Florida State will be without three players for the game against Cal, an FSU spokesman confirmed on Saturday afternoon.
Offensive tackles Jeremiah Byers and Robert Scott Jr. as well as running back Roydell Williams will be missing tonight.
This is Byers’ third consecutive game that he has missed due to a lower-body injury, and earlier this week, Mike Norvell commented on how the redshirt senior is providing a strong leadership role even off the bench.
“This is a leader. He couldn’t help us physically, but he tries to give everything he has. He was very active in training today. You hear him, you feel him.”
Scott, who has been filling in for Byers for the past few weeks, meanwhile is missing for the first time this season after playing all 57 snaps last week. With two tackles down and Darius Washington returning, Jaylen Early should start at RT today.
Williams will also not be making his first start tonight. The Alabama transfer struggled with a fumble against the Tigers earlier this year and averaged just 2.7 yards per carry on 20 carries in three games. Freshman Kam Davis should continue to have a larger workload in the backfield alongside Lawrance Toafili.
In addition to Washington, ESPN reported this morning that safety Shyheim Brown and Jalen Brown will be in action tonight. The network reported that linebacker Cam Riley will not be decided until shortly before the start of the game.
Florida State Seminoles vs Cal Golden Bears: How to watch
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Florida State vs. Cal: Game Notes
» Florida State completes its three-game homestand and hosts Cal in the first meeting between the two schools in series history. Cal is the second team from California to visit Tallahassee. Florida State’s only previous meeting with a California team at Doak Campbell Stadium was a 30-10 win over No. 18 USC in 1998.
» FSU is the first ACC game for Cal, and Florida State will also be the first ACC opponent for SMU next week. Since Florida State joined the ACC for the 1992 season, there have been nine newcomers to the conference, and the Seminoles were the first ACC game for five of them, with four (Miami 2004, Boston College 2005, Pitt 2013, SMU 2024) being played on the road. No other team has been scheduled as the first ACC opponent for a new conference entry more than once.
» Florida State has a 23-7 record since the start of the 2022 season. The 23 total wins and 76.7% winning percentage during that span are the best in the ACC, with total wins ranking 9th nationally and winning percentage ranking 12th.
» The Seminoles are one of four ACC teams that have yet to score in the red zone this season. Last season, Florida State scored on 20 of its last 23 red zone drives.
» Ryan Fitzgerald’s 59-yard field goal in the season opener against Georgia Tech is the longest field goal in the nation this year and the longest in a conference game in ACC history. He also made a 52-yard field goal against the Yellow Jackets and a 54-yard field goal, the fifth-longest in Doak Campbell Stadium history, against Memphis.
» Fitzgerald is the only kicker in the country to have made multiple scores of at least 54 yards. He is one of three kickers with three 50-yard field goals in 2024 and the sixth kicker in FSU history with at least three 50-yard field goals in a single season.
» Alex Mastromanno has the best punting average in the country at 49.8 yards per punt. The Seminoles lead the ACC and rank 8th in the nation with a net punting average of 45.4 yards per punt. Last year, Florida State ranked 3rd in the country with a net punting average of 43.3 yards per punt.
» Florida State held Memphis to 65 rushing yards, the Seminoles’ third-best rush defense performance in a game under head coach Mike Norvell.
» FSU recorded a season-high 9.0 tackles for loss against Memphis, the Seminoles’ most in a game since 14.0 TFLs in the 2023 ACC Championship Game against No. 14 Louisville. It was the most TFLs Memphis has allowed since Dec. 27, 2022.
» Five Florida State players made their first college starts in 2024. Linebacker Blake Nichelson has started each of the last two games, while defensive back KJ Kirkland, offensive lineman Jaylen Early and tight ends Brian Courtney and Jackson West made their first career starts against Memphis.
» Florida State’s offensive line has played 377 collegiate games, the most in the country, with 225 starts, the second-highest total in the nation. The line includes returning first-team All-ACC offensive tackle Darius Washington, All-Conference center Maurice Smith and starting tackle Jeremiah Byers from last year’s group, who blocked for the ACC’s top-scoring offense for the second consecutive year. Washington and Byers have both missed games this season due to injury, and eight different offensive linemen have started at least once in the first three games of the season, matching last season’s total.
