missed a third of the season in 2025, King had 41 receptions for 588 yards and three touchdowns. So, he's a very capable player, and he's a threat in the return game as well, as he averaged 21.8 yards on kickoff returns and 8.6 on punts. They need to keep him neutralized in all facets of the game.
Create turnovers
FSU is the superior team in this game, and a quick way to put it out of reach early is getting New Mexico State to make costly mistakes. If they can get some turnovers, this won't be much of a contest.
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This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: FSU's defensive keys vs. New Mexico State