TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Tom Herman grew stubborn against UConn last month.

“And it showed in the outcome,” said Herman, whose lone loss as the No. 18 Houston Cougars’ coach came against the Huskies.

So when the respected offensive mind flipped on the film of Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl opponent No. 9 Florida State and saw Demarcus Walker bullying offensive fronts, Herman understood it would be a losing battle for the Cougars to continuously test the burgeoning star.

“I think you have to really mix the different looks that you give to that front,” Herman said. “You gotta mix your blocking schemes up so that they can’t just tee off on you, because man-for-man, we can’t just say, ‘Hey, we’re gonna go ahead and block them,’ because that’s not real. You gotta have a little smoke and mirrors.”

If Houston were playing Florida State in the season opener as opposed to on Dec. 31 (noon ET, ESPN), Herman might not have been as concerned with the 6-foot-3, 281-pound junior. In 28 games over his first two seasons, Walker accumulated two sacks and eight tackles for loss.

In 2015, however, Walker established himself as one of the ACC’s premier defensive players. He finished second in the league with 10.5 sacks and first in forced fumbles with four. He’s the first Seminole since 2012 to reach double digits in sacks in a season.

“I’m very proud of my work and the numbers speak for themselves,” said Walker, who will decide soon whether to enter the NFL draft. “I showed some people what I’m all about.”

Before the season began, Walker felt eight sacks was a realistic goal. He showed flashes as a sophomore but never had a breakout game. During the spring, he said his junior season was shaping up to be the year he substantiated his lofty recruiting ranking. The Jacksonville, Florida, native was No. 40 in the 2013 ESPN 300, and he was once the highest-ranked Alabama commit before signing with Florida State.

When spring camp opened in March, Walker immediately clicked with new defensive ends/outside linebackers coach Brad Lawing. In his three years prior to joining Florida State, Lawing was at Florida and South Carolina and coached four future first-round picks, No. 1 overall selection Jadeveon Clowney chief among them.

“Very big [impact],” Walker said of Lawing’s role in his development. “Just his way of coaching, his technique. If you buy in, you can get the rewards you want. In the beginning of the year, I said his résumé speaks for itself, and if he produced that many elite guys, why couldn’t I do the same?”

With a sack against Houston, Walker would move into the top 10 in school history for sacks in a season. It would be an impressive feat, but he said he’s more proud of how he’s performed off of the field this past year.

A team captain in both middle school and high school, Walker envisioned a leadership role at Florida State when he signed in February 2013. During the 2015 season, Walker was among the key voices in the locker room. Seminoles coach Jimbo Fisher said Walker doesn’t fear addressing the team or speaking up at critical moments.

At the end of the 2015 regular season, Fisher named him a captain.

“My biggest achievement,” Walker said, “was when I was awarded team captain.”