Florida State faces another big challenge in shape of Virginia Tech QB Drones

The Florida State defense is gearing up to face a dangerous dual-threat quarterback this Saturday.

What else is new?

The Seminoles are 4-0 and ranked No. 5 in the country, and they’re big favorites for their game against 2-3 Virginia Tech at Doak Campbell Stadium (3:30 p.m., ABC). But the Hokies do have a QB who can cause some serious problems.

Sophomore Kyron Drones, a former four-star recruit who started his college career at Baylor, has started the last three games for Virginia Tech, and he’s coming off the best performance of his young career last Saturday night against Pitt.

In that 38-21 victory, Drones completed 12 of 19 passes for 228 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He rushed 21 times for 41 yards and two more scores.

If you take away the two times he was sacked, Drones accounted for 55 rushing yards on 19 carries. He’s maybe not as quick and fast as LSU’s Jayden Daniels or Boston College’s Thomas Castellanos, but he can really move well for his size (Drones is listed at 6-foot-2, 231 pounds), he likes to run and is hard to tackle.

“He’s a big kid,” Florida State head coach Mike Norvell said. “I think he’s close to almost 240 pounds. He’s got the right mindset and how to play. They did some quarterback runs with him. That’s going to be a big part of what they do.”

Drones took over the starting QB duties after Virginia Tech’s loss at Purdue last month.

At Rutgers, in a 35-16 loss, he passed for 190 yards and rushed for an additional 74.

At Marshall, in a 24-17 loss, he passed for 159 yards and rushed for 75.

And then he had his breakout game against Pitt last weekend.

While he has shown he’s a capable passer as well, Drones’ running ability is what Florida State defenders know they will absolutely have to keep an eye on in the game on Saturday. Because he runs a lot.

“He’s a big kid that can really move,” FSU defensive tackle Braden Fiske said. “I think he brings a lot of versatility to their offense. They’re going to be physical. And I expect their best shot.”

So far, through three starts, Drones has rushed for 190 yards and four touchdowns on 58 attempts. If you take away the sack yardage, he’s rushed for 236 yards on 50 attempts. So, he’s getting almost 17 carries a game since taking over from season-opening starter Grant Wells.

“I think they’ve pretty much settled in on why they made the quarterback change,” FSU defensive coordinator Adam Fuller said. “It was due to an injury early, but I think they have a lot of confidence in how that game is played. Especially the last four quarters.”

They’ve also watched the film. And they’ve seen how, at times this year, the Florida State defense has struggled to stop mobile quarterbacks.

Daniels ran for 64 yards on the Seminoles in the opener and Castellanos ran for 95.

“Let’s not shy away from it,” Fiske said. “With what we’ve given up with quarterbacks running the ball this season, I think we have to dial it in. We know what to expect from a guy like this. He’s going to run. It’s kind of what it is. You attack what you’re good at. And I think that’s what we’re going to expect and we’ll get after it.

“It’s fundamentals for sure.”

Talk about this story with other die-hard Florida State football fans on the Tribal Council.

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