Florida State returns to action on Saturday, and after what will be 21 days without a game, will face an N.C. State program that has given the Noles fits in the past.
The Seminoles hold a 26-11 edge over the Wolfpack, with the latter’s last victory in Tallahassee coming over a decade ago, back in 2005. FSU enters this season’s contest as a 12-point favorite despite starting a true freshman quarterback in James Blackman.
Under head coach Jimbo Fisher, FSU is 5-2 vs. N.C. State, with the two losses coming in 2010 – Fisher’s first season as head coach – and 2012. Both were in Raleigh.
We asked our staff what FSU must do in order to continue the winning streak over the Wolfpack:
Clint Eiland, Lead Writer:
1. Run, run, run the ball
With Deondre Francois out for the year, FSU will be breaking in a new freshman quarterback in James Blackman. While he’s in good hands with Fisher as a coach, there’s no reason to put the offensive burden on him. FSU needs to run the ball early and often to wear down the one truly good part of the N.C. State defense and that’s the line. Expect Jacques Patrick and Cam Akers to each get 10-plus carries, along with some of the backups getting occasional reps.
2. Pressure Ryan Finley
The N.C. State quarterback has started out 2017 in impressive fashion. He’s thrown for six touchdowns and no interceptions on a 75 percent completion rate, along with just under 1,000 yards passing. He also has not faced a defense nearly as talented as the Florida State Seminoles. Defensive coordinator Charles Kelly has to make sure Finley feels the heat in the pocket and makes mistakes because of it. Back in 2016, N.C. State had a 4-game losing streak, and Finley’s seven interceptions were a big part of that equation.
3. Be less than atrocious on special teams
It almost seems like a joke, but at this point, it really is imperative that Florida State irons out its special teams woes. N.C. State will probably keep this game close for at least a half. There’s no need to give the Wolfpack any more motivation from fumbled kickoffs or blocked field goals.
Mike Ferguson, Editor:Â
1. Contain N.C. State’s defensive line
With Bradley Chubb, B.J. Hill and Kentavius Street up front, the North Carolina State defensive line is a load and should provide a real challenge for the FSU offensive line. The Seminoles seemed to hold their own in pass protection against Alabama, but could not generate anything on the ground. That will again be a challenge on Saturday against a Wolfpack team that ranks in the top 15 nationally in run defense and held FSU to just 63 yards rushing last season. When it comes to pass protection, FSU has to find a way to give time to its true freshman quarterback making his first career start.
2. Attack N.C. State vertically
While moving the ball on the ground may again be a challenge, the weakness for N.C. State is the secondary. FSU may be starting a freshman in James Blackman, but FSU has the playmakers to get behind the Wolfpack defense. Blackman and the Seminoles should look to exploit that down the field early and often.
Josh Mixon, Contributor:Â
1. Take the pressure off of Blackman
Jimbo Fisher’s starting quarterback has been on campus for less than five months, and will likely (definitely) have a fair amount of pre-game jitters. Fisher and the rest of the FSU offense must do everything they can to take that pressure off of the true freshman. Establishing the running game early with Jacques Patrick and Cam Akers is essential, and the FSU receivers must get better separation than they did against Alabama.
2. Force turnovers defensively, avoid them on offense
FSU was able to force Finley into an early turnover in 2016, but a late dropped interception by N.C. State ultimately paved the way for Deondre Francois’ game-winning touchdown pass to Travis Rudolph the very next play. For the Seminoles to have success on Saturday, they must force Finley into bad decisions and take advantage of them. Against Alabama, the Noles gave the ball away three times while failing to force a single turnover — something that cannot happen this week.
3. Avoid dumb special teams errorsÂ
While it might be a bit extreme to say that special teams cost FSU the game against Alabama, it really is not that far-fetched of an idea. Ricky Aguayo has been inconsistent during his short tenure at FSU and had a kick blocked on the final play of the first half, which may have been the beginning of the second half meltdown in Atlanta. For the Noles to win on Saturday, they must clean up their special teams woes by cutting out the easily-avoidable mistakes we all saw against the Crimson Tide.
Mitch White/FSU Athletics
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