Who: N.C. State Wolfpack at No. 12 Florida State Seminoles
Where: Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida
When: Saturday, Sept. 23 at 12 p.m. EST (ABC)
The wait is over. After 21 days of no Florida State football, the Seminoles return to action against the N.C. State Wolfpack on Saturday. Whether or not the break will play to Florida State’s advantage is anyone’s guess. Will the players be rusty? Will they be excited to get back on the field? Do the extra games for N.C. State mean it is more prepared? The amount of uncertainty makes Saturday’s game even more interesting than it looks on face value.
The Wolfpack are 2-1 to start the year. That would be fine in most other seasons. But when the one loss is to South Carolina, and your two wins were closer than they should have been, and you had the expectations set for a potential 9-win season…fans start to get antsy. Head coach Dave Doeren is starting to feel his seat warm up, and he knows that a win over FSU in Tallahassee could get him back in the good graces of the fanbase.
Lead writer Clint Eiland and editor Mike Ferguson break down the match-up:
Biggest N.C. State Advantage
Clint: Talented Defensive Line – If the Florida State offensive line thinks its going to get a break after the Alabama defensive line, its got another thing coming. The Wolfpack line has multiple future NFL players, including projected first round defensive end Bradley Chubb and hyper talented junior defensive end Kentavius Street. These two will be tasked with pressuring true freshman James Blackman throughout the game. Chances are they’ll get to him at least once. If they’re lucky, they might even provoke a turnover or two.
Mike: Game Experience – N.C. State hasn’t been overly impressive in any of its three contests to this point, but having played two extra games than Florida State could be a significant advantage. While the Wolfpack, like most other teams not in Florida, have become accustomed to playing every Saturday, the three weeks off leaves the Seminoles with a lot of questions.
Biggest FSU Advantage
Clint: Sharp Increase in Secondary Difficulty – N.C. State quarterback Ryan Finley has had a pretty good start to his 2017. He’s yet to throw an interception in three games and has a 75 percent completion rate. Those are some great numbers. But it was against inferior competition that did not have the pieces in the secondary that FSU does with preseason All-Americans in Tarvarus McFadden and Derwin James. It’ll be much harder for his receivers to get open and his windows for passes will be much smaller. It will likely be a wake-up call for the Wolfpack offense.
Mike: Doak Campbell Stadium – If there is one thing that Florida State really has to like about this contest, it’s the fact that it’s at home. After opening the year in Atlanta and then watching Hurricane Irma take away games in consecutive weeks, having to travel this week could have taken a real toll on the Seminoles. It is also worth noting that under Doeren, the Wolfpack are just 11-13 away from Raleigh and 9-11 in true road games.
Game Breaker
Clint: Will the FSU Offense Rebound? – While the final score of this game might not be close, it will probably be a tight contest for a half. Where the game will be won is in the FSU backfield. James Blackman won’t be able to carry the offense yet, so the talented running back corps needs to step up and show out against the N.C. State defense. Getting held to just seven points does have a bit of mental effect on a team. What they need to realize is that issues can be corrected and sometimes, it takes you a few games to find your groove.
Mike: Is James Blackman Ready? – When James Blackman takes his first snap from center on Saturday, he’ll be the first FSU true freshman to start at quarterback since Chip Ferguson (no relation) in 1985. Unlike J.J. Cosentino, who has been in the system for three years or Bailey Hockman, who enrolled in spring, Blackman has only been on campus since June. The two weeks off could give him some time to get acclimated to the speed of the college game, but Blackman hasn’t played as much as a spring game on the college level. Blackman has drawn rave reviews from coaches and teammates, but is the lean 6-5, 185-pound youngster ready to lead a team with championship aspirations? We’ll have a much better idea come Saturday.
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