Florida State does not need to solve every problem from the opener before it faces SMU. It does need to solve the one that can wreck a game in a hurry.

The secondary communication has to be better. Not a little cleaner. Not improved in theory. Better when Kevin Jennings gets to the line, sees a defender out of place, and starts looking for the free answer.

That is the test waiting for FSU. Jennings is not going to politely let a young or unsettled secondary find its footing. If Florida State is late passing off a route, confused about leverage, or still pointing after the snap, SMU has a quarterback capable of turning it into a long afternoon.

The opener was troubling because too many of the mistakes looked connected. A missed call in the secondary is rarely one player having a bad rep. It can leave a corner playing outside when help is supposed to be inside. It can leave a safety arriving after the ball. It can turn a manageable third down into a receiver running free with no defender close enough to make a play.

Those breakdowns are fixable. They have to be. The staff needs the calls simplified if they need simplifying. The players need to know exactly who owns what when the formation changes. There is no value in carrying a complicated coverage menu if the defense cannot execute it once the ball is snapped.

SMU will make FSU prove that it cleaned it up. Jennings can extend plays, and that makes coverage communication even more important. A defense can survive a route combination when the quarterback gets the ball out on schedule. It becomes a different problem when the quarterback buys extra time and receivers start working back toward space.

The offense has its own chance to settle the game down.

SMU's defensive line does not look like the kind of front that should overwhelm Florida State physically. That matters because the Seminoles do not need the right side of the offensive line to become dominant overnight. They need it to be dependable enough that the offense can function without asking every snap to be perfect.

Hold up in protection. Create enough movement to keep the run game alive. Do not let inside pressure arrive before the quarterback reaches the top of his drop. That is the assignment.

If the right side can do that, FSU has a path. Ashton Daniels needs to be part of the run game. He is at his best when the defense has to account for him beyond the pocket, whether that comes on designed runs, read looks, or the moments when protection breaks down and he has to create something himself.

That does not mean asking Daniels to carry the whole offense. It means using the part of his game that can make defenders hesitate. A defense that has to respect the quarterback as a runner cannot crash quite as hard on the running back. It cannot chase every motion and every backfield look with the same confidence.

Then the playmakers have to make the plays that are there. FSU cannot spend this game waiting for a perfect matchup or a flawless drive. There will be one-on-one chances outside. There will be throws that require a receiver to finish through contact. There will be plays where Daniels gets loose and needs somebody to uncover when the first read is gone.

This is not an impossible matchup. It is a revealing one. If the communication looks right and the offensive line can give the offense a workable foundation, FSU can play the kind of game it wants to play.

But if the secondary is still chasing checks after the snap, Jennings will find the opening. And if the right side of the line cannot stay upright against a front it should be able to handle, the excuses will start running out before September has really begun.