Florida State enters this weekend’s game with Virginia ranked No. 2 in the College Football Playoff rankings. If the Cavaliers are going to pull off an upset on the road, it will take a clean and consistent effort in terms of execution with limited mistakes. Even then, the Seminoles are a tough out as winners of 24 straight games despite several close calls.

Let’s break down FSU.

Defending The Tight End

Florida State senior tight end Nick O’Leary easily makes every opponent’s scouting report. With 99 receptions, 1,337 receiving yards, and 13 touchdowns in his career, it’s easy to see why. That’s not quite Heath Miller territory as the Virginia legend finished with 144 catches, 1,703 yards, and 20 touchdowns, but it’s close. He is the program’s all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards for a tight end. O’Leary impacts games in a similar fashion too with 18 of 33 catches this season producing a first down to extend a drive. In his last game at Louisville, he posted six catches for 76 yards and recovered a fumble in the end zone for FSU’s first touchdown.

As you’d expect looking at those numbers, O’Leary isn’t a one-trick pony when it comes to route running. He can beat teams vertically up the seam, on posts over the middle, on corners toward the sideline, on outs quickly to the perimeter, or even on designed screens in the middle. Combined with speed receivers in a spread system, that can make him a nightmare cover for any team.

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