FSU-NC State: Game Balls

It was another disappointing week for Florida State as the Seminoles proved to be no match for No. 21 NC State on Saturday. The Wolfpack cruised to a 47-28 victory at Carter-Finley Stadium and have now won consecutive games against FSU for the first time since 2005 and 2006.

There were some bright spots for FSU, but very few of those defensively. In a weekly segment, The Daily Nole editorial staff of editor Mike Ferguson and lead writer Clint Eiland acknowledge the FSU players who stood above the rest with game balls:

Offense

Unanimous Game Ball: James Blackman, QB
In his first start of the season, Florida State sophomore quarterback James Blackman didn’t disappoint. Blackman was intercepted once, but finished 29-for-46 passing for a career-high 421 yards and four touchdowns. Tamorrion Terry and D.J. Matthews both went over the 100-yard mark receiving and Blackman was a big reason why. The 421 yards passing is the most since Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston threw for 444 yards in a win over Clemson more than five years ago.

Defense

Mike: Brian Burns, DE
It wasn’t a great day for Florida State defensively in any aspect of the game. The Seminoles did not record a sack in the loss in Raleigh, but junior defensive end Brian Burns had two of the five FSU tackles for loss. Burns had four total stops.

Clint: Hamsah Nasirildeen, S
After being ejected last week for targeting against Clemson, sophomore safety Hamsah Nasirildeen led the Seminoles on Saturday with 15 total tackles. Nasirildeen was already FSU’s leading tackler coming in. Nasirildeen also had the team’s only pass break-up in the loss.

Special Teams

Unanimous Game Ball: Keyshawn Helton, WR
The FSU special teams hasn’t done the team many favors this season, but the Seminoles did have a couple of notable returns. Keyshawn Helton, a freshman wide receiver, averaged 22.3 yards on four returns with a long of 35 in Saturday’s loss.

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson