Scott Satterfield speaks on Florida State, impact of Jared Verse before matchup
In this story:
Florida State (2-0) is searching for its first 3-0 start since 2015, and a trip to Louisville (1-1) on Sept. 16 stands in its way.
The matchup is the first Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) contest of the year for the Seminoles, while Louisville is 0-1 in the ACC after losing against Syracuse in Week 1.
READ MORE: Florida State Seminoles release depth chart for Louisville Cardinals
Following a 20-14 win against UCF on Sept. 9, Louisville and head coach Scott Satterfield shift its focus toward Florida State, who the Cardinals have won two consecutive games against.
"We're excited about this opportunity," Satterfield said, "We know they've done great the first two games, big win against LSU and they've been playing well."
Satterfield complimented the 'Noles offense, starting with redshirt junior quarterback Jordan Travis before transitioning to the backfield and offensive line.
"I think Jordan Travis is playing very poised and throwing the ball good," Satterfield said. "They have some excellent running backs. [The] offensive line seems to be better this year, they’re a year older."
Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Johnny Wilson and redshirt junior Mycah Pittman have combined for 11 receptions and 200 yards through two games, and Satterfield mentioned both while describing the improved Seminoles receiving core.
"They got some transfer wide receivers, big wide receivers," Satterfield said. "I think one of them 6-foot-7, 230-pounds," Satterfield said. "Even their slot receiver is kind of a muscle-bound slot receiver, so, physical players out there."
Redshirt sophomore defensive end Jared Verse turned heads with his performance against LSU, and Satterfield reiterated Verse's importance to the 'Noles defense and compared Verse to former Seminole and New York Jets defensive end Jermaine Johnson.
"[Verse] just plays with a lot of effort and he has a lot of talent," Satterfield said. "It's a great pickup from Albany, where he came from. He's an impact player, similar to what they had last year when they had No. 11 [Johnson] that came in from Georgia that ended up being the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. This guy is very good."
The Cardinals experienced playing in UCF's lively atmosphere a week ago and play in their own home opener versus the Seminoles. Satterfield said the home environment will be huge in disrupting one of Florida State's strengths.
"We've got to use that for our advantage here as well," Satterfield said. "To have a hostile environment, hostile crowd, disrupt the other team. It only takes a few plays and all of a sudden now they're knocking off the sticks. What Florida State does really well, they’ve been staying on the sticks. They’re one of the better teams on third down, I think they’re averaging third-and-five. If you’re averaging third-and-five, you get an opportunity to pick up a lot of first downs, so hopefully, we can knock them off the sticks a little bit and hopefully, the crowd here will help that out.”
Florida State leads the all-time series 16-6, but the Seminoles are 4-4 against the Cardinals since they joined the ACC in 2014.
Kickoff between the Cardinals and Seminoles is at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.
For Satterfield's full presser, click here.
READ MORE: Former Penn State running back enrolls at Florida State
Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State football throughout the season.
