Five players to watch in Orange Bowl matchup between FSU Seminoles and Georgia Bulldogs
When the fifth-ranked Florida State Seminoles and sixth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs play in the 90th annual Capital One Orange Bowl at 4 p.m. Saturday, they will each have their share of noticeable absences from their rosters.
Each team has 20-plus players who will be unavailable due to some combination of injury, declaring for the NFL draft or the transfer portal.
Despite that, there are still plenty of top players to pay attention to when the game kicks off at Hard Rock Stadium.
Here are five players to watch on Saturday.
Georgia quarterback Carson Beck
Beck, a junior, is sixth nationally in passing yards (3,738) and completion percentage (72.4 percent) and has thrown 22 touchdowns against just six interceptions in his first season as a starter for the Bulldogs. He has already announced his intention to return for his senior season.
FSU defensive end Patrick Payton
Payton, a redshirt sophomore and Miami Northwestern alumnus, leads the Seminoles with 13.5 tackles for loss while also logging 10 pass breakups, seven quarterback hurries, six sacks and a forced fumble. This followed up on a solid 2022 season in which he was named the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year after recording 31 tackles, six tackles for loss, five sacks, three pass breakups and a forced fumble.
Georgia defensive back Malaki Starks
Starks, a sophomore, has been a steady presence in Georgia’s secondary for the past two seasons. He was a consensus first-team All-American this season after recording two interceptions, seven pass breakups and 51 tackles. This followed up a freshman campaign in which he had 68 tackles, two interceptions and seven pass breakups.
FSU tight end Kyle Morlock
The Seminoles will play on Saturday without their top two quarterbacks (Jordan Travis and Tate Rodemaker), their top three running backs (Trey Benson, Lawrence Toafili and Rodney Hill) and their top three pass catchers (receivers Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson as well as tight end Jaheim Bell).
Who does that leave as their top position player for third-string freshman quarterback Brock Glenn? Most likely Morlock, a junior who has 19 catches and 255 yards this season — his first at FSU after transferring in from Division II Shorter University.
FSU offensive lineman Darius Washington
Washington, a redshirt junior, is listed as either the starter or backup at four of the Seminoles’ five offensive line spots (left tackle, center, right guard and right tackle) on FSU’s depth chart for Saturday. His versatility and experience (Saturday will be his 50th career game) will be key for an inexperienced Seminoles offense against the Bulldogs.
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